There are three more channels of non-verbal communication. Litfin’s introductory text, Public Speaking, gives a helpful summary of each:
4. Physical appearance – Whether you like it or not, people infer a lot from how you look. Be consistent with your message, your listeners and the occasion. The question is not if you will [...]
Archive for August, 2007
Delivery is More Than What You Say – Part 2
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, Preaching on August 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Delivery is More Than What You Say – Part 1
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, Preaching on August 30, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Any beginner’s course in public speaking will soon instruct that effective delivery is so much more than mere word choice. Any self-evaluation of early attempts at preaching will probably point to the same thing, and if it doesn’t, a helpful listener will soon point it out! Dr.Duane Litfin, president of Wheaton College, [...]
World Four
Posted in Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The world of the Bible, the world of contemporary culture, and the world of the local congregation. Three worlds in which the effective preacher must be able to move freely and knowledgeably. Then there is a fourth world in Robinson’s list. This is the inner world of the preacher. This one [...]
World Three
Posted in Audience Analysis, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
After mentioning the world of the Bible and the world of the contemporary culture, Robinson mentions the third of four worlds – the world of the specific local congregation.
His observation that the local church congregation has a very specific culture of its own that only partially reflects the broader culture around is spot on. What [...]
World Two
Posted in Audience Analysis, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 27, 2007 | 1 Comment »
John Stott’s classic book on preaching was entitled Between Two Worlds. His metaphor for preaching has been quoted by a generation of preaching writers. The preacher must inhabit both the world of the Bible and the world of the contemporary listener in order to build the bridge between these two worlds. Haddon Robinson suggests there [...]
The Holy Spirit and Your Preaching – Part 2
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on August 26, 2007 | 4 Comments »
Thankfully preaching is not just you and your listeners. It’s so much bigger than that. Your preparation is critical stewardship before God. Their openness to listen is also a vital stewardship of their opportunity. But there is also the Holy Spirit:
The Spirit of God is at work long before the sermon [...]
TIM Too
Posted in Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on August 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I previously shared five areas of life and ministry that must be watched as we pursue Total Integrity Management. Here’s one more worthy of pondering:
Do you allow time for the text to work in you first? If you have a schedule that means every message is prepared at the last minute, this is [...]
The Multi-Preacher Church
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 21, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Many churches have one preacher and the pulpit is a protected zone. Other churches have a pulpit that is shared between several speakers. Some churches have to give their pulpit to visiting speakers in order to function. Following on from the two posts on multi-speaker series, here are a few more thoughts:
1. Protected pulpits can [...]
Tell Me Why I Don’t Like Mondays?
Posted in Delivery, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching on August 20, 2007 | 6 Comments »
Donald Sunukjian suggests that for men, preaching is the closest we ever come to giving birth (ladies reading this – you’re right, we have no idea!) He talks about this thing growing inside and then finally coming out in an intense delivery, followed the next day by the post-partum blues.
Maybe some preachers always feel [...]
Making a Multi-Speaker Series Work – Part 2
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 1 - Passage Selection on August 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
A group of preachers, one Bible book, and a series of Sundays. Consider the following suggestions.
3. In a longer series, have a mid-series evaluation. It is wise to avoid a series that goes so long it starts to drag. So by longer series, I mean 8-12 Sundays rather than 4-6. A [...]
Making a Multi-Speaker Series Work – Part 1
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 1 - Passage Selection on August 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Some churches never try. Some always must. How do you combine a group of preachers, one Bible book and a series of Sundays into an effective series? First, there are some potential weaknesses worth noting. Inconsistent explanation of the book’s historical context, flow of thought or overarching idea. Differing perspectives on the book’s purpose or [...]
Multiply the Fruit of Your Study
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 4 - Passage Idea on August 13, 2007 | 2 Comments »
To really study a text takes time and effort. It involves a lot of thinking, reading, original language work for those that can, note taking, diagramming, plot analysis, word studies and so on. If you’ve really studied a passage well, let the fruit be multiplied. Here are some ideas:
1. Preach more than [...]
Review: Introduction to Biblical Preaching, by Donald Sunukjian
Posted in Homiletics, Preaching, Review on August 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Subtitle: Proclaiming Truth With Clarity and Relevance
Donald Sunukjian studied under Haddon Robinson at Dallas Seminary, then also taught there. He now teaches at Talbot Seminary in LA. Sunukjian has an ability to think through elements of preaching in minute detail, yet has a communication style that is clear and accessible – both in [...]
Getting Specific Sermon Feedback – Part 3
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Most preachers get too little sermon feedback that is any use to them. However, it is possible to get too much. Here are three more thoughts:
1. Most “feedback” is not very helpful. After preaching, people feel obliged to make a comment if they speak to the preacher. A simple thank you is always appreciated and [...]
Our Goal is Transformation not Recollection
Posted in Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 7, 2007 | 3 Comments »
It seems obvious that we preach with a goal of transforming lives with God’s Word. Yet I see so much focus given to the very different issue of ensuring recollection. This is why people take notes or preachers produce fill-in-the-blank handouts (so listeners will have a record of the points); this is why [...]
Getting Specific Delivery Feedback – Part 2
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 6, 2007 | 2 Comments »
It is a good idea to periodically ask a group of people to observe your preaching and give feedback in the areas mentioned in the previous post. There is another way. I do think it is good to involve others sometimes, but you cannot do that all the time. One thing that is relatively easy [...]
Getting Specific Delivery Feedback – Part 1
Posted in Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching on August 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
A great message prepared is not job done. As preachers we also have to deliver the message. There are some aspects of poor delivery that only others can point out. Periodically ask a handful of listeners to look for specific things in your delivery. The feedback may be uncomfortable, but it is worth it for [...]




