Why Some Sermons Work Better than Others
William Kruidenier
As the nineteenth-century German theologian Tholuck said, "A sermon ought to have heaven for its father and the earth for its mother." But if such sermons are to be born, heaven and earth have to meet in the preacher.
John R. W. Stott
Billy Graham preaching in an elevator would be a little overwhelming, but Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood" teaching in the Los Angeles Coliseum might tend to underwhelm. The number of listeners determines much about the style of preaching. What flies with one group flops with another.
How you convince a handful differs from how you sway a crowd. Even the optimum content for a sermon will vary with the size of the congregation. Some subjects work best in the give-and-take of a group; others shine in mass meetings. Certain techniques lend themselves to a midsized crowd; others to an intimate setting. Skillful preachers select their subjects and techniques with an eye to the audience.
This is the subject William Kruidenier explores in the following chapter. Kruidenier is pastor of Emmanuel Christian Fellowship in Atlanta, Georgia. His analysis helps put dimensions on an often-perplexing question: Why do some sermons work better than others?
And, even better, he offers suggestions for designing sermons suitable for the various occasions.
On any given Sunday, whenever a sermon seems to fall short of what we'd hoped for (realistically or otherwise), we quickly look for a reason. Our notes (or manuscript) were flawed. We didn't deliver the message powerfully enough. We didn't get enough sleep the night before. The sanctuary was too hot. Or too cool. People just aren't as hungry for spiritual growth as they should be.…
I think there is another explanation, perhaps more common than many of the above. ...
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