Preaching

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Written by: Mike Raiter & Tim Collison

Created: 01 June 2024

Last year Essentials published my article, ‘Homiletical Health Check’, a survey of sermons in 20 churches from different denominations. In that article we heard the preachers speak. Now it’s time to hear the listeners. Essentials decided to conduct a follow-up survey, asking congregational members what they thought of the preaching in their churches. 47 churches were asked to participate; nine responded. Out of those nine churches 53 people filled in the survey. All the churches are evangelical, and just over one-half are Anglican. Nearly all the respondents live in urban areas, with most living along the eastern seaboard: 72% live in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane.

The obvious weakness in the survey is the small data set. Nevertheless, the survey still works as a qualitative assessment of what value members of evangelical churches place on preaching. As such, there are valuable insights for people who preach regularly.

The survey asked 12 questions. We’ll briefly summarise the response to each question.

1: WHAT IS THE FOCAL POINT DURING YOUR SUNDAY GATHERING?

The focal point of most of these services is the sermon.

2: ON A SCALE OF 1 - 10, WITH 1 BEING THE LOWEST, AND 10 THE HIGHEST, HOW IMPORTANT IS PREACHING FOR YOU PERSONALLY?

91% of people surveyed answered the question between 8 and 10. And the lowest score chosen was 7. And those who chose 7 did so because they understood that the other parts of the service were also important to them.

3: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT PARTICULAR RATING IN QUESTION TWO?

Those who responded to question two with a “10” all answered that preaching helps them to know the word of God better, and grow spiritually.

4: WHAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERMONS ARE THERE AT YOUR CHURCH?

The most common type is expositional. The next most common are evangelistic and thematic.

5: HOW FREQUENTLY IS A SERMON IN YOUR CHURCH GIVEN IN A MANNER THAT YOU CAN EITHER TAKE SOMETHING CONCRETE FROM IT, OR THE APPLICATION IS CLEAR?

The majority of respondents (46 out of 53) felt that out of every four sermons at least three had something applicable to their lives.

6: WHEN THERE IS APPLICATION HOW OFTEN IS IT EITHER: "TELL SOMEONE ABOUT JESUS", "READ YOUR BIBLE", "PRAY MORE FREQUENTLY" OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.

60% of respondents felt there is an appropriate balance of application in the sermons. 32% felt the application was always one of those three applications.

7: HOW OFTEN DOES THE PREACHING AFFIRM OR ENCOURAGE THE CONGREGATION FOR THEIR FAITHFULNESS AS CHRISTIANS?

81% of respondents felt that the preaching regularly affirms the congregation for their faithfulness as Christians.

8: WHAT'S THE TYPICAL LENGTH OF SERMONS AT YOUR CHURCH?

About one-third of respondents hear sermons which are between 21-25 minutes long. About another one third are hearing sermons up to 40 minutes long. That means about one-third are hearing sermons between 16-20 minutes, or up to an hour in length.

9: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE LENGTH OF THE SERMONS? ARE THEY: TOO SHORT, TOO LONG OR ABOUT RIGHT?

89% of respondents felt that they were satisfied with the length of the sermons at their church. This was regardless of whether the sermons were 16 minutes long, or longer than an hour.

10: WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE PREACHING AT YOUR CHURCH?

The most consistent comment is that people appreciate preaching which is based on the Bible (36%), is clearly and engagingly delivered, and which they can apply to their lives. People also mentioned that they appreciate well researched sermons.

11: WHAT PARTS OF THE PREACHING AT YOUR CHURCH MIGHT NEED MORE ATTENTION?

The majority said ‘nothing’ (30 %). Those who did comment would like more depth to the sermons, better application, and would like more variety in delivery and style.

12: ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR COMMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IN RELATION TO THE PREACHING AT YOUR CHURCH?

Here’s a sample of the comments:

• “They are Bible-centric, relevant to the sermon series theme, well researched and delivered.”
• “We are blessed with three ministers…with various styles of preaching and all keep us on our toes as they deliver God’s message”.
• “It’s consistently very good.”
• “I look forward to it”.
• “I like longer sermons that go deeper.”
• “We are truly blessed by the standard of preaching”.

There were many other similar comments.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

Again, we need to bear in mind that this is a small sample. Perhaps preachers who are less confident about their preaching or were concerned about what their people might say, decided not to distribute the survey. Or, perhaps, in the busyness of church life it just was too far down the priority list. But a few things stand out.

People value good preaching. One of my (Mike’s) observations over many years is that a good sermon covers a multitude of – not sins - but perhaps deficiencies in other areas. The pastor may not be the best administrator, or a great counsellor, or even a less committed visitor of the people, but if a spiritually tasty and nutritious meal is served up on Sunday then people will thank God for the ministry.

People are receiving solid application. When I ask preachers where they struggle, the most common response is in application. On the one hand, the survey suggests that people feel the Biblical expositions they hear are well applied to their lives. On the other hand, a number also feel that application needs to be a constant focus in the sermons.

People are happy with the length of the sermon.

While ‘how long should a sermon be?’ is a hot debate amongst preachers, if this survey is anything to go by, it’s less of an issue for the people. Most have been trained to listen to a sermon of a certain length and are content with that. The key issue isn’t length but faithfulness to the Bible and good application.

People appreciate sermons that ‘go deep’ and are well-researched. If I can put this in my own words, most people can discern when a sermon has been thoroughly prepared and not just hurriedly written the night before. And they like new insights, perhaps into the text or how the Bible speaks into our contemporary situation. In short, they appreciate sermons that are intellectually stimulating.

Well done! The last lesson to take home from this survey is that many (most?) evangelical preachers are serving God’s people well in their preaching, and so honouring the God who has set them apart for this work. The people really appreciate it (even if they don’t always tell you). Let this be a stimulus to us, not to sit back on any laurels, but continue to grow as preachers to the glory of God and the edification of the saints.

Michael Raiter is the Director of the Centre for Biblical Preaching. Tim Collison is Assistant Minister St Marks’ Camberwell and Secretary of EFAC Australia

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Written by: Chris Appleby

Created: 01 September 2022

If you're looking for preaching resources may we recommend the following:

Expo Preaching

EFAC's Expository Preaching platform. Here you will find a range of sermons by EFAC members. You are welcome to add your own sermons provided they use expository methods and on the condition that you provide either a full text or at least a detailed outline of the sermon in the Message Text section.

Australasian Academy of Homiletics

The Australasian Academy of Homiletics brings together teachers of Homiletics  across Australia and New Zealand for the purpose of studying the place of preaching in theological education, discussing and sharing ideas and methods, and fostering scholarly research in Homiletics and other related disciplines.

Useful for articles on preaching

The Centre for Biblical Preaching 

Our mission  at the Centre for Biblical Preaching is to encourage and foster expository preaching and teaching in local churches throughout Melbourne, Australia, and in other countries, by providing workshops, conferences, seminars, and mentoring for preachers.

We strive to be a training centre that effectively equips churches throughout Australia and the rest of the world in expository preaching. This vision is founded on the conviction that the first and most important mark of a healthy church is faithful exposition of God’s word.

The Centre arose from the unique and ground–breaking partnership between St. James’ Old Cathedral in West Melbourne and the Church Missionary Society—Australia.

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Written by: Simon Manchester

Created: 01 September 2021

When I was Chaplain to the North Sydney Bears Rugby League team (and you may know that my prayers for their humility were powerfully answered), I once went to the ‘post-mortem’ meeting on Monday and was told ‘it was probably not a good time for me to be there’.

The coach was obviously giving an expletive-laden barrage to the players (after a terrible loss) and either felt that my saintly presence would curb his freedom of speech or that he would have to explain his terms to me as he went… probably the former.

But picture the football coach at half-time as his team has shown no energy or courage or cleverness or skill (or warrant for big pay-packets) and the score is now 38-0 to the other side (if he’s a soccer coach this is serious). He will be angry – quietly or loudly.

What can he do but berate his players and tell them that they are a disgrace to the fans, to the sponsors, to themselves – and especially to him? [The flip-side to this is a fantastic first half where they are belting the opposition and congratulating themselves… but I digress].

It seems to me that too much preaching falls into the ‘coach at half-time’ category. Not that the preacher is angry but he has little to say beyond personal motivation. Think for example of a sermon in the second half of an epistle.

Read more: By the Grace of God – the preacher is not a coach at halftime

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Written by: Andrew Katay

Created: 01 September 2021

I'll admit it. I have something of a love / hate relationship with preaching..

On the one hand, of course, I love it.

To serve the Lord by opening the Word of God to people, a word which drips with the truth and goodness and beauty of Christ, demands our highest gifts, strongest energies and most insightful thought. It drives us to prayer, for the simple reason that we long for God to use our words for His glory. Specifically, as congregations, including both believers as well as seekers, hear the Scriptures read and taught, we hope that the Spirit will convict unbelievers of sin and righteousness and judgment (Jn 16.8), bringing them to repentance and faith; and at the same time, that the Spirit will deepen believers in their repentance and faith, so that they more and more put to death the desires of the flesh and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit.

At the same time, it would be fair to say that there are times when I hate preaching. It is too much, it is too hard, it is too demanding. My limited insight, my limited time and capacity, and my very limited actual putting into practice what it is that I am preaching about assail me. I stare at a blank computer screen, a sparsely scribbled hand written sermon outline, with open Bible and commentaries strewn around, and wonder when the words will flow. Which of course is part of the dynamic of all ministry and which keeps pastors and preachers humble and prayerful.

I have found a greater freedom in preaching in the last few years, in part by getting clearer on some key questions. It was Rudyard Kipling who wrote: "I keep six honest serving-men / (They taught me all I knew); / Their names are What and Why and When / And How and Where and Who". And it is in that spirit of inquiry and curiosity that I want to ask only three questions of preaching - why do we preach? To whom do we preach? And How do we preach?

Read more: Preaching to the Heart

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Written by: Ben Underwood

Created: 01 March 2020

Every now and then I like to devise and preach a topical sermon series. Some of these have been some of the most memorable series to me, and have sometimes gotten more engagement and discussion among the congregation than is usual. I’m no master of the genre, but here are three series I have preached.

Read more: Ideas Page: Topical Sermon Series

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Written by: Mark Juers/Joel Kettleton

Created: 01 December 2019

Watch out mega-churches, video sermons have a new frontier!
Essentials speaks with Joel Kettleton about pioneering something new in a digital era.  

WHAT IS YOUR MINISTRY SETTING?

I’m the rector of the Anglican Parish of Sorell, Richmond & Tasman in the south-east of Tasmania. I’ve been here for eight years, initially as a curate then a locum and now the Senior Minister for the last five years. My context is a combined parish that has been joined together in some form for 130 years and we have a mixture of small congregations as well as larger ones. We meet in convict built buildings with small isolated congregations as well as a growing new church plant in a satellite suburb of Hobart. From top to bottom I have to cover 120 kilometres. A typical Sunday is that I’ll be at one service in the morning and one service in the afternoon but we have concurrent services happening in other places at the same time.

WHAT CHALLENGES DOES THAT GENERATE?

There is a big challenge of having good preaching that is consistent at each service every week. We have people who are able to help run services but they are not able or willing to preach.

I have the challenge of juggling many things at the same time. None of the congregations are the same but each has a unique identity and rhythm to their worship life. This makes it hard to manage the whole parish and use our limited time well. The question we have to keep asking is how do we grow a healthy church in each place, whether it’s a congregation of 5 or 50. We really want to identify people’s gifts and mobilise them for ministry so that they are confident disciples. We want them to be sharing their faith and making disciples themselves. This is really difficult when there’s 5 and you don’t live in the area and you’re not even there each week.

WHY DID YOU EXPLORE USING VIDEOS FOR SERMONS?

I wanted to be able to multiply the delivery of messages. Having seen large churches like City on a Hill do this across large congregations made me think this made sense to do this in smaller remote congregations as well. In places where I could train people to run church services but I couldn’t train preachers I’d rather have our local content that we were working on together delivered by video than just buying sermons off the shelf. When you buy or use someone else’s videos it’s not personal so when we’re talking about pastoring and preaching to your congregation that’s a big problem. Many videos are made for another cultural context so it can be hard for people to connect, they are like “yes, we’re just watching a video”. But there’s a real pastoral connection when we can make videos and preach to our congregation when we’ve got their feedback, when we’ve incorporated their story into the content. When we use b-roll from their location, it makes them feel like they’re part of the sermon.

WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD DO IT?

I watched a lot of youtube! Even the simplicity and effectiveness of video calling supports this. If such a simple thing could be done in a way that it is presented well, the technology is there now to be able to do that easily. I made my own youtube channel making music and car related videos and this helped me learn about the equipment and the craft of basic videography and content creation. I then spent a lot of time learning how to produce videos and once I’d done that it was a simple thing to combine video creation with preaching.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ALONG THE WAY?

I have a high threshold for failure. I didn’t know anything about lighting since I didn’t come from a photography background, so just used gear that I had. I learnt that it has to be short, no more than 10 mins unless it’s excellent and has different sections in it since our attention span on screen is very different to being in person. I learnt a lot about looking into the camera to engage with people, simple things that people who make videos know but takes some effort to turn it into a habit when you’re starting out. 

I wanted to include the words of scripture on the screen so I spent a lot of time listening to feedback about how it didn’t quite work out, it was either too short or too long. It was interesting to find out about how people listen and read in different ways. 

I wasn’t coached through any of this by an experienced content creator and if I had other people around me and been able to do a course this would have changed how quickly it was improved. However, it gave us a big opportunity to pastorally connect with the people I was making this for over the idea and work on it together. If they didn’t like the colour of the background they’d tell me, they said that it hurt their eyes. If they didn’t like the quality of the sound then I needed to change the sound setup and use a lapel mic. In a way, each of these failures was a win because we could collaborate on it and work together. In my context and especially with the tiny remote corners of the parish this was really important because they had never experienced anything digital like this before. They had only experienced a person and a prayer book so this was an enormous change. 

Not only did I have to learn how to produce the content at my end, I had to learn how to display the content at their end. I wasn’t streaming it because our areas don’t have internet connections. Their buildings are not set up with wiring and some only have a single power point. I started with DVDs but didn’t like the way the editing program produced the DVDs, it was just too difficult. So I kept it to mp4 files stored on a USB and sent to the location. It was a challenge getting physical USB before their sermon time on a Sunday and making sure it is all set up and ready to work. I would mail it to them or I’d get someone to pick it up on their way back into the country. Several times I had to drive it out myself which is worth the three hour return trip except when they forget to turn the power box on and it doesn’t end up working! Thankfully they are resilient congregations and they have leaders to take the initiative and make the most of the time.

DOES IT NEED A LOT OF TECH GEAR?

No! Initially I just had my laptop with the webcam, that was it. My mobile phone with a microphone input actually works well enough to record something wherever I am and doesn’t require me to carry loads of gear around. However, using a DSLR or two with a Zoom audio recorder increases the quality a lot. For editing I started on Windows Movie Maker and then shifted to Powerdirector when I needed to synch audio and do other more complicated things.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU THINK THIS HAS HAD?

It has meant that I can help my congregations as a pastor and teacher and they don’t feel like they’ve been abandoned. They really appreciate the energy and time put into it and it has kept our pastoral bond between semi-regular visiting. 

It has also meant I’ve had to learn how to preach differently. I don’t have a teleprompter or something to read from so that has changed how I deliver the sermon and I’ve had to condense big sermons down into smaller versions. 

This also has seeded a whole bunch of ideas for content creation in rural churches. It has led us in our parish to think creatively about how we can use pre-recorded content in places where they don’t have access to preachers. Beyond this we have joined in a bigger project picked up by the Tasmanian diocese who have partnered with Bush Church Aid. There is now a much larger scale project to produce digital content that can be released across the rural parts of the diocese.

ANY OTHER THOUGHTS FOR THOSE CONSIDERING SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

It can be daunting starting out but like any new skill, if you repeat a thousand times it becomes second nature. We’ve found that our whole staff team have become a lot more confident making videos. We’re more natural and capable, we do better editing, and we’re much more comfortable in front of a camera and watching ourselves on screen. 

There is a danger with all this if we think every person should be doing video content all the time. It really is the context that needs to drive what you’re doing with video. If you want to take this on yourself, you need to have the creative knack or someone talented in your parish because the editing takes the longest. For me it was a way of presenting the gospel as well as I could in multiple places at the same time. If I was the pastor of a single congregation I wouldn’t have had that need, so don’t make video sermons unless you have a very good reason. Video is never as good as being in person, being physically present is always the ideal.