Pointers for Preachers: Video and two articles

Preaching Matters: William Taylor, Poor Preaching [Video]

William Taylor helps us think through what to do when our preaching is poor. Watch now

You Are Not Just Preaching to the Room

Preaching wisely in a digital age.

I still remember the excitement I felt when that first sermon series from Chuck Swindoll landed in my mailbox. I was in college and, having some rare cash in my pocket, I ordered his biographical teaching on Moses. Over the next few years I continued to purchase more cassette series. The tapes were perfect for my half-hour commute to work.

Cassettes soon gave way to CD's which eventually gave way to podcasts. Today we live in a world where pastors of churches large and small post their content online almost immediately. Many live-stream and some churches even offer sophisticated viewing experiences allowing viewers to provide feedback. What's more, the advent of smart phones and social media has made Sunday sermons an interactive experience. Social media on Sunday is filled with comments and quotes drawn from the church service. Christian conferences are chronicled live on Twitter with special hash tags, Instagram pictures, and commentary.

Some lament this new reality. They say we are eroding the value of the incarnational experience of hearing a message. This is a valid concern, but pastors and church leaders must deal with the world that is: a digital conversation that is here to stay. So preachers must reckon with reality: when you walk up to the pulpit or lectern, you are not merely speaking to the room. You are speaking the outside world as well.

This reality shouldn't change the substance of the old-time gospel story. But it should cause us to think through the content we deliver, knowing we are often speaking simultaneously to both the choir and to outsiders, some of whom are ready to pounce on every stray word.

Here are three rules to guide our public speech in this digital age.... Keep reading

Preachers: Give People an Opportunity to Respond to God

When we preach the Bible, we are leading people to encounter God and respond to Him personally. As we work our way through the specific text we are preaching, we are leading them to encounter the God who wrote this Bible. Keep reading