I Preached a Bad Sermon This Week.
Have you ever preached a bad sermon?
I preached a bad sermon this week.
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It didn’t connect like I thought it would.
The joke I thought was funny in my head, wasn’t funny when I said it out loud.
My thoughts were scattered.
I didn’t have a clear application.
The “powerful” points fell flat.
It was boring. It was lame. It was really, really bad.
The good news?
I preached it to a an empty room.
I was alone.
There was nobody around to watch me fail.
I noticed it was bad, so I fixed it.
When it actually counted, and people were in the room, I preached a much better sermon.
The Point
Practice is important. Don’t slack on it.
You will save so many bad messages before they ever get to your congregation.
Face it, most sermons start out bad. But every bad sermon is only a few tweaks away from being good.
You have to preach through the bad stuff so you know what needs to change.
If you don’t believe me, give it a shot. Practice your next sermon out loud.
Find a quiet room where nobody will bother you. Listen to yourself as you rehearse. Notice what works and what doesn’t.
Try to imagine the faces of the people in your church.
Ask, “Would this be helpful to John?”
“Would this make sense to Sarah and her 16-year-old daughter?”
“What does a guy like Frank need to understand about this passage of scripture?”
Then, make the necessary changes.
Do this, and when you have a real audience, your sermon will be anything but bad.
QUESTION: What is your routine for practicing your sermon?
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I am in my 38th year of pastoral ministry. I have always “preached” through every sermon that i have presented in my lifetime. I cannot remember even one sermon that I failed to rehearse. My opinion is that it make my messages much better. Also, i believe it is reflected in % of attendance returns on Sunday evening and wednesday. Attendance on Sunday evenings have been 50-65% of the morning crowd and Wednesday night around 40-45%. I believe it is due to my preaching ability, which has come through practice, practice, practice.
Couldn’t agree more. Wow, you preach 3 sermons a week? I’m very impressed.