Preaching Boot Camp

Because of my upcoming mission trip and the many opportunities for preaching it will provide, I realized that I needed to do some basic training on preaching for a couple of the men on my team.  The goal is not to make them master expositors overnight. Rather, it is to give them the basic and essential mechanics for putting together a sermon that honors God and helps his people.

Toward that end, I cherry-picked some of the best chapters from various preaching books, putting together a church-based training packet.  These represent not all that could be said about preaching, but enough to get men going in the right direction over the course of six weeks.   Following our discussions over the assigned reading, they will be submitting their sermon outline summaries for review, then their sermon manuscripts for review.  After preaching a couple times, I will encourage them to continue studying the craft of preaching, writing sermons, receiving feedback, and letting them take the pulpit.  I see this as part of fulfilling Paul’s teaching about equipping the saints for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Equipping saints means more than just patting them on the back and encouraging to share Christ with someone. It means training people to serve alongside me and for being sent out to other churches or mission fields.

If you’re looking to do something similar, you might take advantage of my work, or use it as the basis to get you thinking about what you would do different.

Preaching Boot Camp Bibliography

The Theology of Preaching

• Mohler, Jr., R. Albert.  “Preaching is Expository: A Theology of Exposition” In He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World, 49-64. Chicago: Moody, 2008.
• MacArthur, Jr., John. “The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: Expository Preaching.” In Rediscovering Expository Preaching: Balancing the Science and Art of Biblical Exposition, edited by John MacArthur, Jr., 22-35. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992.   

The Task of Preaching

• Mohler, Jr., R. Albert.  “A Steward of Mysteries: The Preacher’s Authority and Purpose.” In He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World, 77-88. Chicago: Moody, 2008.
• Chapell, Bryan. “Obligations of the Sermon.”  In Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 43-57. Second edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.
• Adam, Peter. “The Preacher’s Bible: Bridging the Gap.” In Speaking God’s Words: A Practical Theology of Expository Preaching, 97-102.  Downers Grove: InterVarstiy, 1996.

The Preparation for Preaching

• MacArthur, Jr., John. “The Spirit of God and Expository Preaching.” In Rediscovering Expository Preaching: Balancing the Science and Art of Biblical Exposition, edited by John MacArthur, Jr., 102- 115. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992.
• Dever, Mark, and Greg Gilbert. “Sermon Preparation.” In Preaching: Theology Meets Practice, 79-100.  Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2012.
• Dever, Mark, and Greg Gilbert. “The Structure of a Sermon.” In Preaching: Theology Meets Practice, 101-118. Nashville: B&H, 2012.
• Clowney, Edmund P.  “Preparing a Sermon That Presents Christ.”  In Preaching Christ in All of Scripture, 45-58. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003.

The Act of Preaching

• Dever, Mark, and Greg Gilbert. “Delivering the Sermon.” In Preaching: Theology Meets Practice, 119-130. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2012.
• Piper, John. “The Gravity and Gladness of Preaching.”  In The Supremacy of God in Preaching, 51-68. Revised edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
• Chapell, Bryan. “Appendix 10: Reading Scripture.”  In Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 372-374. Second edition.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.