The World's Premier Online Orthodox Christian Homiletics Resource
by Fr. Sergius Halvorsen Professor of rhetoric and homiletics at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, CT, Fr. Sergius is a founding member of the Preachers Institute. In this article, he gives some effective guidelines for sermon preparation in this article on the function of Orthodox Christian preaching. The sermon that is preached in the context of the Divine Liturgy should lead the hearer on the path of sanctification and theosis. … [Read more...]
by Fr. Jonathan Cholcher The former headmaster of St. Nicholas Orthodox Classical School in Mogadore, OH, Fr. Jonathan is a graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. An outstanding apologist, homilist and teacher, Fr. Jonathan provides four measurable benchmarks for Orthodox preachers. We are reprinting this article, which was originally published by Preachers Institute in May of 2009. Orthodox preaching needs to be good preaching. … [Read more...]
by Fr. Barnabas Powell We are republishing this article from our good friend, Fr. Barnabas, who is the priest of Ss. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Church in Cumming, GA and blogger at Sober Joy, co-teaches the course PAST 7201 - Preaching: Proclaiming The Kindgom, with Fr. Nick Triantifilou, the president of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Fr. Nick was the main professor, and Fr. Barnabas was the co-instructor. In this … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck TAKE THE POLL! When we were in the early stages of discussing the mission and goals of the Preachers Institute, one that stuck out was the opportunity for advanced, intensive study of homiletics among Orthodox clergy. We decided early on that the professional degree (D. Min.), not an academic degree (such as a Ph.D. or a Th. D) would best fulfill our vision, as it was the preacher on-the-ground, in the parish preaching … [Read more...]
By Fr. John A. Peck The questions a preacher must consider when preparing his sermon are many. One such question must be: "Is my sermon a vaccination against sin and indifference, or an inoculation against conversion?" Though we certainly believe that vaccinations are good science, the idea that a small, dead amount of something which is good (in this case, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ) can be used to create resistance to the very … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas to all our faithful readers, members, lurkers and writers! On this day, the day of our Lord's birth, we here at the Preachers Institute want to wish you all a very merry, safe, and spiritually fruitful Nativity celebration, and to assure you all of our prayers, particularly on this festive Holy day. This is a great feast, the feast of the Incarnation - the central theological doctrine of the Christian faith. If the Eternal, … [Read more...]
Apart from the many helps for a Christmas sermon, the Preachers Institute would like to offer you one more article to spice up a Nativity service for those who attend your worship. There's nothing better than when 'the lights go on' for our listeners, and they see or hear something perhaps they've never understood, or perceived before. Add these Scripture verses to your Christmas sermons, and offer a brief explanation of these points. If your … [Read more...]
By Fr. John A. Peck We all know sermon preparation is important, but this article answers the specific questions: "What kind?" "How much?" This article was originally published by Preachers Institute in June of 2009, but remains a regular favorite, according to the traffic we get. We are reprinting it here, to be followed by several other reprinted articles, to celebrate our new and improved website. “Proper prior planning prevents poor … [Read more...]
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