{"id":32593,"date":"2022-09-10T16:15:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/sermon-help-for-busy-pastors\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:15:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:15:37","slug":"sermon-help-for-busy-pastors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/sermon-help-for-busy-pastors\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon Help for Busy Pastors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Aaron Earls<\/p>\n

Apparently, there is more than one way to prepare a sermon. Just ask Scott Parkison and Jeremy Rose.<\/p>\n

Parkison, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Manchester, Tennessee, takes a traditional route to sermon preparation. He tries to spend time alone with the text and prays through what God would have him say to his people.<\/p>\n

Parkison working on a sermon.<\/div>\n

\u201cMy wife laughs at me because on Saturday nights, I will often hide in my closet with my Bible and iPad as I go over the sermon I\u2019ve spent all week preparing,\u201d says the father of five.<\/p>\n

Most sermons take about 10 hours of preparation, says Parkison. After adding in the time it takes for long-range planning of sermon series and last minute tweaking, Parkison says the total time can approach 20 hours.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s hard to find that much time for sermon planning and still have time to minister to his congregation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how phone calls or walking into my office for a quick chat can completely derail my focus,\u201d Parkison says. \u201cSometimes, I feel as if people don\u2019t understand the energy it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremy Rose, church planter and pastor of The Axis Church in Nashville, has developed a method that combines discipleship and sermon preparation in a way he believes makes him more effective and humble as a pastor.<\/p>\n

He and a group from the church who have all completed a basic hermeneutics course gather on Monday nights to discuss the passage for the next sermon. Each one has been studying the text for a week. Rose takes notes and asks questions during the discussion.<\/p>\n

Rose then spends several hours Wednesday and Thursday studying before finishing his sermon. This method allows him to deliver a sermon with more than 60 hours of research behind it, while also spending time in God\u2019s Word with men in his church.<\/p>\n

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See also  3 Practices That Reveal the Power of a Vulnerable Pastor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt helps keep me humble,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen someone compliments the sermon, I can honestly say, \u2018I wish I\u2019d have written it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose is honest about his feelings toward sermon preparation. It\u2019s one of his least favorite parts of ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy preaching, I don\u2019t enjoy studying.\u201d Rose says. \u201cBut I hate preaching without studying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkison agrees. \u201cThe prep is very laborious,\u201d he says. \u201cI enjoy the delivery far more than the prep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite viewing preparation as one of the more difficult aspects of their jobs, most pastors spend a significant amount of time on sermon prep.<\/p>\n

According to a 2012 Lifeway Research survey of Southern Baptist pastors, nearly 7 out of 10 pastors spend eight or more hours a week on sermon prep. A quarter spend 8 to 10 hours on sermon prep, while 23 percent spend 11 to 15 hours. About one in five (21 percent) spend more than 15.<\/p>\n

Resources for sermon-planning<\/strong><\/p>\n

Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion and Authenticity<\/em> by Tony Merida<\/p>\n

Christ-Centered Preaching & Teaching<\/em> (FREE digital book) from Ed Stetzer (editor)<\/p>\n

12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching (Second Edition)<\/em> by Wayne McDill<\/p>\n

Preaching and Preachers (40th Anniversary Edition)<\/em> by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones<\/p>\n

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Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

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Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n