No matter how many homiletic courses taken and sermons delivered, preachers are always looking to improve their sermons. Many times the pastor leaves the pulpit on Sunday and although many hours of prayer and study went into sermon preparation, he or she is not satisfied with the results.

One pastor commented, “We pray and study all week then when we stand behind the pulpit to proclaim God’s Holy Word we fumble and bumble.”

Although the minister’s library has many preaching titles they are always on the lookout for newly published books on the subject.

Preaching Points: 55 Tips For Improving Your Pulpit Ministry will be a welcome addition to a pastor’s already voluminous library.

This book contains nuggets of wonderful insights that will help the pastor in sermon preparation.

Preaching Points is written by professors of homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching at the seminary.

The contributors are respected professors of preaching including, The late Haddon W. Robinson, Jeffrey D. Arthurs, Patricia M. Batten, Scott M. Gibson (editor), and Matthew D. Kim.

Regarding clarity, Gibson writes, “The preacher has the responsibility to be clear to his or her listeners. If there were to be an eleventh commandment given to preachers it probably would be “Be clear”! (p.1)

The late Dr. Howard Hendricks, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary supports this point about being clear by saying, “A mist in the pulpit puts a fog in the pews.”[1]

Obviously, it is important to be clear, but what is the Big Idea?

Professor Robinson states the following:

We talk about the Big Idea at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The Big Idea is the dominant idea in your sermon. It’s made up by asking two questions: First, what is the author talking about? And second, what is the author saying about what he is talking about? (p. 3)

In his book, Biblical Preaching, Robinson devotes an entire chapter to the Big Idea. Clearly, this is an important part of sermon preparation and it behooves the pastor to heed his advice.

The Preaching Points listed in the book will certainly help the preacher to stay on track and keep the attention of his or her listeners. Outstanding chapters of note are: Sermon preparation is twenty hours of prayer; Feed my lambs, not my giraffes; In our preaching, less is more; Praise your listeners before correcting them; and Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

Although the preacher may be very familiar with the text and may have preached from it many times before, they should still soak themselves in the text.

One pastor who knows the importance of soaking oneself in the text shared that he reads his text 100 times.

The book does not provide notes or a bibliography, however, the experience of these leading scholars make up for it. Several books on preaching have been written by the contributors to this book.

The material shared is invaluable for sermon preparation. They are a fountain of information to assist the pastor in fulfilling Paul’s exhortation to pastors to “Preach the Word.”

This book may not be mentioned on lists of the best books for preachers, however, it will benefit the preacher to purchase a copy. It is a very easy read and very well-written. Grab your highlighter, you will want to return here many times to be refreshed.

Reviewed by Larry Russi

Publisher’s page: https://lexhampress.com/product/153980/preaching-points-55-tips-for-improving-your-pulpit-ministry

Notes

[1] “A Fog in the Pews” Moreland First Baptist Church

First a caveat–I’m quoted in this article; so I had to be cautious about my subjectivity.  But the truth is that I found myself saying quiet “Amens” throughout.  Several overall impressions:

• Briggs’ 7 ideas are sophisticated, in the best sense of the word. So much Bible Engagement advice is simplistic, little “tips”: Set aside a time every day, find a quiet place, choose a translation that suits you, etc.  I recently stumbled on a new “tip” that suggested drinking a strong cup of coffee before devotions. I am glad Briggs went much deeper than this.
• Before presenting his 7 Ideas, Briggs first addresses the nature and purpose of the Bible. What is the Bible?  And what are we to do with it? Understanding this is foundational to reading the Bible well, but it’s seldom part of the Bible Engagement conversation.  The Bible isn’t a random collection of commands to be obeyed and promises to be claimed.  Reduced to its essence, the Bible is a historical drama, a wild and wooly tale, full of mystery and majesty, and yes, sometimes misery.  The Bible’s invitation is for us to step onto the stage in our era, and to live faithfully into that story in our generation.  Deeply immersing ourselves in the Bible’s history is foundational to being faithful to the story’s trajectory.  There are no shortcuts.

Briggs offers seven imaginative ideas for stellar Bible Engagement. My three favorites:

1. Write out Scripture by hand. “Write yourself clear” says the ancient proverb.  Writing slows us down and calms our racing minds.  Writing out Scripture is a timely strategy in the middle of the internet revolution where our attention spans are being truncated, interfering with our ability to meditate, to think deeply and critically!

2. Ask questions–even tough ones. Bible readers who graduate from “Bible McNuggets” to bigger readings, discover that questions pop up everywhere. This, it seems, is part of the Bible’s design–the Spirit’s genius to get us wrestling with the text. It was in the wrestling that Jacob evolved into Israel.

3. Read the Bible communally and ask five simple questions. I’ve been a serious Bible reader since I was 17, mostly as a solo activity.  Then 20 years ago I made a decision to read Scripture communally.  Most often that takes the form of reading privately and then getting together with a group that’s following the same reading schedule.  In addition, we pivoted from directed Bible studies to a book club model, with open ended questions that provoke far more interesting and honest conversation.  I encourage all my friends to take the book club model for a test drive.  R.’s open-ended questions are a good place to start.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Dr. Briggs tips his hand to his target audience– “Improving Bible Engagement in Your Church.”  If you follow J.R.’s work you know his passion is influencing Kingdom leaders.  In this article I hear him prodding church leaders to restore the Bible to a place of primacy; to admit that in the modern era, programming, not Bible Engagement, has become king.  But dazzling programming has had its day in the sun, and proven to be inadequate for the indomitable problems we’re facing.  Briggs presents compelling research that deep Bible Engagement is the #1 catalyst for individual and church vitality!

Improving Bible Engagement in Your Church–the rally cry for the next generation of church leaders? May it be so!

Reviewed by Paul Caminiti

Many negatives can distract leaders daily. Consequently, they may fall prey to these external influences, lose their vision and become spiritually powerless. But leaders can regain power over their lives by focusing on their main goals and ordering everything else around those goals. Then they can succeed in their ministries or personal lives. But that is only the beginning. To truly be influential, leaders should duplicate their successes in church members’ lives by improving their “serve.” Serving may cause leaders to feel like slaves, not realizing how church members perceive them. But, often, church members perceive such leaders as heroes. It is the art of serving that makes leaders out of ordinary people. Spiritual leadership teaches the art of serving, which is really the art of helping others succeed and fulfill their dreams.

Servanthood begins with identifying customers and then attending to them. Leaders should see, not only church members, but also everyone within their spheres of influence as their customers. A customer is anyone with whom a leader comes into contact. This outlook facilitates these three things: expanding one’s sphere of influence for Christ, being charismatic, and developing a spiritual edge. These things attract new church members and opportunities to serve. The best customers are repeat customers. And the best church services are those that attract repeat customers. Spiritual leadership empowers church members to develop their own customer base through offering outstanding services to those within their own sphere of influence and expanding their sphere of influence in the body of Christ.

When I attended Southern California College from 1975-1979, Mario Murillo was our guest chapel speaker one morning. Afterward, as he greeted students outside the chapel doors, I asked him, “What is the greatest way one can glorify God—through witnessing, or other ways?” Mario replies, “The greatest way to glorify God is in your heart.” I took this to heart. I believed and received it, and have been acting on it to this day. That truth impacted my life and made a difference in me, my ministries, and all I do.

So, I would like to challenge spiritual leaders to deepen their walk with the Holy Spirit, and see what Christ will do for you and those you impact.