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One professor’s view on preaching: What should I take into the pulpit?

Dr. Jordan M. Stone shares his perspective on preparing for preaching. While careful preparation is essential, using limited notes can help pastors communicate God’s Word more naturally and sincerely, allowing the Spirit to guide the moment while still delivering a clear and cohesive message. The following is a transcript of the video above. 

One professor’s view on preaching: What should I take into the pulpit?

When it comes to the study of homiletics, there's often this part of our instruction, or we're thinking with students and aspiring ministers about what they bring into the pulpit. Of course, they take their Bible with them, but should they also take a full manuscript? Should they take something of an outline? Or should they cut the cord altogether and preach with no notes? I tend to communicate to the students this proverb of sorts, as it belongs to preaching no notes, preaching tends to be the most natural. It's my way of saying that I'm not guaranteeing that no notes preaching gives the best sermon. Preaching without notes sometimes might not go perfectly because, of course, no sermon goes perfectly. But what I'm trying to say is that preaching without notes tends to give the most natural sermon, because what the congregation hears comes from the preacher. He's standing behind God's sacred desk with nothing other than God's Word in front of him. He's God's man behind the pulpit, subdued by the Spirit to declare Jesus Christ. And if you have a full manuscript in front of you, what often happens is you might sound like you're reading when you ought to be speaking. You might not sound like you're reading, but you might realize the congregation knows you are reading because you're breaking eye contact so much. Having no notes in front of you helps it be communicated more naturally, because if you're reading through a manuscript, there might be a sentence structure that you're employing, and that's not the natural way you talk. What we want in ministry, what we thus wish to see in ministers' preaching, are those men who are full of sincerity. And what I'm saying is that no-notes preaching tends to be the most natural preaching. What I advocate for related to students is that they write a manuscript during the week. They need to think things through clearly. Pastors need to value precision, cohesion, and, when appropriate, concision in ministry as they prepare sermons. But when it comes to the Lord's day service and your declaring Christ to your people, you might be surprised at the degree to which having no notes in front of you communicates this freedom in Christ and might allow you to preach a much more natural sermon. .
Dr. Jordan M.
Dr. Jordan M. Stone

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