The Manuscript and Great Preaching

Cleophus LaRue speaks of the Importance of a Manuscript in his bookPower in the Pulpit. This is another element of great preaching.

This element might be a little controversial to some preachers who preach without notes. One must first of all recognize, however, that LaRue is not stating that one must preach from a manuscript, just that most of these preachers prepared a manuscript whether he or she used it in the pulpit or not.

What are the benefits of a manuscript? They help the preacher focus on the actual words that will be used. They reduce rambling. They help cut down on the use of unintented theology or expressions.

One other very good benefit of manuscripts that LaRue doesn't speak of is that you have a written record of the sermon that you can place in your archives.

So whether you preach with or without notes, you might consider creating a manuscript to sharpen your oratorical skills. One thing that you must keep in mind however, is that the manuscript that you create should be written for the ear and not the eye. With that in mind, write out the manuscript.