Sermon preparation

Elizabeth Wright Anderson D.Min.

Preachers who have not received theological training can learn to prepare expository biblical sermons using an inductive dual authorial intent hermeneutic. A method to do so was devised based on inductive Bible study techniques and a dual authorial intent hermeneutic. This method took into account the intents and purposes of the Bibles original authors and the ultimate divine author. The method used was published as Thoughtful Proclaimer: a Bottom-up Guide to Preparing Bible Messages that Transform You From the Inside Out. This method was taught in week-long seminars in the United States and finally tested by training preachers in Nigeria.

James David Matlock II D.Min.

This project argues that the first step to church revitalization is the revitalization of the pulpit ministry. Then, it explores the biblical basis for text-driven preaching and its role in the revitalization of the local church.
Chapter 1 introduces the thesis of the project, explaining the need for pulpit revitalization in the life of the church today.
Chapter 2 explores the role of preaching from a biblical and theological perspective as it relates to the need for evangelism and church revitalization.
Chapter 3 explore the vital role that preaching plays in the ministry of church revitalization.
Chapter 4 examines the need to apply sound hermeneutics and improving homiletical skills in the effort to revitalize the student’s pulpit ministry.
Chapter 5 is an evaluation of the project, which includes feedback from pastors and professors who critiqued selected sermons preached by the student.

Kevin Michael Ueckert D.Min.

The purpose of this dissertation is to convince preachers of the necessity of preaching the warnings of the Bible, while equipping them to preach effectively God’s warnings to the church. The specific warnings in focus will be warnings addressed to the church, which threaten extreme consequences of God’s judgment. Although warnings with extreme circumstances of judgment for God’s people appear throughout the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT), the passage selection for sermon development will be narrowed to specific warnings found in Pauline literature. After establishing the necessity for preaching warnings, the writer will address the procedure for developing a warning sermon. The expectation is that the research will provide the necessary insight and understanding for how to preach the selected warning passages in Paul, in hopes of creating a bridge to preaching all the warnings of the Bible. The writer will provide sample sermons and historical excerpts of sermons, from a selection of preachers from the fourth century to the twentieth century, based on the sample texts in Pauline literature, so that the preacher can see how to develop the sermon toward sermon delivery. With the right motivation and a template for how to preach Pauline warnings, this project should help preachers find a clearer path for faithful representation of the Scripture through preaching warnings.

Cameron Lee Williams D.Min.

The Adrianic Application Charting System: Navigating the Applicational Methods of Adrian Rogers as a Tool Set (Toolset) for Expository Preaching.

This project demonstrates the presence of a discernible applicational method in Adrian Rogers’ sermons and proposes axiomatic principles that may be extracted from the pattern of techniques he employs to achieve such a method. Further, axioms derived of the research are organized to establish a system of tools that may be employed to equip an expositor to increase the quantity and quality of applicational content, improving communication of application in weekly sermons. The system, envisioned to encompass the techniques Rogers employs to navigate application, relies on analogous tools germane to early Adriatic sailing practices.

Chapters 1-2 establish the premises on which the writer based his project. Chapters 3-8 research Rogers’ four techniques and develop his principles into Adrianic axioms for tooling. Chapters 9-10 express motivating insights, both practical and theological, behind the goals of the project. Chapters 11-14 test the expectations of the project in light of successes, examining the Adrianic tool set for weaknesses that might be bolstered for continued improvement of the system.

Appendices 1-2 graph the research and parameters of datasets. Appendix 3 depicts iconographic materials representing the tool set (toolset) to better illustrate the Adrianic system. Appendices 4-5 outline focus-group survey findings and relate metrics for gauging successful implementation of research.

Cameron Lee Williams, D.Min.
School of Theology
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022
Supervisor: Matthew McKellar, Ph.D.

David R Zachrich

This research project is designed as a guide to help preachers use metaphors in preaching. It suggests that metaphor is the basis of illustrative material. The paper is composed of four chapters and a bibliography.

Chapter One discusses preaching as oral communication. The emphasis of the chapter is on the preacher as communicator. Obstacles to communication are examined and ways to overcome the obstacles are suggested. The use of metaphor as an aid to communication is emphasized.

Chapter Two examines communication in terms of the hearers. Audience analysis, cultural influences, and the hearer's perception of the world are cited as information areas the preacher will want to consider when preparing the sermon. The use of metaphor to help build meaningful relationships is discussed.

Chapter Three focuses on metaphor as an aid to preaching. A Biblical basis for the use of figures of speech in preaching is studied. Metaphor is defined by its function and value for illustrating sermons. Types and sources of metaphors are explored. Practical concerns, such as the placement and quantity of metaphors in a sermon, conclude the chapter.

Chapter Four is concerned with the evaluation of metaphors and guidelines for their use in preaching. At the conclusion of a sermon, immediate feedback is useful for measuring the clarity of a metaphor, but long-term feedback is also necessary to evaluate the appropriateness of the metaphors to the hearers by observing the assimilation of the metaphors into their life and vocabulary. Guidelines are offered for the effective use of metaphors.

Jeremy Daniel Morton D.Min.

The homiletical starting point and methodology outlined by Brown, Jr., Clinard, and Northcutt in Steps to the Sermon significantly influenced the sermon preparation and delivery of Rastus Salter but prove problematic when viewed through the lens of text-driven preaching.

It can be difficult to determine the specific moment actual sermon preparation begins. In one sense, a preacher has been preparing his entire life. In another sense, the sacred responsibility of filling the pulpit and faithfully delivering God’s Word on a weekly basis demands focus, freshness, and intentionality on the part of the preacher to know his text in a way that can only be cultivated through the discipline of study and preparation.

Josué Klauser D.Min.

The purpose of this project is to increase Word of Life Bible Institute Argentina students’ sermon preparation knowledge by teaching them how to develop text-driven sermons. Chapter 1 introduces the history and ministry context of the Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 presents the exegesis of three passages of Scripture (Luke 9:57-62; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Tim 4:1-5) to biblically show the underlying requirements established by God for the preacher of the Gospel. Chapter 3 presents the practical approach to the resources God has provided each minister to enable him to fulfill the preaching task. Chapter 4 describes the project itself, recounting the content and teaching methodology of the specific course curriculum. Chapter 5 evaluates the efficacy of the project based on the completion of the specified goals.

William W. Eckert D.Min.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION:
A PREACHING PREPARATION TOOL FOR DEACON FORMATION
IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SEATTLE

Eckert, William W., MAPS, DMin, Aquinas Institute of Theology, Saint Louis, Missouri, 2021.
Chapter One begins to address an issue with preaching that does not fully integrate the experiences of the community with the Word of God. The chapter covers a brief overview of liturgical preaching, the problem with creating grounded preaching, and the unique qualities of deacons as liturgical preachers in addressing this problem with the guidance of theological reflection.

Chapter Two introduces theological reflection as practical theology and a preaching preparation tool that encourages a dialogue between human experience and Church Traditions (Sacred Scripture, liturgy, beliefs, and teachings).

Chapter Three offers adult education and curriculum development to teach theological reflection as an effective tool of preaching preparation.

Chapter Four explores the current state of preaching within the Archdiocese of Seattle. It includes a summary of conversations with the homiletics and theological reflection instructors in the current deacon formation program. Then, the chapter presents the heart of the project: creating a new unit for the homiletics curriculum in the deacon formation program in collaboration with a small cohort of diocesan deacons.

Chapter Five presents the final version of the new unit for the homiletics program, which was presented to the Archdiocese of Seattle (the Vicar of Clergy, the Director of the Deacon Formation Program, and the homiletics instructor).

Todd Arthur Peperkorn D.Min.

This thesis answers the question of whether there can be a Lutheran sacramental imagination for preaching. It begins with an overview of the history of preaching in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), especially since the move into English in the 1920s. This history traces how the LCMS has largely adopted the New Homiletic, but has not reflected critically on how its own theological hermeneutic integrates with the New Homiletic, and what relationship this may have to sacramental preaching.

Beginning with definitions of a dialectic imagination and a sacramental/ analogical imagination from David Tracy and Mary Catherine Hilkert, it examines the roots of the sacramental imagination in the works of Edward Schillebeeckx, particularly his early book, Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God. It then compares this with the writings of Richard Eslinger, Hans Boersma, and Graham Hughes.

Next the thesis attempts to reconcile a sacramental imagination with a Lutheran hermeneutic. The most successful attempt for this has been in the writing and work of Lutheran Gordon Lathrop. While there are some concerns regarding a dialectic counterbalance, a Lutheran sacramental imagination that takes both the distinction of Law and Gospel and the place of grace begins to emerge.

The ministerial intervention was a seminar for a group of pastors from the LCMS. It involved questionnaires, sermons, and interviews both before and after the seminar. The seminar included modeling sacramental preaching and taught the practice of “Preaching Partners” as a way of connecting the preacher to the the congregation.

It concludes by determining that more work needs to be done on defining a Lutheran sacramental imagination, that Preaching Partners is an excellent method for building both pastoral relationships and in creating a collaborative spirit in preaching, and that Lutherans will benefit from more interaction with non-Lutheran preaching and scholarship.

Michael Butler

The purpose of this project was to enhance doctrinal preaching skills to increase congregational awareness of the doctrine of local church membership at First Baptist Church, Chickasha, Oklahoma. The project progressed through three phases: research, writing, and preaching. By researching the field of doctrinal preaching, the director identified a list of five best practices of doctrinal preaching. The director then employed these practices in writing a series of four sermons on the doctrine of local church membership. After writing the sermons, the director preached the sermon series at FBC. A pre-test and post-test assessment demonstrated the sermons increased awareness of the importance of the doctrine of local church membership among the project's participants.