If Sunday school and praise and worship are the “appetizers” of the typical Sunday morning service, then a pastor’s sermon would arguably be the “main course.”
That is why most pastors take serious care when crafting their weekly message.
“If I don’t spend around 10 hours working on a sermon, it’s not worth preaching,” said Rev. Rodric Reid, pastor of Uplift Cathedral, a non-denominational congregation near downtown.
If another minister asked him for advice on when to prepare a sermon, Reid would tell him or her to avoid waiting until Saturday to write it.
“We used to call those sermons ‘Saturday night specials,'” Reid said. “Sometimes circumstances beyond your control may push you to the last minute, but development of a sermon should be an ongoing process. It should begin as soon as you step out of the pulpit.”
Pastor Beverly Barney also believes that early preparation is essential to having an engaging, strong and powerful sermon.
“For me, the process starts Monday, but I live with it all week long,” said Barney, who serves as co-pastor of It Is Well Ministries, located on the city’s near Eastside. “Even during daily activities, ideas for the sermon come to my mind.”
With pastors being able to discuss whatever they wish for Sunday service, one may wonder how can they possibly choose a topic from a seemingly endless variety of possibilities. In other words, where does a sermon begin?
“The first thing I always do is turn to prayer and begin to seek guidance from the Lord as to what he would like me to share with the church and the community,” said Barney.
She also uses something she learned early in her 27-year journey as a minister that goes by the acronym S.W.O.R.D. In order, a preacher considers “S” for finding “Scripture,” “W” for effective “words” in the Scripture, “O” for how “others” might react, “R” for the “reason” of the particular passage and “D” for developing the right “delivery.”
“It’s hard to go wrong when you follow that basic formula,” said Barney. “You also have to ask yourself questions like ‘What do I believe God wants us to do with this material? How will it help people?'”
For Reid, sermon preparation begins with “communion” with God and reading Scriptures, but he is also careful to assesses the needs of the people he will be addressing,
“One of my mentors, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor (prominent Baptist minister and civil rights activist), would always say, ‘prepare you sermons with a newspaper and a Bible,'” said Reid. “You may consider something related to current events that concerns people, or not. But the bottom line is to know the people you will be preaching to, whether they are in your congregation or someone else’s.”
Raymond T. Exum, pastor of Crystal Lake Church of Christ, recommends that pastors create a filing system to help organize their sermon preparation process. The system can include folders for each book of the Bible to hold noteworthy Scriptures, folders about topics (God-existence, the ministry of Jesus, suffering, etc.) and an illustration file with materials that can inspire or support a sermon.
“From time to time you might read a good article, or there may be personal experiences that are moving and can spark a sermon,” Exum said. “It is good to make notes on those events so that they can be used later.”
Reid said it is important for a pastor to remain open to how the Holy Spirit (the distinct Christian entity that is part of the Holy Trinity) guides them in using a sermon. Sometimes what they prepare early in the week may not be what they end up using on Sunday.
“I have complete sermons that are still sitting in my file because I was motivated to talk about something else,” Reid said. “It is always good to be ready for a change, and have a manuscript of the sermon written. Even if you’re passionate about a topic, it’s good to at least have an outline, especially if you know your time will be very limited.”
Exum noted that many pastors, even those who have been preaching for many years, can get nervous in the pulpit.
“That is good,” he said. “It is like the difference between a race horse and plow horse. It means the speaker cares about how people will receive the lesson. Someone who does not get nervous could ramble, go beyond the time limit and be boring. When a sermon is fully prepared, energy from healthy nervousness can keep it focused and dynamic.”
‘The million dollar question’
In the Christian community, a pastor is often referred to as a “shepherd” who “feeds” spiritual nourishment to his/her congregation, “the flock.” Who, however, is feeding the shepherds? Where do pastors get their source of preaching and biblical teaching?
“That’s the million dollar question,” Reid said.
He noted that because of their hectic schedules on Sunday mornings, most pastors do not have a chance to visit other churches to get “a word” of their own.
“We do listen to other preachers, often through taped sermons,” Reid said. “Many of us have pastors of our own that we call ‘spiritual fathers,’ and often turn to them for advice, encouragement and spiritual feeding.”
Many pastors also attend conferences where they can take a break from the daily grind of overseeing a church, and listen to the sermons of ministers they admire. Pastors also develop sermons with their peers. Reid, for example, often discusses Scriptures with his friend, Pastor Robert Harvey of Robinson Community A.M.E. Church.
“We sometimes sit down and talk for hours at a time, especially when we’re traveling,” Reid said.
Barney receives preaching and teaching from mentor ministers, and occasionally welcomes guest pastors to deliver sermons at her church. In addition, she enjoys an opportunity most preachers don’t have, because she serves as co-pastor of It Is Well Ministries with her husband, Reggie.
“Since we pastor together we can always feed each other,” Barney said.
She added, however, that she is always happily awaiting the next opportunity to preach.
“I just love delivering the message of Jesus and making it plain,” she said. “The most enjoyable aspect of the sermon process is seeing that the people get it, and knowing that is has changed their lives.”
