5 Essentials to Preach Sermons People Can't Stop Talking About
Based on the science of memorable speeches, the neuroscience of memory, and the factors that make a social media post go viral, content that keeps people talking has five things in common. Incorporate these essentials in your sermons, and see what kind of conversation follows.
Crafting Sermons Like a Photographer (A Guest Post)
Photographers know the quality of a photo is determined less by the beauty of the surroundings and more by their choice of what to include—and exclude. Widen the lens, shift angles, zoom in or step back, turn up the green, soften the highlights—every choice changes the focus and final image. Shoot without paying attention to these details and you end up with an image that may be real but doesn't capture the deeper truth of a thing. The photo leaves the observer on the outside. "I guess you had to be there..."
This effort to bring your listener into the gospel as you see it is your work in sermons, as well.
Finding Courage to Preach in "The Purple Zone" (A Guest Post)
Here’s the truth many clergy have shared with me: they are afraid to preach about issues of public concern. They know their sermons should in some way address things like racism, homophobia, climate change, sexism, economic issues, or hatred of foreigners, for example. But fear holds them back, keeps them quiet, and muzzles their prophetic voice. How can you preach when you are afraid?
Preaching Advice Roundup: 16 Backstory Preaching mentors share strategies to make preaching easier, more effective, and more fun!
Sometimes, one small tip is powerful enough to unlock a new competency or significantly improve a skill or process. That’s why today's blog is all tips, tips, and nothing but preaching tips. As the 2023-2024 Mentorship class wraps up their program and celebrates graduation, I asked current Backstory Preaching mentors to offer some of their favorite preaching strategies to help you craft more effective sermons in less time—while loving the process!
The Power of Comparison: How to bring abstract concepts to life with effective metaphors & similes
Crafting effective comparisons is one of the life-bloods of preaching that engages listeners and holds their attention. These comparisons do the heavy lifting of explanation so listeners grasp the strange, unfamiliar, otherworldly reality of God within the reality we know.
Sacred Imagination: Preaching a Picture of God's Vision
Even though Jesus gave us these and many more concrete examples of what the reign of God is in real life, as preachers we often struggle to imagine God’s reign as concretely, today or in the future. I want to raise up an exercise and offer an example to help us imagine the concrete manifestation of God’s hopes for us so we can easily preach God’s vision revealed in a text.
The Freedom that Comes from Preaching Growth
Improving our sermon craft results in more compelling preaching, which of course benefits our listeners who hear Good News and experience freedom from the sin, shame, legalism, or pain of living in this imperfect world with imperfect humans and their imperfect selves. But growth in our preaching craft provides freedom for us, too. We feel confident in our ability to execute the preaching vision deposited by the Spirit. And we experience freedom to play, create, experiment, and ultimately excel at preaching—for the sake of the gospel.
How to Hone your Powers of Observation for More Engaging Sermons
By practicing our powers of observation, connecting behaviors to emotions, exploring short bursts of creative writing, and creating files for future reference, we’ll be able to apply details that tell a story of Good News our listeners will not only hear—but experience.
How to enrich your understanding of biblical characters for more compelling sermons
In the same way that seeing Batman with an ice cream cone colors your perspective of him, so too can a few well-placed details in your sermon open up the humanity—the common fears, hopes, regrets, quirks, and dreams—of the biblical characters so your listeners connect to the Good News more deeply.
The Preacher's Trust: A Practice for Becoming a Better Preacher
To become a better golfer, there are clear skills one can practice to improve. But what if you want to become a better preacher? The Preacher’s Trust offers ten areas to which preachers can dedicate consistent effort in order to see growth in their life, spirituality, and craft.
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I participated in the Lectio study today with a complicated and double-speak Gospel (John 17:6-19) and WOW! I received so much great insight and am headed in a direction I feel really good about. Thank you to all my colleagues! If you are wondering if this is worth it, wonder no more. It is.
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The Gospel People Don't Want to Hear: Preaching Challenging Messages was written to aid preacher’s in understanding what’s at stake for their listeners so they can craft sermons their audience can receive, even if they challenge cherished beliefs.
I just have to say WOW. I'm so grateful that I made the investment and joined The Collective. These Thursday [workshops] are a game-changer for me.
—Andrea M.