STEPS TOWARDS BECOMING AN EFFECTIVE PREACHER

PARTS OF A SERMON

Introduction

1.       An Attention-getting Question

You want to be sure to ask questions that people actually care about and ask them in a way they can recognize as being similar to their own. For example, beginning a sermon with the question,”Who’s next?" or "Where will you spend your eternity?"

2.       An Attention-getting/Pay attention Statement

 “Today, I will teach you how to rewrite your family history”. “ ..how to make money, live a healthy life.”

As with questions, be sure that your statement will engage the audience immediately and make them want to hear what you have to say.

3.       Startling Facts & Statistics/Statistical Introduction

“One in three marriages will end in divorce.” Due to our listeners’ frequent exposure to statistics, it is best to use those that are the most attention getting. A warning here: ANY time you’re going to use a fact or statistic that sounds incredible, you must make sure your sources are credible, and try to cite the source in the sermon.

Foe example, "Only 3% of the people in the church are born again."

4.       Humor

For example, this woman came up to her pastor and said, "Pastor, my dog died, and I'm so distraught and I was wondering, would you be willing to do a funeral for my dog?" And the pastor, being a Pentecostal church minister said, "I'm sorry but we don't do funerals for dogs." And then a thought crossed his mind, and he said with a smile, "Why don't you go up the road to the pastor down the street. I bet he'd be willing to do it." And the woman said, "Well, thank you Reverend. I appreciate it. Do you think N1.5m will be enough to pay for this funeral?" The pastor exclaimed, N1.5m! Well why didn't you tell me your dog was a Christian? It would be my pleasure to bury him!"

Once you have their attention, try to use the irony found in the joke to point out a tension in the life of the listener.

5.      Bible Quotation Introduction

There are certain passages of scripture like Psalm 22:1: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" that are so attention getting on their own, that you can simply begin by citing them. However, generally speaking, just getting up and reading the passage can tempt people to tune out; thus, my suggestion is that when using this approach, it should be an attention-getting passage.

6.      An Interesting Story

Interesting stories do tend to get people’s attention, and interesting stories that are personal are even better. But what will really tempt them to listen is using stories that are from the shared experience of the speaker and the listener. For example, everyday frustrations that you know your audience has experienced, like being cut off in traffic or having to put up with a difficult co-worker, can be the source of an interesting story.

1. 7The Contextual Introduction. Facts that surround an event etc.

8. The Background Introduction. Historical or Geographical. About a bible character like David or a location like Bethlehem, Israel, Judah etc.
9. The Example Introduction.
10. A Contrast/Comparism Introduction. An introduction can be a form of comparing or contrasting to things, people or situations.
11. A Topical Introduction.
12. An Advantages Introduction.
13. A Seasonal Introduction
14. A non-bible Quotation Introduction. You might use a quotation from a renowned author or a public figure.
15. Poem/Song Introduction.
16. Current event Introduction.
17.  Problem illustration Introduction.

 Why does introduction fail?

Introduction fails if...

1. It is predictable (e.g. the preacher uses always the same method for starting.)
2. It promises too much.
3. It is inappropriate (does not fit to this particular sermon).
4. It is ignorant of the experiences of the day of the audience. (If it describes the preacher’s situation not of the listener’s.)
5. It is too dull.
6. It tells too much. Introduction should be reasonably short and prepare the minds of the people for the message. It shouldn't tell the audience more than what they need to know.
7. It promises too little.
8. It does not promise anything.
9. It is unprepared.
10. It is not fresh.
11. It is too negative.
12. It is too slow.
13. It is too fast.

THE BODY OF THE SERMON

1. Major points

The outline must have them (2-5 points). Sermon needs a plan, like a building. The existence of a plan can be seen from the outside.

What to do with the text?

a)         Expand the text, show the general application (Example: story of Naomi and Ruth)

 b)         Move from general to specific

Example: John 3:16.  Message on love. The commandments. Over 600 – 10 – 2 – 1.

c)         Compare it

Example: “I saw men as trees”. The blind man after washing his face in the pool saw himself first, then he saw others around him, finally Jesus. Our stories are just the opposite..

d)         Contrast it

The prodigal son’s older brother has so much different attitude than our Lord Jesus Christ does. (e.g. The first did not want to eat with sinners, but the Lord eats with us each Sunday.)

e)           Look at various contexts

Historical context, Doctrinal context (if the subject is sin, other doctrines are holiness, forgiveness, obedience etc.), Biblical context, Cultural context, Psychological context (the writer might have different things in his mind than in his heart), Emotional context (how did the writer and the addressee feel and how do we feel reading the words?)

f)         Look for progression in it. Example: Attitude of a Champion. Blind Bartimeaus story.

g)         Categorize the text

Example: on the road to Bethlehem, some came with joy, some with violence, some with haste, some with devotion.

i)           Do parallel slicing, showing the different aspects of the passage. Ex.20:1-17. The Ten Commandments.

THE CONCLUSION

It is similar to the landing (the dangerous part of flight). It requires lot of skills.

Conclusion SHOULD NOT BE announced! The sermon should end suddenly not predictably.

Conclusion succeeds when it inspires response (not verbal response).

Forms of a good conclusion:

1. Practical. How to deal with unforgiveness, anger etc”.
2. Should be variety in our conclusions
3. Can appeal to something. “Change your ways now”.
4. Can be an application
5. Can be an exaltation
6. Can be a consolation. “Weeping may endure for a night…”.
7. Can be projection of a possible future
8. Can be a call for decision. “Repent now!”
9. Can be a proclamation. “Jesus reigns”.

Types of the conclusions:

1. Review (most common but not the best, because it requires no creativity and easy but it is not much effective)
2. Summary (should be very short, the whole sermon in a single drop)
3. Might just be a suggestion (Example: Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and Pilate washed his hands. Which basin would you chose if you were given water?)
4. Strong encouragement
5. Motivation for action

Material to be used in the conclusions:

1. Poems
2. Song quotations
3. Parables (your own ones)
4. Promise
5. Verse of the Scripture.
6. Quotes
7. Warnings (Jesus came as a baby to the Earth at the first time and comes back as a king next time.)
8. Call for response (Repent! All the prophets proclaimed this, so do I!)

Good sermons should always have (this is the ideal case):

1. Something to learn (not just new truths but you can show how to apply the old).
2. Something to think about (questions left unanswered).
3. Something to feel (not just thinking materials are needed).
4. Something to remember
5. Something to do

TYPES OF SERMONS

1.     Expository Sermon

Often the text is a whole paragraph, whole chapter, or even a whole book. No idea can be introduced into the expository sermon which does not come from the passage of Scripture upon which it is based. It is an exposition of the given passage and that only.”

Example: Attitude of a Champion.  The cry of the desperate.

2.     Topical Sermon

Topical Sermon focuses mainly on a particular topic, or a topic within the text. Points do not necessarily come from one single text

and are usually invented by the preacher guided by the rhetorical possibilities of the subject in accordance with the Bible and the preacher’s knowledge concerning the topic.

Example: The mystery of His Mercy.

3.     Textual Sermon

 “The textual sermon tales from, the text and subject and the main divisions. The main points of the sermon are only those stated or clearly inferred by the passage of Scripture upon which the sermon is based. However, the subdivisions are invented in the same way that all the divisions are invented in the topical sermon.”

This means that the main difference between the topical sermon and the textual sermon is that topics did not just come out of the idea of the preacher but to what the passage is saying. And that the points though added or invented, are clearly a part of one passage.

In addition, among the three kinds of sermons; expository, topical and textual, I would say that textual is half expository and half topical.

Example: For this purpose. Seek ye first.

4.     Sermon Series

Sermon series is more like a combination of expository and textual form of sermon. They are taken from the passages itself and then make an exposition. The difference lies in the sequence and number of sermons because series of sermons is not enough for just one sermon setting. They are most of the time unfinished discourse since it is composed of several sermons to finish.

Example: The prayers of Jabez.

5.     Bible Story Sermon

Some counted this to be in the form of “Narrative Sermon”. For the purpose of pointing out the difference between the fiction / experiential stories with Bible stories, I will refer to experiential and fictional stories if I talk about narrative sermons. On the other hand, I will refer Bible stories in Bible story sermon.

Example: Joseph’s journey.

6.     Narrative Sermon

This is similar to Bible Story Sermon because it also deals with stories. The big difference however, lies with the story itself. In Narrative Preaching, the preacher uses experience and fictional stories and then quoting passages from the Bible to make a point, while Bible Story Preaching uses Bible Stories in delivering God’s word.

Here’s a simple process to get a picture of this kind of sermon:

1. The preacher tells a fiction or an experiential story. Most of it are quite long, enough to consume 15 minutes of telling it.
2. After telling the story, he will quote a passage which is very much related with the story and then present his concise points.
3. Making an excellent conclusion is very crucial since this will tell the people if the story is really worth noting.

The main issue that can be raised against narrative preaching and is worth evaluating is the issue of it source of message. It is because narrative preaching is not purely Bible based.

Example: Beat the best and be the best.