Preaching God’s Word | Terry G. Carter, J. Scott Duvall, & J. Daniel Hays

Terry G. Carter, J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays. Preaching God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Preparing, Developing and Delivering the Sermon. Zondervan, 2005. 304 pp.

If you plan to connect the message of the Scriptures with your people in a meaningful and dynamic manner, you must know your people.

You must never assume that all contemporary audiences are the same. As part of your exegesis and sermon development process, not only do you need to understand the ancient situation that the Bible addressed, but you must spend time studying and reflecting on the spiritual, emotional, and educational situation of the specific audience you will preach to this Sunday (or Saturday night, etc.).

What are the perspectives, presuppositions, issues, needs, concerns, and struggles of your people? What are their hopes, dreams, aspirations, fears, and challenges? One thing is certain: If you do not know your people—their needs, struggles, viewpoints, strengths, and weaknesses—you will struggle to preach effectively to them. Exegeting your audience, therefore, is a critical step if you are going to connect powerfully with them.

Maturity of Your Audience

Sometimes preachers face congregations that are mature spiritually. Mature Christians ask biblical questions that new believers (or immature believers) can’t even imagine. Spiritually mature congregations usually spend time in the Bible on their own. They don’t wait for the pastor to feed them, nor do they depend on the sermon to be their only source of spiritual nourishment. They read books dealing with serious spiritual issues and strive to grow and become even more spiritually mature. They are experienced in real ministry and bring a mature wisdom into the church to go along with their biblical knowledge. Congregations like these actively minister and are aware of theological and biblical issues. They are usually familiar with the basics of the faith and the basics of the Bible. They seek something stronger than spiritual milk on Sunday morning. If you find your congregation matching this description, acknowledge that maturity through your preaching ministry.

By contrast, you may encounter one of the many spiritually immature congregations that possess little information about the Bible or the Christian faith. Perhaps they are enthusiastic about learning, but their basic knowledge about the Bible is limited and their experience with ministry or mature Christian living minimal. Some of them easily get lost or confused in the midst of complicated sermons that use a lot of standard religious terminology. A wise preacher adjusts his sermon accordingly.

Culture of Your Audience

Understanding the culture of a congregation also influences one’s preaching ministry. Good missionaries are experienced at this form of audience exegesis. Effective sharing of the gospel with a people group from a different culture demands an understanding of how they function culturally. How do the people live, think, communicate, and function in everyday life? America is becoming more and more culturally diverse, and you must adjust to that dynamic in your preaching.

The message of the gospel remains the same, but the form and style you use in preaching it must be adaptable to your target audience.

Be Willing to Adjust

For many preachers, questioning their preaching style can be a touchy, personal subject. Often preachers believe that they cannot change the way they express themselves in their sermons because that is just who they are. But let us never forget that the Christian life consists of growth and change.

Most preachers normally use a deductive model of preaching, moving from the main idea of the sermon to making points about it. However, as you encounter more postmodern congregations (a different context and culture), try more inductive approaches, allowing the audience to discover the points or answers provided by the text as you walk them through it.

The formality of your sermon preparation is integrally related to your style. In some settings, an informal preaching style communicates better with the audience than the traditional formal style. Often you do this naturally, modifying your level of formality to match your audience without even thinking about it.

Keep in mind that many who did not grow up in church respond better to more conversational preaching styles. If you find yourself in a church comprised of a significant number of people who did not grow up in church, you probably need to consider a more informal conversational style.

Many among your listeners possess little background for understanding this material you call a sermon. The burden is on you to organize it in a way they can follow, say it in terms they understand, and illustrate it when needed for maximum listener comprehension.

Excerpted from Preaching God’s Word by Terry G. Carter, J. Scott Duvall, and J. Daniel Hays. Copyright © 2005. Used by permission of Zondervan. Excerpt may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Zondervan.

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