Learning the Art of Preaching: Best Practices from Practitioners
I am grateful for my Facebook friends who routinely engage me in great conversations about missional leadership. I recently posted a question as a status update:
What advice would you share with persons who are learning the art of preaching? What are good practices? What are ones best avoided?
I received a large number of comments on my Facebook page. They were very good so I organized them into the following list of “best practices.” I hope that you find them helpful. Thank you to everyone who posted their responses on Facebook. Great conversation.
Intangibles
Love first - or you will have no good news to share. I Cor. 13
I think the best preaching is incarnational. Preaching is more about who we are than the actual act of delivering the message.
Find your own voice
…listen to a lot of good preaching.
Brian I am unsure if you can make someone a preacher, I think if someone has good communicating skills you can improve them but if they don’t have it you can’t be taught it
Delivery
Smile. Speak up. If you don’t look like the sermon is an enjoyable (i.e. not boring or dry) experience for you, why should you expect it to be an enjoyable experience for your listeners?
Don’t take yourself too seriously - the message is very important, but you are a humble servant of God.
Avoid being boring. There is not excuse for boring people.
Land the plane! When you hit your conclusion, stop. Don’t circle back around and land over and over.
Be done when you are done.
The art of silence is very important. Christ asked tons of questions…sometimes I think we have sooo much we think we have to cover that even when we do ask “pondering” type questions, we tend to answer them for the people…take time for long thoughtful silences when communicating truths… I’ve often woken up the sleeping saint more quickly with silence than more or louder rhetoric…the Holy Spirit will work wonders in those times of contemplation…
You can use notes, outline, even manuscript if necessary… but remember this is communication: look at the people, make eye contact if possible, even following one thought, one paragraph with one person or one ‘area’ of the crowd. Also be mindful of your posture and gestures because they give you away, i.e. they communicate what you really think, regardless of your words.
Read Joseph Webb’s “Preaching Without Notes”… Think narrative… Approach the sermon as a series of stories that point to the biblical truth… Be inductive in study and delivery.
It is helpful to write out a manuscript, but don’t be tied to it. As a previous poster said, have one point (write it across the top of your notes!) and finally, when you get to the end, ask yourself “so what”? If people can’t use the sermon in their lives, why preach it? Also, don’t be afraid to use humor–it’s very effective in reaching people.
stand up, speak up, shut up, sit down
Know Your Audience
know your audience. You sound a lot smarter when people actually know what you’re talking about.
stay away from really long, unfunny. and ultimately unfruitful anecdotes. Don’t be afraid to TEACH the sheep, they may bite but they are smart little rascals. 
Quit underestimating how much they can understand.
Role of Scripture
be attentive; be willing to walk around to the other side of the text - and make THAT journey several times
change your lens from time to time; allow the text to shape the message; take a risk
Use the text throughout the sermon - not just as a launching point to say whatever you want.
Investigate using the Lectionary to avoid choosing the launching point as well.
Use lectionary to avoid going familiar - hone in on the main theme using original languages particularly subject/predicate - craft around the main theme letting it bake for a day or so bathed in prayer - tell stories to make message real - “what does it say, what does it mean, how can I apply it to real life”
Also…start with the assumption that nobody cares about anything you are about to share. Remember, the text has been your world in the preparation, not the listener’s.
Manuscripts, Notes, and Such
Use what’s comfortable. If that’s an outline, use and outline, if its note cards, use note cards, if its a manuscript, use a manuscript. However, don’t dismiss manuscripts because they can seem “canned.” Taking the time to write a full manuscripts forces you to think about everything you are going to say and ensure you have prayerfully thought through your whole message.
Oh… and more important… if you use a manuscript… NUMBER YOUR PAGES!!!
Practice the discipline of writing your sermon in manuscript form before preaching.
I personally disagree with writing a manuscript - I use a spider map - then outline
an hour of prep for every minute you preach. Pray, research, read, write it out, reread it, get feedback from others. THEN when you have done the work needed let the Holy Spirit put the icing on that cake as you deliver it… if God wants you to go a new direction… so be it.
Focus
Identify the “nugget” or one main, overarching point that you want the listeners to take with them by the end of the message - because they won’t remember much of your well-crafted words.
At the very least have a point.
The mistake most new preachers make is to try & pack everything they feel a need to share into 1 sermon. Narrow your focus.
Big Picture of Preaching’s Purpose
Keep it simple, keep it theological (please, say something about God!) and keep it current.
Preach truth.
Remember that the point is to make disciples of Christ.
What else would you add?
i am studing the art of preaching in theology right now, and would like more tips and info in this regard.