by Don Hildenbrand

Created on: January 13, 2009

One of my seminary professors had a favorite line that had a profound effect on my own preaching during my time as a pastor. He said "If you preach over the people's heads, it doesn't show you have superior firepower. It shows you have poor aim." How true! One of the most important lessons a preacher must learn is how to effectively preach to his or her congregation.

Leaving behind the arguments about the various types of preaching, such as expository, or topical, or other types most preachers are well aware of, let's examine some practical guidelines on effective preaching techniques.

1.) First, and this should go without saying, know what it is you will be speaking about! By "know", I don't mean knowing that you will be preaching about salvation or prophecy. I mean "know" in the sense of knowing your subject, and knowing as much as you can about the subject. In other words, be prepared.

Study the Biblical passage, seeking t gain insight into what that passage means to today's listeners. Use the typical questions that a reporter would use; who, what, where, why? Who was the passage written to? What was the writer trying to get across? Where was the passage written, and where were the reciepients of that passage living, and did their place of residence have any customs or traditions that add to the understanding of the passage? Why was the passage written? What circumstances was the writer addressing in the passage?

Don't skimp on preparation time. The story is told of a pastor of a small country church who often bragged, "I only prepare the first half of my sermon, and let God take over for the second half." Finally, one of the church elders replied, "Congratulations, Pastor, because your half is always better than God's half."

It's estimated that a preacher who wishes to excel at his or her craft should spend at least one hour in the study for every minute spent in the pulpit. That means time must be scheduled, and that schedule kept, for preparation for preaching. Of course, a preacher must be prepared for the "tyranny of the unexpected", when church emergencies pop up, but when those circumstances are dealt with, sermon preparation must be continued. No preacher, whether the sermon is preached from manuscript, from notes, or from memory, should go into the pulpit unprepared.

2.)Second, know how to start. There is nothing more boring than a boring sermon with a boring beginning. People have been exposed to enough advertising media to know that if something doesn't

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