Just like that? A bold claim but one that I stick by. If you follow the instructions of this post today, you will be a better preacher in one day.
Do it a few times a week, and your skill in writing and delivering sermons will effortlessly improve.
Do it daily, and your sermons skill and ability will gain such traction that you will scarcely be able to keep an objective view of how much and how well you are improving as a preacher.
Do I have your attention?
Watch/Listen To Other Preachers Preaching
Radical? Unexpected?
Not really. Consider the craft of writing. If one wishes to improve in writing, we always recommend more reading. When teaching writing, I always recommend a reading broader material, different styles, deeper subjects, whimsical writing, and longer books.
Because reading makes you a broader thinker, reading broadly expands horizons for writing like nothing else. It also focuses the attention on one’s preference for writing styles with specific applications.
Preaching is no different.
The preacher must listen to many sermons from many sources. Long sermons, short sermons, good ones, bad ones, from known sources and from unexpected sources. It’s not a bad thing to see what is going on out there, and to see what dedicated preachers, including many from other traditions, are doing, and how they are doing it.
Make watching and listening to sermons an integral part of your sermon preparation. Start early in the week.
Whatever you do, don’t discount the value or necessity this important discipline. Luckily, thanks to the Interwebs, we now can do so in complete anonymity in the comfort of our own homes and offices. If you find a good sermon, let us know on our Facebook page. We’ll post it for all to see.
Not sure where to begin? Here’s a few to get you started.
About Fr. John A. Peck
