Preaching Tips for the Busy Pastor
How to Prepare a Quality Sermon on a Tight Schedule
While Christian congregations throughout the world have a wide range of expectations and demands for their pastors, the New Testament places a great deal of emphasis on a pastor's preaching and leadership.
Primary Duties of a Pastor
According to the apostle Peter, an elder (a word used interchangeably with "pastor" in the New Testament) is to "shepherd the flock of God" (I Peter 5:2). The classic King James Version of the Bible uses the word "feed" in place of "shepherd," clearly emphasizing the provisional role of the shepherd.
Indeed, the word "pastor" stems from the occupation of shepherding. Pastors are to be shepherds, and they are to attend to the spiritual provision of their congregations.
In his letter to Timothy, the pastor over the church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul exhorts him to "preach the Word" (II Timothy 4:2). Paul puts a great deal of emphasis, in fact, in the areas of preaching and teaching.
A cursory review of the writings of both Peter and Paul show that pastors are to preach, teach, and lead the congregations in their charge. And Paul and Peter both agree that preaching and teaching are, in fact, the most important components of a pastor's leadership.
A Church Pastor's Duties
Pastors today are called upon to perform a wide range of functions. Depending on the size of the church, pastors are engaged in strategic planning, counseling, visiting the sick and shut-ins, evangelism and church outreach.
Pastors are expected to provide some form of executive leadership over the church's staff and/or programs. They typically serve on or are involved (to some degree) with all church committees. In some cases (particularly in smaller churches), the pastor is also the janitor and maintenance person.
While many pastors are gifted or at least trained in time management, there are some weeks, where demands can be particularly intense. Pastors are busy. Sometimes, they are extremely busy. And yet, they are expected (by God as well as by their congregations) to provide quality preaching and teaching.
Preaching Tips for Busy Pastors
Some pastors cope with busy schedules by purchasing books of ready-to-deliver sermons or by downloading sermons off the internet. Since the preparation of the sermon is something that should be both spiritual (prayer time required) and personal (people want to hear from the individual pastor), these approaches should only be utilized when the pastor is looking for illustrations or reference material.
The following tips are recommended for busy pastors:
- Plan Ahead - Most pastors can block out at least two full days each month for sermon planning and preparation. Take that time to prayerfully identify topics and/or passages, and then develop outlines accordingly.
- Read and Listen to Other Sermons Regularly - Use drive time or down time to review sermons by other pastors. Include classic sermons. Any pastor can learn from great preachers of the past, such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, or Charles Spurgeon.
- Keep Eyes and Ears Open for Illustrations and Quotes - Busy pastors should always be on the lookout for great stories, quotations and anecdotes. These can be personal or drawn from other sources (such as the news, history books, or television). Keeping a file of ready-to-go, personally collected illustrations and quotes will help immensely when it comes to sermon preparation.
- Select a Passage and Ask the "W" Questions - Pastors can take any passage (Genesis 1, Psalm 23, I Corinthians 13, etc.), break it down into topical sections, and then ask the "W" questions (who, what, where, when, why) about each section. Going through this exercise will generate plenty of sermon material!
There are plenty of other tips out there to aid in sermon preparation for the busy pastor. The above list only scratches the surface. In general, it all comes down to planning ahead, always reviewing other sermons, keeping one's eyes and ears open for ideas, and inquisitively studying the Bible on a regular basis. Anyone who does those things will be able to put together quality sermons on a tight schedule.
Related Reading
Studying to become a pastor or looking to help someone else get into the ministry? Check out How to Become a Pastor.
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