We were fortunate to have so many students in the congregation with special abilities, and we attempted to utilize them in the services. One Wheaton College senior had worked for months preparing her senior speech recital. She had carefully edited and memorized extensive passages from Catharine Marshall’s bestseller, Christy. Our examination revealed that much of it illustrated the main thrust of the series I was preaching on Christ’s command to love others.
Following one sermon in the series, she performed portions of it in costume, taking about twenty minutes. This proved to be yet another powerful method of reemphasizing the message.
When Ka Tong preached a difficult sermon—“As mature Christians make intelligent decisions about their future, they formulate God’s will for their lives”—we anticipated problems in comprehension. So, we consequently programmed an opportunity to ask questions. We specified that the inquiries were not to deal with response to the theme but to dwell on necessary clarifications.
In order to keep more vocal individuals from monopolizing, cards were included in the bulletin for written questions. The staff collected these during a hymn, sorted them, and directed the most helpful ones to the platform at the appointed time. About fifteen minutes were given to this in the total service, greatly clarifying Ka Tong’s thrust.
Many, many ideas can be utilized at this point in the service, but it must again be underscored that the purpose of any material which follows the sermon is to restate what has been said. If the idea detracts from the thrust of the message, eliminate it.
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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.