Sermon content is arguably more important than sermon delivery. At the same time, if we don’t “deliver the goods” as effectively as possible, our sermon may fall on deaf ears. Yes, the Holy Spirit mercifully is present to overcome our verbal blunders, but this is no reason for failing to improve. While the following principles are not the only actions necessary for effective sermon delivery, they are important.
- Make good eye contact. Our listeners are accustomed to eye contact when speaking with a friend, so it’s reasonable they would expect the same from their pastor. Pastors must become very familiar with their sermon manuscript or outline before stepping into the pulpit, as familiarity with our manuscript leads to greater eye contact with our listeners. As you preach, locate individuals in each section of the congregation (left to right, front to back) and lock eyes with them. As a general rule, look directly at a person for about three seconds before looking away. If eye contact is shorter, we fail to make an emotional connection with our listener. Eye contact longer than three seconds, however, may make for an awkward moment!
- Never apologize in your sermon. When preachers apologize for lack of preparation, a sense of inadequacy, or for other reasons, they draw attention to themselves instead of drawing attention to Jesus. There is only so much time to preach the Word, so the less time we spend talking about ourselves, the more time we have to talk about Christ. God has gifted you with the sacred privilege of being His ambassador, so approach the pulpit confidently, knowing He will speak His Word through you.
- Call for a specific response. Calling for a response to what God has said in His Word is the difference between merely teaching what the Bible says and preaching an anointed message that expects obedience to God. Too often, preachers fail to think through a meaningful conclusion that culminates in a response to the Word. It is not enough simply to conclude our sermon with a general prayer. We must call for action! Believers must be challenged to obey God’s commands, and unbelievers must know how to follow Christ.
- Preach as though it were your last opportunity. As you step into the pulpit this weekend, imagine it will be your last opportunity. Will that make a difference in your delivery? We must preach as Puritan Richard Baxter once wrote: “I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.”1
Preachers, what other keys to sermon delivery have you learned?
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- Richard Baxter, Poetical Fragments of Richard Baxter Fourth Edition (London: William Pickering, 1821), 35.
