Friday, May 11, 2007

What I preach and Why

Style:

My preference and the best fruit is when I go through books of the Bible one paragraph a week. I would describe it as very akin to that of Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Fellowship in Seattle. I am getting better at “felt needs” topical preaching, but this is not yet as good. My model in this is Craig Groeshel from Oklahoma City. I also try to preach a narrative sermon 4 times a year. I always have a creative PowerPoint and use media clips every week.

My philosophy is this:

  • Exegetical preaching teaches people how to think biblically and thus assures them and affords them the ability to know what God is saying in large chunks in context. In this way people get the whole council of God and learn to think biblically over time. I usually go through rotating preaching from the Old Testament and New Testament making sure I also hit the poetic books of the OT in regular fashion.

  • Topical preaching allows people to think with some sense of systematic theology and gives people the breadth of Gods wisdom through gleaning the Bible from front to back. I try to use the concept of a "runner" series 4 times a year that addresses felt needs and is used by the church family as very pointed times to invite thier unchurched friends with more urgency.

  • Narrative sermons bring the Bible back to its original presentation-storytelling and oral tradition.

Preparation:

I am typically preparing several sermons at the same time. In regard to weekly preparation I do the following: Read the text and go pray and walk around for an hour. Do the language research usually with the critical commentary series and life application commentaries; and reference at least 4 other commentaries on the passage. This takes about 5 hours. I then sketch the sermon out in PowerPoint and place all the scripture within it. I also try to plot the path for the intellect, heart, and will for the entire sermon. I then get a group of people together for a brainstorming session about what the passage means, how it is relevant, and what creative applications it may bring to the table. This is around another 2 hours. I then do a final draft and try it out once and try to fix mistakes and spend time praying that I got it right. I also make sure I actually integrate and apply the sermon to my own life so that there is some spiritual fruit to illustrate my thoughts and to be a benchmark for integrity as a teacher. Total prep time per sermon and service averages 10-15 hours a week

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, whatever you do, please dont use Driscoll as a model. That guy is a foul-mouth ego case.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry that you did not leave a name so that I could respond privately. I am compelled to leave a quote from Mark Driscoll's Blog.
"A godly friend once asked me an important question: "What do you want to be known for?" I responded that solid theology and effective church planting were the things that I cared most about and wanted to be known for. He kindly said that my reputation was growing as a guy with good theology, a bad temper, and a foul mouth. This is not what I want to be known for. .....In the end, I do not want my tone and style to get in the way of important discussions and kingdom work. So, my intention is to lean into God's empowering grace to become a holy man who demonstrates greater self-control. In the future, my prayer is that I could continue to speak with pithy edginess and candor that is also marked by grace and appropriate words. I obviously failed this time. Please forgive me and pray for me."
I admit Mark is a slow learner, but are not we all? The Bible is full of offensive people that God uses for His purposes. Looks like you have a request to forgive and pray for Mark. To save some time, you might as well put David on that list too, seriously. Grace be with you my friend.

 

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