Sermon Preparation, Study Tools

& Communication Secrets

  1. How many weekends per year do you typically preach?

 

2. How many times do you speak per weekend?

  • 1 time - 48%

  • 2 times - 36%

  • 3 times - 12%

  • 4 times - 4%

  • 5 or more times - 0%

 

3. Do you primarily preach:

  • Individual Sermons - 13%

  • Sermon Series - 88%

 

4. If you preach sermon series, what is the average length?

  • 2-4 weeks - 9%

  • 5-8 weeks - 59%

  • 9-12 weeks - 18%

  • 13 weeks or longer - 14%

 

5. What is the average length of your sermon presentation?

 

6. What is your PRIMARY (51% or more) sermon style? (Choose more than one answer if you use a combination of styles.)

 

  • Expository Sermons - 45%

  • Topical Sermons - 27%

  • Textual Sermons - 21%

  • Narrative Sermons - 6%

 

7. Do you give an invitation in your regular weekend services for people to respond and accept Christ?

 

  • Yes - 68%

  • No - 4%

  • Other - 28%

 

8. Which translation of the Bible do you primarily use for your personal devotional time?

 
 

9. Please share what your personal daily devotional time looks like.

  • Daily time in prayer, meditation, studying/reading the Bible and journaling

  • Sermon prep, worship, listening to podcasts, instructional books

  • Scattered throughout the day

  • 1 Chapter a day/1 Verse/1 Thought/1 Moment/1 Person

  • Listening to sermons while hiking in the morning

  • I open with Psalms 119:18 – open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law. I read consecutively through the Bible until God speaks. When I get a word from God, I right it in my journal and pray that in. I get down on my knees and pray aloud and alone for birthdays/anniversaries that day, for a country a day, and for needs, etc. I pray the Lord’s prayer as a model.

  • Reading a passage (one or more chapters). Currently using “Voices from the Past,” followed by more application, then concluding with prayer

  • 45 minutes each morning of Confessing Sin, Praising God, Bible Reading, and Intercessory Prayer, using a liturgy designed for daily prayer that focuses my heart and thoughts

  • Devotional reading and music

  • Currently working through the NT in a year as a reading plan, responding in prayer to what I have studied that morning

  • Using the Lectio App for personal devotional time

  • Read a short passage and answer questions: What is God saying? What is he saying to me? What should I do with this?

 

10. Which translation of the Bible do you primarily use when preaching?

 

11. What day(s) of the week are your primary sermon writing and preparation day(s)? (Choose all that apply.)

 

12. Where is your favorite sermon writing space?

  • Church Office - 36%

  • Home - 48%

  • Coffee Shop - 12%

  • Other - 4%

 

13. Approximately how many hours do you spend per week in sermon preparation?

 

14. What resources, books, programs, commentaries, websites, software, or study tools do you use for sermon preparation besides the Bible?

  • Logos software and College Press Commentaries

  • Bible Gateway, Strong’s, Reinecker, POSB and various commentaries

  • E-Sword online, books and the Holy Spirit/God’s voice

  • Books on Audible congruent with the topic

  • Preceptaustin.org, blueletterbible.org and personal journal

  • Tomorrow’s and Sermon Central

  • Greek New Testament, Hebrew Bible, Denver Journals

  • Strong’s Concordance and Greek Lexicon

  • Tyndale Commentary, Word Biblical Commentary, Google, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Wiersbe’s Commentary, Biblehub.com, books on the topic and other sermons on topic/passage

  • BestCommentaries.com for finding which commentaries to purchase for a book study

  • Martyn Lloyd Jones sermons and commentaries by L. Morris, Stott

  • YouTube and personal library

  • Spirit Filled Life/NIV Application/Interpretation Commentaries

 

15. Please share your secrets, insights, or methods to the weekly task of sermon preparation.

  • I work on 3 sermons: Fine tuning the current week, putting details to the one for the following week, and outlining the one two weeks away

  • Planning ahead, exegesis, focusing on the AIM (author’s intended meaning), outline the passage, I focus on practical steps and “how to” themes

  • Start on Sunday evening, then let it come together through the week

  • Creating weekly rhythms of evaluation of previous message, brainstorming with team, study and research, outline developed, run-thru with team, finetuning presentation.

  • Brainstorm first, then let God lead the rest

  • Sermon material comes from my journals written during my morning quiet times

  • Chain my rear to the desk

  • Listen all week to the Spirit

  • Use of application grid. Circulate all messages amongst us during the week for feedback on four areas: doctrines elements, construct/structure/order, any illustrations used that may cause unnecessary offense, and what may be missing that would be helpful for the body to connect to the passage

  • Whatever I hear on the radio, tv, billboard or a conversation

  • Every sermon should preach the gospel (in the broad sense): God should be the hero, not us or our efforts! Any application should be an outgrowth of gratitude for the good news of what He’s done. I begin with exegesis, get one Big Idea, move to outlining, write a manuscript around that Big Idea, and then loosely preach from the manuscript

  • If/when I get sermon writers block, I will put all my attention on “The main idea” on the passage. I typically record and rehearse at least 2 times prior to teaching

  • Preach to your staff/team for feedback before Sunday

  • Read text devotionally first. What is God telling me? Outline it, then proceed with sermonizing.

  • Spending adequate time in the text to nail down the exegetical concepts first is important before moving on to the homiletics of the message.

  • I put myself in the narrative, or into the sandals of the recipient of a letter

  • Pray, read text several times, write out key thoughts and develop outline from text I will be preaching from

  • I keep an idea page on my phone to capture thoughts and ideas throughout the week for the upcoming sermon.

  • Asking of the passage: What do they need to know? Why do they need to know it? What should they do? How can they do it? Try to remember the sub-groups in our congregation in the message – the visitors, youth, singles, military, elderly, skeptics, etc.

  • Build off previous sermons I’ve preached. I pay close attention to how great preachers handle my text for that week by listening to their sermons while I work out.

  • Read multiple translations. Unpack one text really well. Outline as quickly as possible. Utilize the lectionary

 

16. Do you have anyone who assists you with sermon preparation? (If yes, what is their position and in what way do they assist you?)

  • No

  • Brainstorm with staff on Monday morning. Primarily helping to generate creative ideas, illustrations, draw out stories or refer to passages that connect

  • Admin does the slides and read through for understanding

  • Staff members and spouse

  • Teaching team of four. Mid-week we massage out or bounce off ideas and thoughts with each other

 

17. How far in advance do you plan your sermons?

  • Annually - 21%

  • Quarterly - 46%

  • Monthly - 8%

  • Weekly - 25%

 

18. How many books do you read or listen to per year?

  • 0-3 books - 8%

  • 4-8 books - 16%

  • 9-12 books - 20%

  • 13-16 books - 20%

  • 17 or more books - 36%

 

19. What are your favorite books you have read in the last 12 months?

  • Biblical fiction series by Vaughn Heppner and Turn Around Churches by Barna

  • Pursuing God’s Will Together by Ruth Barton

  • Spent Matches by Roy Moran, Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel, Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey   (though I don’t think I can really recommend it!)

  • Genesis to Revelation

  • Celebration of Discipline. Leading on Empty. Emotionally Healthy Church

  • Dangerous Calling, The Whole Christ, Fault Lines, Piercing Heaven, The Mission of God, Live Not by Lies

  • God & ChurchHill, Winner the War

  • The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder and Mike Hendrickson. More by Alan Kraft, Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund, Emotionally Healthy Leader by Pete Scazzero, Die Empty by Todd Henry

  • Intentional Father, There is More, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

  • The Power of Moments, Becoming a King

  • Saved by Grace by Dr. Ed Nelson and Contemporary Compromise by West Coast Baptist College

  • Knowing God by Packer, The Gospel by Ortlund, Letters to a Young Pastor by Peterson, Life of the Beloved by Nouwen; The Care of Souls by Senkebeil

  • Brave by Faith by Alistair Begg; A Mousetrap for Darwin by Michael Behe

  • The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

  • Atomic Habits by James Clear, How We Love by Yerkovich, People Fuel by John Townsend, Gerald Brook

  • The Last Arrow by Erwin McManus, Win the Day by Mark Batterson

  • From the Library of C.S. Lewis by Bell, QBT by John Miller, Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher, Harry Bosch novels

 

20. What are your favorite podcasts to listen to?

  • Gateway Church, Erwin McManus, Russell Johnson

  • Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

  • Doctrine and Devotion, Pastors Talk, Preachers Talk, Life and Books and Everything, InvestAnswers

  • Truth and Liberty, Dr. David Jeremiah, AWMI

  • Craft and Character, That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs, anything by Pete Scazzero

  • Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, This Cultural Moment, GrowLeader Podcast

  • Kyle Idleman

  • Holding Fast by Dr. Joel Nason Laconia, New Hampshire

  • You’re Not Crazy by Ortlund/Allberry, Revisionist History by Gladwell and Tim Keller sermons

  • Naked Bible Podcast

  • Rogan, Megyn Kelley, Shapiro, Knowles

  • The Essential Church, The Resilient Pastor