This slide show is from a class I taught at the Liverpool Mission Academy 'Pastoral Pathway' course entitled 'Sermon Presentation.'

1. Liverpool Mission Academy
PP100
Sermon Presentation
Session 12
www.preachersforum.org

2. Learning Outcomes
1. Critically evaluate the connection between the
preacher’s credibility and the effectiveness of
sermons.
2. Describe the importance of the kerygma to
gospel preaching.
3. Evaluate ways in which preachers can become
more effective and confident in preparing and
presenting sermons.

3. Session Aims
1. To help the student
become a more
advanced preacher.
2. To explore both the
general and specific
qualities of
communication needed in
the preacher’s life.

4. Is there a connection between these two
aims?
Although it may not seem obvious at first,
“great preachers are not great at what
they do because they are just good at
public communication; they are great
because their whole lives communicate
the message they are preaching in and
out of the pulpit.”
(Class Notes, p. 136).

5. “Persuasion is achieved by the
speaker's personal character
when the speech is so spoken
as to make us think him
credible. We believe good men
more fully and more readily
than others…
It is not true, as some writers
assume in their treatises on
rhetoric, that the personal
goodness revealed by the
speaker contributes nothing to Aristotle
his power of persuasion; on
(384 BC – 322 BC)
the contrary, his character may
almost be called the most
effective means of persuasion
he possesses.”
Rhetoric, Book 1, Chapter 2

6. “For who does not know
that words carry greater
conviction when spoken
by men of good repute
than when spoken by
men who live under a
cloud, and that the
argument which is made
by a man's life has more
Isocrates
weight than that which is
(436–338 BC)
furnished by words?”
Antidosis, Speech 15, Section 278

7. Kerux and Kerygma
Kerux: “A herald or messenger
vested with public authority, who
conveyed the official messages
of kings, magistrates, princes,
military commanders, or who
gave a public summons or
demand, and performed various
other duties.
In the NT God’s ambassador, and
the herald or proclaimer of the
divine word.” David Mitchell
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon Chester Town Crier

8. • Jesus came ‘proclaiming the good news of
the kingdom’ (Matt. 4.23, 9.35; Mark 1.14;
Luke 3.18, 20.1)
• Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim
the news of the kingdom (Matt. 10.1-5)
• Peter proclaimed the good news of the
gospel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
• Kerux = “the proclamation of the death,
resurrection and forgiveness of sins in
Jesus, with the promise of his inner
presence by the Holy Spirit.”
(Class Notes, p. 138)

9. Kerygma relates to “the core message of the
gospel of Jesus Christ; the heart of the early
Christian message.”
• The apostles focused less upon the actual
teachings of Christ and more upon the passion
story: what Christ accomplished through his
death and resurrection (John 5.24; Rom.
6.19-23).
• This message of the ‘good news’ propelled the
early Christians to go all over the Mediterranean
world preaching this gospel message and
making converts.
• The early Christians planted churches and
discipled new believers; hence the pastoral and
theological concerns of Paul’s epistles.

10. In light of this historical overview of Christian
preaching we must ask the question:
What exactly is considered ‘good preaching’?

11. ‘Good preaching’ should ideally accomplish
at least two major aims:
Kerygma Didache
Proclamation of the
Teaching Function
Gospel Message
(Edification)
(Evangelism)
Explaining the gospel in order for Helping to shape the life and
people to enter the Kingdom and faith of those within the church:
become believers in Christ present participants of the
Kingdom of God

12. “For God will have His people to be edified;
and He hath appointed His Word for that
purpose. Therefore, if we go not about the
salvation of the people, that they may
receive nourishment by the doctrine that is
taught them, it is sacrilege; for we pervert
the pure use of the Word of God…
For God will have nothing preached in His
name, but that which will profit and edify
the hearers, nothing but that which
containeth good matter.”
Calvin, “Pure Preaching of the Word.”

13. Evaluating Effective Preaching
• Does the preacher/teacher have to be a
believer in order to preach in churches?
• Should the preacher have at least a basic
knowledge of Scripture and the Christian
faith?
• How can we know if the preacher is ‘an
effective communicator?’
• What evidence exists that people are
responding positively to the message?

14. • Is it clear whether or not preaching is that
person’s gift?
• Is the preacher’s life consistent with the
message he or she proclaims?
• Does the preacher structure his or her
message in such a way that it makes
sense to the listeners? Can they follow it?
• Are the preacher’s messages grounded in
the real contextual needs of the listeners?
• Is the preacher’s use of language
understandable and accessible to the
listeners?

15. Communication Science
How effective is a purely didactic (lecture-
style) approach to preaching?
Studies of speakers and listeners reveal that
communication occurs on three levels:
Visual Vocal Verbal
55% 38% 7%
(Body Language) (Tone of Voice) (Words)
Bradbury Andrew, Successful Presentation Skills. London: Kogan Page, 2006: 5.

16. Visual
What sorts of ‘body language clues’ might these
give to a listening audience?
• Hands in pockets
• Hands behind back
• Hands on hips
• Scratching neck/ear
• Open arms/gestures
• Crossed arms
• ‘Pointing the finger’
• Not making eye contact

17. ‘The Aura Effect’
Maintaining good eye contact with the entire
listening audience is critical for preachers.

18. What happens when a preacher does not
maintain good eye contact with the
audience?
What happens when a preacher does
maintain good eye contact with the
audience?

19. Vocal
How might the modulation and tone of the preacher’s voice
affect the emotions of the listening audience?
• Shouting
• Mumbling
• Conversational style
• Dramatized speech
‘Televangelist’ style
• Lowered voice
• Use of pauses

20. Verbal
How might a purely ‘lecture style’ of preaching
affect the listening audience?
• Listeners retain about
3% of speeches
• Monotone and boring?
• ‘Same method used
each week’
• Use of outdated
‘Christian jargon’
• Lazy approach?

21. Sermon Preparation
I’m getting ready to preach a sermon.
When should I panic—now or later?

22. Engagement Strategies
To help avoid some of the panic, utilize some of the
following ‘engagement strategies’ well in advance of your
sermon:
• Outline your purpose—what do you believe God is
calling you to accomplish with this sermon? Your
‘purpose statement’ can help you to discover the most
effective rhetorical strategies for your sermon shape.
• Analyze your audience—to whom are you preaching?
What are their needs and challenges?
• Collect your information—put your information
together in a way that is interesting, logical, relevant and
relatable.
• Choose your style—what shape or form does your
sermon take? Narrative, expository, topical? What is the
form of the biblical text, and should that impact upon the
ultimate form taken by your sermon?

23. Sermon Preparation Tips
• Outcome orientation—what is your hoped-for
outcome of this sermon? What do you want
the audience to take away?
• ‘Chunking’—dissect your sermon sections
into ‘bite-sized chunks’ and decide where you
might place illustrations, applications etc.
• Fine tune—following your preparation, leave
for a day or two and come back to it; then
rework and fine-tune it.

24. 4. Limit points of view—are you sharing
from yours, the audience’s, or a neutral
observer’s point of view?
5. Believe in yourself—project a positive
outcome to the sermon rather than a
negative ‘self-fulfilling prophecy.’
6. Practice makes perfect—rehearse the
sermon multiple times beforehand and
when you preach it, do not deviate from
what you’ve practised—no matter how
tempting it may seem!

25. Developing Confidence as a Preacher
• Develop humility: learn to be realistic about your
strengths and weaknesses as a preacher.
• This can be done through honest feedback and
critical assessments of your preaching from people
you trust have your best interests at heart.
• Develop a team approach to preaching that
incorporates the notion of ‘doing theology in
community.’
• Be aware of group dynamics: smaller groups tend to
be more intimate, whereas larger groups can
become a disconnected and possibly intimidating
‘sea of faces.’
• Beware of the ‘showman effect’: preaching for the
sake of entertaining the audience.
(Adapted from class notes written by Rev. Dan Yarnell & Rev Dr Andy Hardy,
Springdale College, England)