Preaching That Works

          Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection, gave a lecture that was by far the most practical and helpful of the week. He called it, "Preaching That Works" and gave several suggestions on how to improve our preaching. I resonated with almost all of them. Just in case they are helpful to anyone else, here's what I learned from Adam Hamilton (which I'm sure can be found in some of the many books he's written but it was easier to learn these in a one hour lecture than in reading a book.)

          Kierkegaard the philosopher said we should preach with fear and trembling, but that shouldn't paralyze us. If God can speak through Balaam's ass, God can speak through you and me. The Spirit works despite those Sundays we feel completely inadequate or unprepared. Preaching is about giving it our all, our best, and then leaving the rest to God. When we don't spend enough time in prayer, we can often feel the difference in our preaching. We know how to write a sermon, but it's not about our work or our word in the end so we rely on prayer and the Holy Spirit.

          The sermon we live is the most important one of all. Be authentic. Be vulnerable. Be honest about your struggles and fears. Don't use preaching for self-therapy but also don't act like you are any better than anyone else. After all, we wouldn't need the gospel if we were perfect.

          Be clear about your MVP: mission, vision, and plan. Make sure the church is clear about its MVP and then allow the preaching moment to reinforce the direction the church is going in. Have a one or two year preaching plan. Hamilton takes one week a year away to plan out the next year's worth of sermons with input from the congregation. What are you trying to accomplish through your preaching? Be clear about your goals and create a long term plan.

          Every sermon should have 3 aims: the head, the heart, the hands. We should be biblically informed, spiritually transformed, and serving God in the world. Make sure they learn at least one thing through every sermon. Make sure they feel inspired, motivated, uplifted. Make sure they are challenged to do something specific as a result of the message, living it out in their own lives.

          Keep in mind the 5 categories of sermons. 1. Fishing sermons geared toward seekers. 2. Discipleship sermons helping people go deeper in their faith. 3. Pastoral Care sermons to care for and nurture people. 4. Equipping and Sending sermons to encourage people to share God's love with others. 5. Strengthening the Church sermons that focus more on the church itself. Try to keep a good balance of all five of these different kinds of sermon series throughout the year.

          Preaching on difficult subjects: be faithful to each side. Carefully articulate each side of an issue and respect those who differ. Share your perspective with humility and love. Begin with, "This is where I am today on this topic." or "I may be wrong but..." Keep in balance the prophetic and the pastoral when preaching on controversial issues.

          My hope is that people leave more authentically human than when they came.

          Preaching can begin with a text and apply it to life today. Another way is to start with a life question and then apply the biblical witness to it. Both are effective ways to preach, although Jesus seemed to lean toward the latter in his preaching and many in our culture today do also.

          Understand where people are on the discipleship pyramid. If Christ is at the top of the pyramid and is our aim in the Christian life, about 10% of the congregation has almost reached it. These are the saints, the ones who are the closest to living like Jesus. The next 20% are the leaders. They are always at the church, giving of their time, talent, and treasure, and are invested in the church. The next tier down makes up 30% of the people, people who are trying but still struggle. They come to worship most of the time but might not be involved in anything else. The bottom of the pyramid makes up 40% of the congregation, the people that come three or four times a year or when it's convenient. We have to preach to all four levels, but mostly to the 40%. We can't assume they know scripture or the context or history of biblical stories. We must preach with a heavy teaching component so many can get caught up in their biblical background knowledge. Don't just preach to the top one or two tiers of Christians. Make your preaching accessible to all. 

          Capitalize on special holidays like Mother's and Father's Day with a special sermon, give away, or personal invitation to a special activity during or after church.

          Illustrations and stories are your bread and butter. It's the stories that make the sermon. Spend time looking for powerful and compelling illustrations for the message. Your own family, people in the congregation, and every day life are great places to look. Be on the look out constantly for great stories/examples.

          Give aways are an effective way of reinforcing the sermon and helping people put it into action. A magnet, memory card, coin, rock, or shower tag are all ways that people can take something tangible with them to remember the point of the sermon and to encourage them to live the message. These give aways become a reminder of the message so it stays with them longer.

          Of course there are no magic answers or formulas to great sermons, but I found all of these tips and suggestions to be helpful as I look forward to my next preaching opportunity. There is always room to grow and improve upon one's gifts. I'm thankful for these tidbits of wisdom as I continually and intentional seek to grow in my preaching abilities.