Planning

Wyatt Tee Walker pastor of Union Branch Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Virginia has written a book that gathers much of the rhetoric of the Black church and the Black pulpit into one volume. He then provides a commentary of this rhetoric that every preacher in the African American tradition can learn from.

Sayings from the Black Church

The book first provides a history of Black religious rhetoric. Then Walker gives the results of his study to come up with 55 sayings from the Black religious tradition. Examples of these are "God will not put more on you than you can bear" and "Hold to God's unchanging hand." Anyone even remotely familiar with African American rhetoric will immediately recognize most if not all of these sayings.

Finally, the book proceeds to a "lectionary" of Black sayings. Here, Walker provides a commentary for each of these sayings that could be used as the basis of a year's worth of worship services. All one need do is select a scripture that corresponds to the "saying" and then use the African American Heritage Hymnal to find music to support the service.

The book is a good addition to the African American Preacher's bookshelf.

Biblical Preaching is in the middle of a series of articles defending homiletic training. It is interesting how some will study to get a job, but when it comes to preaching, they think they should just do what comes naturally and not put any study into the subject.

I would encourage all to go over to the Biblical Preaching site and read the discussion there. What I want to talk about in this article though are the different ways that you can get homiletic training.

Read Books

The first thing you can do is read books. There are a number of books that are available to help you learn how to preach. One of the books I recommend is Best Advice for Preaching. The book was written with new preachers in mind and will give you advice on various aspects of preaching.

Read the Rest Here

Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote an article for Harper's Magazine entitled What's the Matter with Preaching?. In the article Fosdick, former pastor of the famed Riverside Church in New York, gives his principle for strong sermons. He states:

Any preacher who even with moderate skill is thus helping folks to solve their real problems is functioning. He never will lack an audience..

The basic idea is that a preacher should help the people solve a real problem that they are having. He continues:

Every sermon should have for its main business the solving of some problem--a vital, important problem, puzzling minds, burdening consciences, distracting lives--and any sermon which thus does tackle a real problem , throw even a little light on it, and help some individuals practically to find their way through it cannot be altogether uninteresting.

I find much to agree with and and respectfully find some things to disagree with in these quotes. I agree that preachers must address people exactly where they are. This is a basic rule of communication. However, I do not agree that preaching is mere problem solving. Preaching must remind the people of another kingdom. Preaching must point to possibilities and realities that are even outside of the structures that seem to constrain us. Preaching must remind us of something that is even greater than our problems. That something is that kingdom of God that ultimately places our problems into a larger context.

So yes, address people where they are, but take them to another place to meet the Sovereign of the Universe. And then as our congregants meet that great God, hopefully, they will receive the vision as well as the tools to deal with the problems that this world gives us.

Dr. McMickle discusses "praise" as the next reason why prophetic preaching has not been on the agenda of most preachers. Whether it is preaching conferences, journals, magazines, and church services, we are constantly given this call to praise. McMickle writes:

[T]here is a constant call to "praise God" that is seldom, if ever, followed up with a challenge to serve God in tangible ways that are benefit to our brothers and sisters, to our neighbors and friends, or to the widows, orphans, and strangers who are so constantly referenced in the Bible. Page 79.

McMickle notes that this call is constant whether on the WORD or Trinity Broadcasting Network, people of all ethnicities are calling for "praise." We are constantly told that "when praises go up...blessings come down." Certainly praise is important. The Bible itself tells us to praise God, but something is wrong when praise becomes an end to itself. Something is wrong when the preacher never gets to any ethical demands of the Christian life. Something is wrong when we depart the worship service without any intention to live a better life and/or to serve the community?

Read the Rest Here

Dr. McMickle continues helping modern preachers by forcing us to ask ourselves the question: "Am I a patriot or a prophet?" A preacher cannot be both. A patriot is one who equates the policies of a political party with the voice of God. In addition, the "patriot" thinks that God's love for America surpasses the Almighty's love for other nations.

Is America's Will God's Will?

This kind of mindset often reduces to the idea that what is good for America is God's will. You might hear such a "patriot" saying that God wants you to vote for McCain or even for Obama. Patriots often find themselves fighting for a political policy and losing track of God's perspective. When we look in the Bible we find prophets standing up for God's will even when it is at odds with the established political order. Ahab called Elijah a "troubler of Israel." Nathan Confronted David for his adultery and murder. (2 Samuel 12:7) In addition, Samuel decided to be a prophet rather than a patriot when he confronted Saul. (1 Samuel 15:11) Let us remember that John the Baptist stood up against Herod which reminds us that sometimes being a prophet will get your head placed on a plate. (Matthew 14:11)

Let's be Prophets

No, God has not called us to be beholden to political parties. We are called to be prophets. Patrick Henry is not our model as a preacher; Nathan is!! George Washington is not who we have been called to emulate; Elijah is!! Let us become the prophets that God has called us to be even if the established order does not like it.

I am currently reading the important work by Marvin McMickle entitled Where Have all the Prophets Gone? In the book McMickle looks at 4 trends that have caused the prophetic voice of the prophets to be blunted in the Christian church.

The first trend that has served to minimize the prophetic witness in the Christian pulpit is the truncation of the message of Justice. Here the demands of Justice are limited to 1 or 2 issues. McMickle notes that among some mainline and liberal Christian groups the great tradition of activism for justice has been reduced to activism for homosexual and for abortion rights.

Both Conservative and Progressive Limits Justice

Certainly the demands of justice includes more than the rights of homosexuals and the rights of women. However, much of the demands for full justice which would include advocacy for the poor and those who's backs are against the wall is set aside while these two subjects dominate the discussion.

Read the rest Here

My Sister and Brother preachers, preparation will help the preacher weather the storm of standing behind the sacred desk. It is our hope that this series of simple suggestions lifts your spirits and increases your confidence. Reverend Harris and Elder Cox believe that these suggestions will help you be heard. Links to all of the articles in this series is found follow:

• The Advantages of Preparation – Reverend Harris reminds us of why preparation so important and how it will help you.
• Re-Read your Manuscript - You cannot preach with power unless you know your manuscript. Reverend Harris reminds us that this requires reading the manuscript multiple times and well as knowing the scripture like the back of your hand.
• Know the Pastor and Congregation - To preach effectively, you must know the context. Reverend Harris gives us two parts of the context that you should know intimately, namely the pastor and the group that invited you.

Read the Rest Here

To preach in the African American Tradition one must understand and feel the culture. This comes from being a part of the community and really feeling the dual consciousness that makes the African American Tradition work. One of the best ways to feel the culture is to be reminded of the experiences of our past. Often these experiences can be tapped by referring to the music. The African American Heritage Hymnal provides a number of hymns, spirituals, and Gospel Songs that you remember if you have been in the African American church. I would encourage all preachers to add this volume to their own denominational hymnal.

How to Use the Hymnal?

Whenever you preach a sermon, always use the Scripture Passage Index of the hymnal in your preparation. Look up all of your texts to determine if there is a song that directly addresses your main text or even one of the other texts. Then keep those hymns in mind as you prepare the sermon.

You may quote the hymn, you may find questions in the song that can guide exegesis. You may structure a sermon around a hymn or song. Allow the authors of the song to help you understand the text. Allow the authors of the the text to help you understand the culture you are addressing. And finally, go ahead and sing them. I just couldn't help myself when my African American Heritage Hymnal came in the mail. I sang the songs of my youth and was transported back to all of those services where God showed up and touched the congregation. In short, obtain as many hymnals you can find and then use them in your preparation.

Get as many hymnals that you can gain insights and understandings of the text that may inform your sermonic presentations.

A preacher must always be prepared with his or her sword. However, which Bible should you use? The question breaks down into two components. The first question is which Bible should you use in preparation? The second question is which Bible should you use in presentation?

Which Bible - Preparation

If you are seeking to preach the Bible accurately and with power, the preacher must understand the scripture being presented. That is why you must at the very least use a Bible you understand. Some people attempt to use a particular version because they think they are supposed to use it. In preparation, your first goal is to understand the text. Therefore, I would say use the scripture version that you most understand.

Read the Rest Here

Reverend Napoloeon Harris has been in the midst of a series on preparation for effective sermons. I am adding a few posts to that series and then Minister Harris will finish it up. In this article I want to empahsize the importance of leaving room for the Spirit in the preaching event.

The preacher should fully and totally prepare, but when it is time to preach, the preacher should not only depend on the preparation, but also must depend on the Holy Spirit to guide the preacher in what should and should not be said in the preaching moment. Brad Braxton always emphasized that the sermon is not what is written in the manuscript, but the sermon includes the mannerisms and gestures of the preacher. In addition, it includes the inflection and the emphasis placed at different places in the sermon. Finally, the sermon includes that which is added or taken away by the interaction of the Spirit, people, and preacher. Thus our preparation must include both making a way for the Spirit. In addition, the preparation would require our communion with the Spirit through Bible study and prayer.

So in our preparation we must get closer to the Spirit and we must make room for that same Spirit to show up in the preaching event.