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QNA on Preaching
I’d love to dialog with you about preaching and communication. We’ll start with some of your questions. I’ll do my best to answer what I can. Then we’ll hear from the rest of you.
(We’ll devote a week to this in June. Next week we’ll talk about “Developing Leaders.”)
What questions do you have about preaching? Studying? Presentation? Planning? Growing as a communicator? Creativity? Series? Challenges? All questions are fair game.
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I would love to hear the process you went through to get to where you are now as a preacher. Where you nervous when you started preaching? If so, how did you get over it and how long did it take? How did you develop your stage presence/find your voice? What would you recommend to others who are just beginning their calling as preachers? What should we be spending our time doing?
Craig—I’ve got two questions. [1] Being a part of LifeChurch since February I’ve seen you teach a few times. It seems you have this unique ability to know how to drop a question or make a powerful statement and then PAUSE. It seems very powerful. What is the thought process and strategy behing that? [2] What kind of tip can you give or can others give about how to make story [biblical or personal] pop and grab attention?
Craig,
I would like to be a better story-teller. I was really impacted (and reminded of my love for story-telling) by some recent presentations I saw and it really lines up with the type of creative spirit I have. Any advice? Resources? What do you think of this type of communicating?
I also just posted a blog on “Holy Cr__! Holy Language???” and I would love to know your thoughts on some of the slang that is becoming more popular among communicators. Thanks. Love your ministry!
Bryan
How much of the planning process (from series planning to planning individual sermons) involves a team vs. a solo effort? What do the team planning elements look like?
On presentation, (1) your talk notes are inside the center of your bible as opposed to you turning to the scripture of reference. Is this to expedite the process?
(2) The experience rooms typically are dark, which is not conducive to reading one’s own bible. Is this to get attendees to focus on the screen/stage and thus keep them visually engaged?
Interested in your thoughts on the effectiveness of this communication.
1. How many people are in on your preparation of a message?
2. Give us your top three preachers that you admire (dead or alive).
1. What resources do you use to come up with your series? Do you use other churches’ materials, have meetings and come up with your own, etc?
2. You often have your folks repeat something back or “say it with you” - have you found this to be more effective?
Craig,
My question is similar to Jay’s and Andrew’s. What is the process you go through to prepare a message. Where do you pull resources from? What is your thought process and your time table? Basically, I’d love to hear a “Sermon Prep For Dummies” by Craig Groeschel.
This is an area I’m weak in right now so any insight you can give would be most helpful.
Craig–
I also noticed that you sermon outline is in the middle of your Bible! I like to walk around with Bible in hand while I preach but have to go back to the table to read some point from my notes. Please share how to do this. Thanks for the help!
When you do a sermons series or video that most congregations would say is edgy or perhaps over the edge(I am thinking of your latest series about sex), do you ever doubt your decision? What about your staff? What about your wife?
If so, what is your thought process to go ahead with it or not?
1. What elements or do you have a structure you use in putting together each message?
2. Thoughts on utilizing series.
3. The whole message/series process of lifechurch.
4. Various roles of style in communicating
Great topic…just thought I would put those out even though others have left similar.
I might add that if someone is reading and sees their questions already posted, it would do good to put it again anyway as this will help form what questions are most being desired to be answered.
1) Do you have any (preaching) mentors? If so, who are they?
2) & 3) There are many different preaching styles (expository, topical, narrative, etc). What are your thoughts on the various styles? How would you define your style?
I have heard a lot of pastors say that they put 15-20 hours a week into study…what kind of advice can you give a bi-vocational pastor who also works a secular job 40 hours a week regarding sermon prep?
What does your creative process look like?
If I could be a fly on the wall of your creative team meetings what would I see or hear?
How far in advance do you work on your series and individual messages??
Craig, this is a great thread but I’ve got to change the subject for one second. I image you and your readers read Tony Morgan’s blog too (www.tonymorganlive.com). You’ve got to check out his blog and today’s post(Sweet Sixteen) and take the opportunity to leave a funny comment. It’s absolutely too good to pass up.
After that I suggest everyone come back here and immediately leave a thought-provoking question.
Craig,
Do you have someone (or a group) review your sermon before you preach it? How far out are you all on your series? And lastly, does someone review your jokes?
Tina
Hello Craig and all,
How important is smiling / not smiling when preaching / communicating?
Thanks
Craig–great idea! I would like to know:
1. How do you deal with the blank slate each week? (do you have a tickler file that you stuff ahead of time, do you do series prep in advance, etc?)
2. Do you have a process by which you focus each message? Is it inate or do you have questions or criteria/demographics that you aim at? What is the target or goal (be more specific than life change)?
3. How do you see preaching and leading interacting with each other? What percentage do you aim for (as far as leadership content–to lead the congregation)?
Thanks–dt http://www.davetilma.com
I’m a blogger and have never been to life church so this might only be an observation of what some communicators do. A friend who is a great communicator loves to fasten his notes in his bible so that he can preach without notes. The problem is when he reads quotes from non biblical sources. I think this is a really bad idea especially when there are seekers in the audience who are not up on the what the bible really says. Hiding your notes can be bad idea. Just admit it, you need to look at notes. Don’t let pride cause the scriptures to say things that they were never intended to say.
Craig,
1.) Prayer- How much time of your message preperation do you spend in Prayer with the LORD seeking His heart?
2.) Is Prayer where you find that Jesus burdens your heart for certain things your church needs to hear or is their another meathod used to determine what Lifechurch.tv needs.
3.) Do you find that you read the Bible with the intentions of creating a message, or do you just read it, spend time in prayer, and create the message afterwards?
Thanks,
Hello,
We run a church in Costa Rica and our outreach is rather hindered by the language barrier (Spanish). I was wondering if there is any way to obtain Spanish subtitles for your messages?
Bendiciones,
Jodi
Craig,
I’m curious what your process is for coming up with new ideas. Basically, do you and your staff regularly get together to brainstorm on new ideas, or does something just get thrown around when it comes up? Also, if you had to estimate, how many ideas in the area of innovation would you say don’t come to fruition for every one that does?
A few people have asked this, but I’d also like to know what resources you use, e.g., greek/hebrew dictionaries, concordances, study bibles and any other tools that you find useful.
I’m not sure if you use a Mac or PC (personally I use a Mac). Just wondering what software (if any) do you find useful when studying the bible.
Two more questions:
1. When you study the Bible, and prepare for a message, do you use a computer, or just the Bible itself? (there are a new breed of emerging church pastors who are canning the laptop use during sermon preparation and only using the real Bible)
2. Do you come up with a series idea first, and then prepare messages within that series, or prepare messages you think your people need to hear, and then fit that in with a series? Some think that doing it the first way (series first, then message) constricts you in some way, shape or form. What are your thoughts?
How do you get away with edgy topics and the church board still approving?
Craig,
I just finished reading a book, “An Emergent Manifesto of Hope.” Sally Morgenthaler wrote a chapter called “Leadership in the Flattened World: Grassroots Culture and the Demise of the CEO Model.” This past Saturday I blogged that I would be very interested to hear your reaction to her chapter and her argument that leadership in the church needs to be more collaborative and less top down, but that most large churches are missing this part of the culture shift, and continue to be as top down in their leadership style as ever.
So, I know it is a longshot that you would actually have the time and inclination to read the chapter and then comment on it, but I would be very interested to hear your reaction if you do have the time and desire.
Blessings,
Kevin
One more question, somewhat related to Jeremy’s:
Do you always prepare a message right before you give it, or will you ever come up with a message, prepare it, and then table it until a later date where it may fit into a series better?
Craig,
Some of the sex ed videos were close to crossing the line, what is your line at Lifechurch.tv and do you ever think after you do a message, maybe that was a bit closer than we thought. Just wondering how you determine appropriateness.
1. Who designs and creates your graphics (and your videos, for that matter)?
2. How much lead time do you get / give in order to have applicable visuals like that? I’m full time at my church, and that’s a big part of my job, but I don’t always get info I need as early as I’d like. (Not complaining — just curious, and stating the facts!)
3. Is your graphics person (and/or videographer) involved in the creative process at all or is a big idea simply handed over to them? (If so, how much detail is given and how far in advance what kind of limitations / stipulations are attached?)
I am really scared to preach, but something inside tells me I love to. So my question, which is similar to ones already asked, with the intent of making sure you notice it, is:
1. How do you come up with a sermon/message - what’s the process, how much time do you put into it, how much prayer etc.
Thanks & God Bless =]
I think we need a complete timeline, form the initial idea of a series through its presentation and even after when you go over what worked and what didn’t. The basics on putting a message together would be awesome. All I know is three points and a poem, old school I know but it was how I was raised. But I would rather teach for life change not information. Maybe you could do a downloadable video series where you record all the meetings and processes involved and put them up for download. I know I would be willing to download and burn them to DVD’s and pass them out to the pastors in my area that need them. Thanks for all you do for the Kingdom.
Shawn
how much importance do you place on the preaching side of the ministry you serve in? practically speaking, do u place 20%, 50%, 80% of your overall success on the public speaking side of things?
Craig,
Each preacher has his “yoke.” How did you come up with yours? How do you take a stance on the issues that the bible may not be 100% clear on?
Rock on, bro!
Bill
Craig,
First, I love your communication style and how open you are. I respect that a lot.
Second, how do you determine good stories to tell in order to be “real” for your audience and using the “pulpit” as a personal confessional? Where do you draw the line on family stories you tell and not tell? I tend to be VERY open and I never want to say anything that would hurt my wife or confess something that would make my wife uncomfortable. I guess how do you determine how much is too much?
Thanks,
Dan
You stated recently that your “personal world has changed dramatically in the last 6 months”. What was this change and what effect has it had on your preaching and communication?
Greetings,
My name is Isaac Possible. How old where you when you recived your call to ministry.Or if you didn’t receive a call, what motivated you to persue a career in ministry?
its good to discuss issues of preaching