How important to your ministry is your pastoral library? If you’re anything like me, your library is very important. Over the years, I’ve accumulated, read, and cataloged so many books that I would be hard pressed to even estimate how many I actually have in my library. Many of the books were given to me by people I hold in very high esteem. They were kind enough to autograph those volumes. When I take one of those books in my hand, I remember the occasion during which I had the privilege of meeting with and talking with the author.
There is no doubt that pastors rely on their libraries as an important resource when they develop their sermons. But, many years ago, I discovered an even more valuable resource. Across the span of my years in ministry, this resource has become ever more important in helping me craft sermons that will effectively convey the message God wants me to share. That resource is people.
When I served as the pastor of a church, the people I consulted were the members of my congregation. Later, when I worked in radio and television, I would talk with members of my staff about the messages I was preparing for broadcast. In each case, I received information so valuable that I would find it difficult to assign a high enough value for this critical resource.
In Podcast No. 209, I share my thoughts on how pastors can tap into this valuable resource and use it to make their sermons even more effective. If you would like to hear what I have to say on this topic, I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website. On that site, you will be able to listen to this particular Podcast.
As you listen, I hope my thoughts will spur your own thinking about ways that you can use the valuable resource found in the members of your congregation to help you develop life-transforming sermons. Once you tap into this valuable source of information, I think you will find it helps you place your sermons in a context that will be most helpful to your people.
For quite a few weeks now, I’ve shared with you about my new book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is scheduled for release in early May. In the meantime, you may pre-order the book at Amazon.com by clicking here.
This book gives information about how to make your sermons memorable. And, it also gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said.
Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.
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