Kevin DeYoung identifies these five points as being indicative of feedback on his preaching.
They strike me as being generally true, and the first three are part of my goals for preaching after leave.
- Your introductions are too long. Don’t be afraid to dive right into the text.
- Your sermons could be five minutes shorter without losing anything.
- You seem rushed when you get to your conclusion. That’s often the best, most important part. Think about trimming back earlier in the sermon so you can slow down at the end.
- Your content is great, but it can be too much.
- Just be yourself.
Introductions are necessary, but should be crisp. Better no introduction than one that is simply a ‘warm-up’ anecdote.
The time thing and the rushed thing flow together. Pacing is important and time spent earlier could be better invested in the end.
Although if application material is introduced and referred to during the sermon, the conclusion is more of a summary challenge than a point on which all the preceding material hinges in order to make sense.
Go and read DeYoung’s post where he also provides some points about the support churches can provide for their pastors.
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