Sermon Planner
Step 1: Preliminary Preparation. The preliminary planning gets sermon building off to the right start as it provides space to jot down the essential data from which the sermon will develop. Here are the questions that order those preliminary steps to sermon preparation:
| Date | | Sunday | |
| Season of the Christian Year | |
| 1. | What are the texts for worship? | |
| | Old Testament | |
| | Psalms | |
| | Epistle | |
| | Gospel | |
| 2. | What is the text/topic/theme of this sermon? | |
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| 3. | What is the occasion for this sermon? | |
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| 4. | What are some preliminary impressions about the text? | |
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| 5. | What are some preliminary observations about the felt needs of the people? | |
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Step 2: Understanding the Biblical Text. In the second step a series of questions organizes the thought process by which the text begins to reside within the preacher and form the preacher’s message:
| 1. | What is the life or faith issue addressed by the text? | |
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| 2. | What is the message of this text? | |
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| 3. | What is the historical setting of this passage? | |
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| 4. | What words or phrases help clarify the meaning of the text? | |
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| 5. | How is the story or idea of this text developed? | |
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| 6. | What other Scriptures clarify, expand, or illustrate the message of this text? | |
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| 7. | What does this text say to me? | |
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Step 3: Understanding the Congregation. In the third step, a series of questions are designed to help the preacher look at the text and the growing message from the perspective of the pew. These questions encourage the preacher to develop a message that meets the needs of the people.
| 1. | What felt needs of the people does this text address? | |
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| 2. | What current media communications (newsprint, TV, video, theater) address these issues? | |
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| 3. | How do I in my life make connection with this text? | |
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| 4. | What comments, illustrations, or stories will build bridges between this text and the people? | |
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Step 4: Forming the Sermon. In the fourth step, the sermon planner provides questions and space for the preacher to summarize the basic outline of the sermon.
| 1. | How can I summarize this message in one sentance? |
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| 2. | What do I want my people to take home? | |
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| 3. | How should I introduce this message? | |
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| 4. | How should I develop the body of this message (points, movement of the story, outline)? | |
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| 5. | How should I conclude this message? | |
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Step 5: A Summary Outline. In the final section, a summary outline, space is provided for the preacher to outline the sermon in final or near final form. No outline is provided to follow, as the purpose of the sermon planner is to help the preacher with the process of sermon preparation, allowing the final outline to be shaped according to the particular style of the preacher.
How To Use the Sermon Planner
The purpose of the sermon planner is to provide the preacher with a simple and effective way of building the sermon.
The sermon planner organizes the process of asking the most basic questions about the text and orders the way the preacher thinks about the persons to whom the sermon is delivered. Sermons grow. They start as the pastor prayerfully reads, studies, thinks, and meditates over the text and the needs of the people.
Consequently a purpose of the sermon planner is to stimulate the preacher to think about the right kinds of questions that will result in an effective sermon.
In addition a feature that makes the sermon planner so indispensable for the busy preacher is that it provides a handy and portable reference space where developing thoughts may be written down. With the sermon planner the preacher doesn’t lose those flashes of insights or the special words, phrases, illustrations, and stories that come to mind here and there during the week.
Here is how to use the sermon planner:
Robert E. Webber
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[1]Webber, R. (1993). The renewal of Sunday worship (1st ed.) (350). Nashville, Tenn.: Star Song Pub. Group.
