"You preached two or three really good sermons. It's just a shame you delivered them all at once."
I've received this feedback after I've preached. Usually, it's occurred when I've edited poorly and none of my "great points" could be trimmed or I've gone off script and rambled/vented unexpectantly.
The danger for those giving sermons is the hidden book lying within them.
When they begin to aquire a batch of information about a topic, the sermoniser can flirt with delivering the whole book, instead of giving only a chapter.
The reason is simple.
In general, people can't absorb an entire book, with the plethora of points and accompanying details in one sitting.
When an entire book's worth of input is given in one sermon then you quickly wander into theological diminishing returns, where your flood of information overwhelms the listeners and any good points made are drowned out by the torrent which follow.
What every minister needs is the discipline to ruthlessly edit and remain aware that, in a pastoral setting, this won't be the last or only time they'll be able to speak on a topic. Thus, they shouldn't feel compelled to download everything they know in one sitting.
No comments:
Post a Comment