Sermon Preparation

I love preaching! Each week I produce a 10-13 page manuscript that comes from my study of God's word that I in turn preach on Sunday mornings. Listed below is the method I use for my weekly sermon preparation.

1. I try to listen to 3-4 sermons each week, I want to hear what other preachers are saying.
2. I almost always preach in 4-5 week series, this keeps me from preaching on my favorite subjects or getting in to a rut. (I am so grateful for the Internet and podcasts)
3. I spend about two days each week dedicated to sermon preparation, one of those days is Wednesday, which is my sermon writing day.
4. I spend time about an hour and half each Saturday evening preaching my sermon out loud in our worship center (It feels kind of awkward preaching to an empty room, but it really helps me on Sundays if I rehearse on Saturday nights.)

While the above steps help me in my preparation, what I find most beneficial in sermon preparation is the ability to have large chunks of interrupted time to prepare. At PBCC this happens because of two factors.

First, my congregation knows the importance of preparation and they give me adequate time to prepare.

Second, my administrative assistant does an excellent job shielding me from interruptions on Wednesdays.

To be honest these two factors makes sermon preparation a joy. If you are a preacher I hope you have the luxury of uninterrupted quite time to prepare your messages, and if you are a listener of sermons, I hope you will give your preacher the gift of uninterrupted quite time - believe it makes a difference when you are trying to prepare "fresh bread".