March 3, 2015

Most preachers are process junkies.

We obsess over sermon length and structure, whether-or-not to use PowerPoint, if we should preach in a series, etc.

Most of the discussions I have with other preachers about preaching concern these issues. And that’s fine. These are the tools of of the trade, after all, and we want to use them well.

I’ve participated in these discussions. I’ve written about how to preach better and I’m currently working on a blog post on the process I use to prepare sermon series’.

But I’ve discovered that there’s a set of principles underneath all the talk of process that we often forget.

Process should follow content, not the other way around.

I think there are two defining rules every communicator needs to follow:

1. Decide what you need to say

2. Say it in the best way possible

That’s it.

Everything else should follow after that. From sermon length, to series length, to use of illustrations, video clips, Q & A, etc.

Use the process that best communicates what needs to be said and let everything else go.