How Not to Preach Boring Sermons
Thanks to David Murray for pointing me to this two–part lecture given by Stuart Ollyott on the topic of boring sermons. His two lectures consist of thirteen points:
- Reflect on when you last switched off
- Learn communication skills
- Be expository
- Use stories
- Ask questions
- Keep eye contact
- Use the spoken language (not the written language)
- Take care of your voice
- Remember that less means more
- Be the slave of structure and logic
- Be in the message
- Assault the conscience
- Conquer God before you start (in prayer)
Here is a quote from the first few minutes:
A sermon is not a lecture. Because some people think a sermon is a lecture their churches are in trouble.
I’ve got several things on my “to watch / to listen to” list that I will begin to tackle in a few weeks when I have some more free time. These lectures are on the list.