Podcast Episode #097

Preparing to preach a sermon, or multiple sermons, each week is the most daunting and most important thing a pastor does as the shepherd of a church. So this week, we cover some essential practices for pastors to employ that will aid in sermon preparation.

Some highlights from today's episode include:

* Preaching should be one of the highest priorities in the ministry of a pastor.

* Worship leaders love pastors who communicate what they are going to preach and when.

* If you try to do sermon prep in your margins of time, you'll never have enough time and the sermons will suffer.

* What gets calendared gets done. — Michael Hyatt

* Add an extra 20% of time to your sermon prep time to have margin for emergencies.

* Set a sermon completion target date. Try to make that earlier in the week to account for issues that may come up in the church.

The 9 keys for successful sermon preparation are:

* Make it a priority

* Determine your comfort level with planning in advance

* Let your congregation know of the priority

* Put it in your calendar

* Allocate 20% more time than you think you will need

* Allocate your time according to your study plan: reading the text, draft, commentaries, etc.

* Determine a completion day: ex: done by Thursday

* Be prepared to change

* Don't leave out prayer

Episode Sponsor

This week's podcast is brought to you by RevitalizedChurches.com. Bringing together videos, books, and other resources from today’s top pastors, leaders, and authors, RevitalizedChurches.com is the premier online destination for Church Revitalization and online consultations. Visit RevitalizedChurches.com today for your free download of 114 Things You Need to Know About Church Revitalization by Thom Rainer.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com.

Resources

* I Am a Church Member

* WORDsearch

* Six Observations about Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach