Loading ...Movement In Sermons
There are a ton of various ways to move a sermon along. Often the inexperienced preacher uses the point format. You have more than likely heard a preacher say, “point one, point two, and point three” in a sermon. This is not totally a bad job if he is new to the skill. The members know where he is and feel comfortable with the flow of the sermon. But if you have been preaching for a while and you are holding the fingers up still, you are struggling.
The movement in the sermon is most important. You can call this shifts, flow, narrative journey, whatever, but you have to move the sermon a long the path so that people can follow you. Tom Long uses the metaphor of a map. You are guiding people in order for them to discover the treasure at the end. If you get them lost at the beginning, there will be no “a ha” moment.
So how do you transition or move well in a sermon? Here are two helpful hints.
1. Spend time on the thought. If the thought is a one line thought, or a quick thought, leave it out. You need a paragraph of material before you mention it to the people. If it is too short, they will not catch on quickly enough. Dwell on the thought, but no longer than 4 minutes.
2. Use a overriding metaphor for the sermon. I have used bumper stickers, a car accident, Legs, whatever, as a metaphor for the sermon. All the illustrations and theological points were blended into this metaphor. Sound Biblical. Paul and Jesus did this all the time. This helps the movement a long and the people are with you for the majority of the trip.
Movement is one of the most important elements in a good sermon. Think of a treasure map approach. It will help.
Related posts:
- Better Sermons
- The Mega Story in Sermons
- A Quick Review of Phil Sanders Article “The Emerging Church Movement.”
- The Role of Religious Journals in the Restoration Movement
- Worried About the Mega-Church Movement
About The Author
How do you move a sermon a long?
My sermons are either inductive or narrative in format all with a singular focus and function (yep…I’ve learned from reading Long too). I have found that such sermons styles are not as power-point friendly as the deductive, point by point, sermon. So I am curious, do you use power-point? I use projection technology for showing occasional videos, pictures, etc… but that is about it. I am still waiting for some churches to get past the idea that one cannot be a good preacher without power-point.
As for the movements…I agree, if a movement is only a sentense on paper then it is too short and will not help the sermon at all. And all the stories, illustrations, theological reflections, etc…must fit the focus and function of the sermon which in turn should emerge as a result of the exegetical work on the particular passage.
Also, have you ever had a chance to listen to a sermon by Charles Campbell of David Fleer (who teaches at Lipscomb U.)? Just curious what you thought of the Post-Liberal approach to preaching?
Grace and peace,
Rex
I have been reading a book on screenwriting and it is interesting to see how it teaches you to keep a story progressing. I think many rely on one way of preaching because it is comfortable and what they have seen/heard the most. That is the case with me. I think the more we expand our reach and explore other areas of telling story, teaching, and educating we will be able to leave the confines of one style and see the beauty of teaching different ways.