Sermonsmith

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational congregation in St. Joseph, Missouri. Brian is also the author of several books, including A Farewell To Mars and Beauty Will Save the World. Follow @brianzahnd Books Brian ZahndBrian ZahndBrian ZahndBrian ZahndBrian ZahndBrian Zahnd Gear Brian Zahnd

Meghan Good is the pastor of Albany Mennonite Church and a frequent guest preacher and speaker around such topics as hermeneutics, emerging Anabaptism, and how to teach the Bible without putting people to sleep. Her blog Mud Pie God gets down and dirty with Scripture you didn’t read in Sunday School. In her spare time, Meghan works with a local … Read More →

Wade is the Senior Minister for the Preston Road Church of Christ in Dallas. He attended Abilene Christian University where he earned degrees in Communication and Christian Ministry. He’s served churches in Bellingham, Washington; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Austin, Texas. He’s the author of Train for Something Greater: An Athlete’s Guide to Spiritual Fitness. He’s married to Heather. They have two … Read More →

Stephen Witmer has pastored Pepperell Christian Fellowship for 7 years. Of all the interviews so far, I believe he’s the first to say he jumps right back in to do some preliminary work on Sunday afternoon while his mind is still racing from that morning’s sermon. He also offers us some helpful insight on preaching from the fictional John Ames. … Read More →

Noemi co-pastors 7th Street Church in Long Beach, California with her husband Joshua. In this interview, she describes how she preaches in a congregation with people from a wide array of socio-economic backgrounds, how she focuses her study on finding the takeaway for her people of a given text, and explains what it’s like to preach the same sermon in … Read More →

Tony Merida is a professor and practitioner of preaching and church planting in Raleigh, North Carolina. He describes the five steps he works through in sermon preparation, how it’s beneficial for him to talk it out with others as he prepares, and why he thinks we need to recognize how poets and song writers are the theologians of a culture. … Read More →

Hal Shrader shares thoughts on sermon preparation from his office just beyond the Phoenix city limits. Listen in as he describes how he structures his sermons like a late 70s TV show, why finding the hook into the text is the most important part, and how his Anabaptist perspective invites the community into the textual interpretation each week. Resources and … Read More →

Scott McClellan doesn’t preach, but his work as a writer, communications pastor, and generally witty fellow has much to offer those of us who do. Scott describes his ongoing work developing ideas for multiple blog posts per week, tells us how he keeps new ideas from getting away, and shares a pile of books worth reading for anyone who does … Read More →

Wess Daniels checks in with us from the greater Portland area. Wess talks about his role as a released minister in a Friends church, the unique role of preaching in the Quaker congregation, and how sketch notes helped him develop a new approach to sermon preparation. Resources and links mentioned: Learning the Art of Sketchnote Preaching (The Antioch Session) Mike … Read More →

Glenn Packiam gives us a peek into how he prepares sermons in the shadow of Pikes Peak. Hear him explain how he tries each week to find something that moves people in order to shine the light of the Gospel on it, what effect growing up Singapore and Malaysia has on his sermons, and why the Denver Broncos are going … Read More →