Deep Preaching

J. Kent Edwards recalls a story that late pastor J. Vernon McGee told about seeing children in South Africa playing a game of marbles in the dust with real diamonds. The precious stones were being handled with no regard for their true worth. Edwards fears the same thing happens today when preachers offer Scriptural truth to listeners without being completely overwhelmed by its greatness themselves in the process. Deep Preaching is his call to "rethink" preaching. Edwards helps preachers learn to preach the word in ways that will powerfully change the lives of hearers. He contends that sermons "need not settle comfortably on the lives of the listeners like dust on a coffee table." He encourages preachers to join him in casting off the lines that moor their ministries to the status-quo and make every effort to steer their preaching out of the "comfortable shallows." He urges them to preach deep sermons rather than superficial ones, moving "beyond the yawn-inspiring to the awe-inspiring, from the trite to the transforming."

Here leading pastors offer specific guidance from both personal and biblical perspectives on themes of vision, desire, integrity, emotions, and transformation. In so doing, the contributors show that the ability to inspire people through preaching flows from one thing: leading them into the presence of Christ. The writers in this book share the bounty of decades of experience to help pastors do just that by delivering more effective and inspirational sermons. Each of the following chapters focuses on an important element of this most important form of preaching, including... The Biggest idea in Preaching Authentic Inspiration 5 Veins of Deep Preaching Preaching with wonder Interpretation and Application How does one best make ancient biblical texts pertinent to the 21st Century listener, while still maintaining the integrity of the Scriptures? Interpretation and Applications designed to provide guidance on how to interpret and apply God's word honestly and accurately in a sermon. Sermon Preparation On top of all the responsibilities that comprise their vocation, pastors must write sermons that are original, insightful, useful, challenging, and comforting--once a week. Sermon Preparation explores the art and craft of sitting down to a blank page and writing a message that nourishes and speaks truth to the listener. Every chapter, written by an expert in the field, provides insights and techniques that are the result of years of sermon preparation.

Listeners do love their pastors and they agree with the sermon content they hear,' Lori Carrell once explained to a group of pastors, 'but most sermons don't ask for change, and most listeners don't experience spiritual growth as a result of the sermon.' A participant responded: 'Let's get practical. I want my preaching to make a difference. What changes are worth making, and how do I make them?' In Preaching that Matters, Lori Carrell shares answers to that question, drawing on the experiences of thousands of people—preachers and their listeners—whose effort she has studied over many years. In each chapter of this book, she offers research revelations about high impact preaching that will encourage and challenge readers to continue to grow as preachers. She then links these principles with Reflective Practice Challenges (RPCs), exercises that honor the rich experiences of pastors while opening opportunities for self-analysis, spiritual introspection, conversation with a trusted other, or implementation of research-based preaching recommendations. The activities have been used by hundreds of other pastors, and each RPC has been carefully selected for its demonstrated contribution to the process of transforming sermon communication. A selection of the RPCs are available as a downloadable file. E-mail [email protected] for more information. As a communication expert, Carrell approaches preaching from a 'sermon communication' paradigm. She begins with the task of identifying the spiritually transformative purpose of the sermon and then explores exegeting, organizing, deepening, and delivering the sermon, as well as listening to the listeners and planning for continued transformation. Her own goal is simple: to inspire and equip clergy to make changes that will enhance the transformative power of their preaching. To connect with others reading Preaching That Matters and to find an onlne accountability partner, join the book's Google+ communities.

Davis demonstrates that the activities of biblical interpretation and preaching are essentially related as arts and, in fact, as the arts most fundamental to the life of the church.

The local pastor's go-to resource for weekly sermon planning. The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2023 is lectionary-based and follows the calendar year (January - December). It includes special days like Maundy Thursday and Ash Wednesday, and indexes for scriptures and themes, to assist preachers with non-lectionary sermons. Each entry begins with a preacher-to-preacher prayer for preparation, then moves to the key feature: a commentary on one or more texts for the week, exploring themes and storylines, theological reflections, and thoughts about how the text and topic relate to our lives today.Also included are ideas for bringing the text to life--stories, illustrations, ideas for further reading, questions the preacher might pose to the congregation, and suggestions for a ‘call to action’ in response to the message. Finally, for the preacher’s ongoing enrichment, the Annual includes excerpts from new books on preaching and homiletics. This helpful resource is written by every-week preachers whose aim is to come alongside you, offering a reliable starting point for your sermonic planning, writing, and delivery.

This volume, which launches the Engaging Worship series from Fuller Theological Seminary's Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, offers a unique study of sermon delivery. While many books offer advice on how to prepare, write, and preach a sermon, this volume is distinctive in approaching the subject from the perspective of performance. The authors, who teach at a variety of seminaries and divinity schools across the nation, examine how the sermon can bring God's word to life for the congregation. In that sense, they consider the idea of performance from a wide range of theological, artistic, and musical viewpoints. These thoughtful essays will engage clergy and students with new ways of looking at the art of preaching.

As the complexity of our world increases exponentially, there is need for preachers to understand their identities and roles in this new reality and to navigate the landscape of the new challenges facing the contemporary church. Blayne Banting offers seasoned reflections on how contemporary preachers can build upon what cannot change in ways that frees them to practice their ministries creatively in ways which must change.

"I am a pastor. I preach. Doesn't that make me a pastoral preacher?" Not necessarily. Many preach missional rather than pastoral sermons designed to appeal to the unchurched, not the churched. The popularity of regional churches and the global reach of the internet allow preachers to focus their sermons on people they do not know and market a message to an audience they never see. Evangelical leaders produce many resources on attractional preaching, but who is developing a vision for pastoral preaching? David Christensen draws on years of experience to develop a philosophy of pastoral preaching. He writes, "Social media changes the way we preach. More and more pastors are preaching clickbait sermons. These are sermons designed to get clicks or attract interest rather than teach truth. We want catchy titles and clever analogies that will grab people's attention because the digital world is built on attention, whatever will get likes or drive outrage." However, pastoral preaching builds community. It is rooted in local soil to the people we know in the place we live. We need a philosophy of preaching that shepherds a community of disciples who worship together in one place.