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Very little communication takes place between most pastors/priests and their congregants regarding the weekly sermon/homily. This lack of constructive dialogue has resulted in Sunday messages that are not only out-of-touch with where parishioners are living, but for the most part what's said isn't remembered much beyond the church parking lot.
Dr. Mains contends that people in the pew can best judge when a sermon is helpful to them and when it isn't. So why not include them in the process of both preparing and evaluating sermons? Not preaching the sermons. . . . .but again, preparing and evaluating them. He makes these changes sound so simple and practical that you can't help but wonder, "Why weren't these ideas implemented years ago?"
Most people in the pew don't realize how integral they are to finding a solution to this problem. But the pulpit/pew combination can be an incredibly powerful team, so let's begin to work together to help solve this mystery of what's happening to sermons.
This is not a negative book or one that only points out problems. Instead, it's a positive, practical and encouraging read that should fill you with hope for not only your local congregation, but churches everywhere.
List of contents
Chapter 1: The Sermon-Sucking Black Hole
Chapter 2: The Best Sermon Judges
Chapter 3: Two of the Four Simple Sermon-Evaluation Questions
Chapter 4: Do You Know How to Do That?
Chapter 5: How Long Is It Going to Take?
Chapter 6: Becoming Your Pastor’s Supportive Friend
Chapter 7: The “Sunday Search” Game
Chapter 8: Soliciting Listener Input
Chapter 9: Living a Lie Isn’t the Answer
Chapter 10: The Sermon as Part of a Whole
Chapter 11: Rat-a-tat-tat: The Power of Repetition
Chapter 12: Practice Planning: Mother’s Day
Chapter 13: Mother’s Day Sermon: A Working Draft
Chapter 14: The Ultimate Compliment
Chapter 15: The Joy of Fishing
Chapter 16: Leaving the Sidelines
Chapter 17: We’re Not Perfect, But We’re Making Progress
Chapter 18: Partners in Sermon- and Service-Planning
Chapter 19: Laughter, Creativity and Productivity
Chapter 20: Star Nurseries
About the author
Dr. David R. Mains left pastoring to spend over two decades in media ministry. "You Need to Know", which he hosted and produced, won the 1995 National Religious Broadcasters’ “Television Program of the Year” award. His 15-minute Chapel of the Air was heard Monday through Saturday on over 500 radio stations across North America. He and his wife, Karen, have written over three dozen books, including national-award-winners such as "The Kingdom Tales Trilogy."
Summary
Very little communication takes place between most pastors/priests and their congregants regarding the weekly sermon/homily. This lack of constructive dialogue has resulted in Sunday messages that are not only out-of-touch with where parishioners are living, but for the most part what s said isn t remembered much beyond the church parking lot. Dr.
Foreword
Very little communication takes place between most pastors/priests and their congregants regarding the weekly sermon/homily. This lack of constructive dialogue has resulted in Sunday messages that are not only out-of-touch with where parishioners are living, but for the most part what’s said isn’t remembered much beyond the church parking lot.
Dr. Mains contends that people in the pew can best judge when a sermon is helpful to them and when it isn’t. So why not include them in the process of both preparing and evaluating sermons? Not preaching the sermons. . . . .but again, preparing and evaluating them. He makes these changes sound so simple and practical that you can’t help but wonder, “Why weren’t these ideas implemented years ago?”
