Category Archives: Homiletics

Preacher: butcher or cook?

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Jay Adams puts it well, I think:-

‘Whitehead said, “A merely well-informed man is the most useless bore on God’s earth.”  All of us know how desperately dull preachers can become at imes when they try to teach.  But the transmission of information certainly doesn’t need to be dull.  Rather, it can be exciting and interesting.  Preachers must not become Bible butchers, chopping out great chunks of scriptural meat and throwing them raw and bloody to their congregations as if they were feeding tigers. 

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Thoughts on sermon structure

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Structure is of the essence in communication. According to Haddon Robinson, a good sermon structure (a) helps the speaker to see the relationships between the various parts of the sermon; (b) enables the speaker to see the sermon as a whole; (c) ensures that the hearer will receive the ideas in the appropriate sequence; (d) identifies those places in the sermon where additional supporting material is needed to develop the points.

1.  What are the qualities of an effective structure?

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How to end a sermon

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I’m probably not the only preacher who sometimes finds it difficult to know how to end a sermon.

Bryan Chapell has some helpful hints.  Here’s a summary.

1.  Poems and quotations have limited value

The modern hearer tends not to appreciate high literature.  And, in any case, why give the final word to someone else?

‘Unless the poem says precisely what you intend, says it better than you could, and touches a deeper chord than you can reach, frame your own final words.’…

Preaching with clarity – top ten tips

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Peter Mead suggests some hints and reminders.  I summarise them here:-

1. Preach one big idea.

2. Structure your thoughts.  Let there be clear, simple, logical progression of ideas.  If you know where you are going, it is more likely your listeners will travel with you.

3. Get rid of unnecessary content.  Every message needs some time in the cutting room.  Remove anything – however interesting or useful – that is superfluous to your goal of communicating your main idea effectively and clearly. …

Preachers and their preaching – J. Sidlow Baxter

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Any sign of eloquence in public speaking is apt to be regarded with deep suspicion.  As a result, many preachers have become lazy, and neglectful of even the basics of oral communication.  The mood of the day may be very much against rhetorical skill.  But it is disrespectful both to our message and to our audience to fail to communicate as clearly, interestingly, and persuasively as we can.

But perhaps there are a few signs today of a renewed interest in rhetorical skill. …

Classification of Sermons 1 – Sangster

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In his book, The Craft of the Sermon, the noted Methodist preacher W.E. Sangster offered the following analysis of sermon types:_

1.  According to subject matter

Biblical interpretation: gives authority to the spoken word; provides endless material for the preacher; guards against the preacher’s own bias; encourages the people to read the Bible for themselves’ prevents evasion of the difficult.

  • Ethical and devotional
  • Doctrinal
  • Philosophic and apologetic
  • Social
  • Evangelistic

2.  According to structural type

Exposition: single text; multiple texts [can ask and answer questions, eg, ‘What is man?’…