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Teaching Preaching Teams

Teaching Preaching Teams. Source: CCN seminar, John Ortberg, www.ccnonline.net , Jan. 2002 John.chandler@vbmb.org. Major Issues Impacting Preaching and Congregational Life. Pastoral exhaustion Abbreviated tenure Succession issues Vulnerability of the pastor as a human being

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Teaching Preaching Teams

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  1. Teaching Preaching Teams Source: CCN seminar, John Ortberg, www.ccnonline.net , Jan. 2002 John.chandler@vbmb.org

  2. Major Issues Impacting Preaching and Congregational Life • Pastoral exhaustion • Abbreviated tenure • Succession issues • Vulnerability of the pastor as a human being • Subjection of the congregation to an unbalanced diet

  3. How to address? • By making preaching a less solitary and individualistic enterprise • Bring to bear the gifts of the whole body of Christ on the preaching event • Not just worship or congregational life

  4. Out of the cubicle! • “Modern” preaching as a solitary enterprise • “Postmodern” preaching as from community to community

  5. Encouraging Community Preaching • Preaching “teams” … • Utilize spiritual gifts of knowledge, wisdom, teaching • Take advantage of life experience, expertise, and research focus • Create “recognition” in preparers and credibility in hearers

  6. 3 Ways to Teach Preaching Teams • 1. Classroom • Low-structure before and during meetings • Intentional half- or whole-day events in church life

  7. 3 Ways to Teach Preaching Teams • 2. Coaching • Utilizes principles from other settings and customizes • Can be high-structure engineered or spontaneous-organic • Seminars (attend, import, host) • Retreats

  8. 3 Ways to Teach Preaching Teams • 3. Mentoring • Relationship-based • Ebbs and flows based on teachability and intensity of situation

  9. A Jump-Start Tip … • Most churches have a “ringer” (potential) preacher • Spend early bulk of time with this individual • Their progress will model the way for others to follow

  10. Then … • Think in terms of planning 6-12 months worth of preaching • Connected to congregational mission • Series generally 2-5 weeks • Allows for depth in research • Avoids Monday a.m. panic

  11. Where to begin in forming a team • Collect 3-6 sharp, articulate thinkers, readers, and speakers from the congregation. • Don’t neglect introverts!

  12. Where to begin 2. Convene a half-day brainstorming event. • Pre-orient participants • Ask each to bring 2-3 general series ideas connected to perceived personal, community, or congregational needs

  13. Where to begin • Pick and parse the can’t miss series. • File the (not yet ripe) “good ideas”

  14. Where to begin 4. Assign series research to invested persons. • Keep material collection folders on each series • And perhaps a single sermon to protégés

  15. Once you get to a single series … 1. Start by developing the whole series. • Plan start dates and publicize titles/texts to allow invitation opportunities for attenders. • Hint: start a series on Easter • Provides avenue for congregation input and a planning window for inviting and attending • Asks: “what would you like to hear preached?”

  16. Then, once you get to the individual sermon … 2. Clarify the big idea of the message. • Craddock: “No one has a right to points who does not have a point.” • … which is why preaching is always immersed in prayer! • Focus: what it says • Function: what it does

  17. Focus on beginning and endings. • Sermon introduction not an attention grabber, but overture • Answers the question, “Why is it urgently important to talk about what we’re about to talk about?” • What are costs/benefits re: topic? • Pay more attention to the conclusion than the intro! • End with, “Where is Jesus in all of this?”

  18. 3. Do the research. • Part of “loving the Lord your God with all your mind.” • Collect research from team • They have been looking out for ideas since the retreat • Ask especially for metaphors and stories

  19. 4 Types of Research Needed • 1. Research the text • God’s will • 2. Research life • culture, local and global • 3. Research myself(as a Christian) • What is God doing in my life now? • Caution: don’t let the sermon function as personal therapy

  20. 4 Types of Research Needed 4. Research your congregation. • What’s everyone here talking about? • What sins do folk here struggle with? • How will different people here hear this message? (age, life situation, journey) • Pick 5 • What are people’s longings and hopes? • Where does the church need to go & how will this message help? God Culture Self Congregation

  21. The Preaching Diamond • Is this what God is calling me to preach? • What’s my relationship with this church? • How does our church engage its local culture? • In what ways can our culture be redeemed? • Is God present in our congregation? • How am I engaged within our culture? God d a e Culture Self f c b Congregation

  22. 4. Begin writing “moves.” • Balance your own “research or speaking” preference • Identify the structure I’m going to teach on (“moves”) • Not “points” but flow and end of story • Reading short stories • What objections would I face at each turn of the sermon? • Understand behavior change happens through example, not exhortation • And not through “ought, must, and should”

  23. Telling stories that connect • Include ample (1/3) dialogue within any story • The drama is in the story details • “the best story tellers turn ears into eyes” • Tell the story (active voice) instead of telling about the story (passive) • Use the character’s voice instead of the reporter’s voice • Capitalizes on our love of eavesdropping and overhearing • Make no character > 97% good or evil • believability issues

  24. 5. Hack the baby down to size! • Editing feels like amputation! • Don’t fall to temptation to use superfluous stories simply because they’re good stories • Save for later; you’ll need it! • Imagine what it would look like for people to follow the message, and include only material that will contribute toward that end

  25. 6. Structure and practice delivery. • Use the mirror and the woods • “Let’s go to the videotape.” • Best way to get rid of invisible annoying habits • Single biggest delivery problem: lack of energy, passion

  26. Assessing delivery • S.H.A.P.E.S. • Simplicity – clear about the point • Humor – finesse and indirection • Authenticity – preaching to myself • Passion – emotional intensity, courage • Energy -- urgency • Spontaneity – sensitivity to H.S., jazz

  27. 7. Make room for evaluation. • Watch game film • The issue is not gainingbut keeping the hearer • Mistake: “louder is not profounder” • Utilize your team and ask them to respond with discernment, honesty, and love • Address research, structure, delivery

  28. The criteria for assessing effective preaching … • 1. What do people now understand? • mind • 2. What do people now do as a result of this message? • will • 3. What do people now feel? • heart (… the most difficult)

  29. The Goal • “Our goal is not to get people all the way through the Bible, but to get the Bible all the way through the people.” • Good preaching transforms people who transform people

  30. Teaching Preaching Teams Dr. John P. Chandler The Ray and Ann Spence Network for Congregational Leadership www.rasnet.org John.chandler@vbmb.org Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2002

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