Preaching QNA: Part 2b
Sermon Preparation (continued)
Throughout the preparation process, I work with my assistant, Sarah, and my video guy, Mark.
We ask ourselves: “Is there any way we can make these thoughts ’sticky’?” We want people to remember them. Sometimes it might be with a video. Other times a story. Sometimes it’s opening up the deeper meaning to a word.
As the message is maturing, I’ll invite two or three different people into my office at a time. I’ll do this with as many as four different groups. I’ll talk through the message with them to find out:
1) Am I assuming too much at any point?
2) Am I losing you at any point?
3) Am I covering details that don’t matter to you?
4) What will you remember?
5) What else do you want to tell me that I haven’t asked?
This whole process of preparation for me takes as little as eight hours and as much as twelve. I force myself not to work too much on a message. The more I work, the more “fixed” the message becomes. I like to leave “flexibility” in a message. When it’s flexible, it gives the Holy Spirit more room to work as I’m presenting it.
Toward the end of the process, I always “edit out” information. Less is more. What is so important to me often isn’t important to others.
Some will ask about videos. We do all our videos the week of the message. A normal week looks like this:
- Three hours or so of message prep on Monday.
- Six hours or so on Tuesday. This is the day we talk about possible videos. We might shoot on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
- Finishing touches on Wednesday. We might shoot a video or two here. I turn in the message notes by noon or so on Wednesday.
- On Wednesday and Thursday, I’ll start thinking about the upcoming week between all the other things I’m doing.
- I won’t touch the message again until Saturday before preaching.
To me, because the message is so important, it is the top priority of the week. I’m mostly unavailable to everyone until Wednesday at noon.
Visit 
With the church you lead being a multiexperience/multicampus church, I know your messages are strictly limited to time. How does that affect your preparation? Are you sometimes frustrated that you don’t have MORE time to give a message?
Also with the multiexperience church, is it important to you to give the same message at all experiences with little deviation?
Have you ever had the feeling, after handing in your message notes at Noon on Wednesday, that you and your team have totally missed it and decide to quickly regroup? How do you prepare for that? What if God inspires with something different on Thursday, Friday or before you hit the stage Saturday?
Eric,
Great questions.
I’m not frustrated by the time limitation. It forces me to keep the message tight and focused on the most important things.
You asked about the importance of giving the same message without deviation. I like a little deviation. Sometimes I feel like the Holy Spirit gives me something at one experience that is different from the others.
In eleven years at Life, I’ve only trashed one message after the notes were in. I honestly believe God is speaking to me by Wednesday.
Thanks for the thoughtful questions.
When you aren’t there, Craig, how do you determine who speaks in your absence? Do you just semi-randomly appoint one of the campus pastors to speak on a given topic on a given week, or is it more that one of them comes to you asking to speak on a topic (within the bounds of the series that is already planned) that is of particular interest to them?
I prayerfully select a campus pastor or a district campus pastor. If we’re working in a series, I pray about who would be best to speak on a topic or text.
Two weeks ago, all twelve campus pastors spoke to their campus. They all did awesome!
In the past, I have wondered that myself Eric (“with our church’s tight timelines, how could we possibly move with the Spirit of God?â€?). The great thing is that Craig preaches from the WORD of God and it is active and alive (Jer. 1:12 says that He watches over His word to perform it).
I saw the proof of this at Lifestock. Hundreds of people including complete families (moms, dads, kids, grandparents, aunts, etc.), singles, and handicapped (mentally and physically), adults and children were baptized. Now, that is the fruit of the Word and Spirit of God.
His Word never returns void – prepared in advance or impromptu by the Spirit.
Wow Craig. I can’t believe your heart to help people. Even in my small piece of the world, I find it hard to always do the second mile, but on a late night sermon prep I run into your blog, hoping to plagarize something and you go and inspire me and reminded me why I like you so much. I shook your hand once at a leadership conference at Gerald Brooks place..I’m not one of those OMG he touched me or can I get his autograph (I mean who needs a name on a piece of paper). But I knew that day I was shaking hands with greatness…not because of the incredible preacher dude (though you can bring it man), but the incredible humility and transparency inside of him.
I better get back to work…;o)
I pray for you bro while I cheer you on. Stay bold, stay pure. I believe in you.
Rob,
Your words are WAY too generous. I pray God blesses your preaching and that God-through-you transforms many lives!
Craig,
Can you elaborate on the number of media (video, audio, lighting, editing, etc.) guys that work on your videos during a week and how many hours they spend on those week to week videos compared to sermon series openers or other non sermon roll-in videos?
I think it’d be helpful for many pastors to understand that they can have their media quick, good or cheap - and that they can only pick any two (quick and good = not cheap; quick and cheap = not good; cheap and good = not quick) at a time.
Thanks,
Anthony
Anthony,
I’m not sure what you’re looking for. We do have quite a few team members doing video/audio/lighting etc. I’m not sure how many.
The only part I know much about is the video end. I work with one guy. We might spend 30 minutes to an hour planning a video. It might take us an hour to shoot it. Then he might spend a half day editing.
He is one of the best and fasted I’ve ever seen.
If you want more details, I can ask someone who knows more to help provide information.
As a video guy myself, I have to wonder the same thing as Anthony. Video support of messages is often a lengthy process, and I find it surprising that you have your creative team make it happen week to week with a few days’ notice. Sometimes, for example, the best video approach calls for an interview with someone who simply can’t interview without some notice, or perhaps not until the weekend. If you need it Saturday night, that’s challenging to pull off with excellence. (I’m assuming that this is where Anthony was going with his staffing questions)
Some church media consultant we hired once (*cough* Anthony *cough*) gave me the impression that this couldn’t happen week to week with great quality without a significant expense. That is, if you want it fast and good, it won’t be cheap. In your case, I’m sure that means that you have several great tech guys on staff consistently working hard behind the scenes.
How much better would the messages be if the media creators were involved in the process with more than a week’s notice? It might be worth asking Mark.
Anthony said:
“I think it’d be helpful for many pastors to understand that they can have their media quick, good or cheap - and that they can only pick any two (quick and good = not cheap; quick and cheap = not good; cheap and good = not quick) at a time.”
I must say, I STRONGLY disagree with this viewpoint. I believe it is possible to find all a person capable of doing all three very well. The problem I see is two-fold. Most churches have no clue how to find these people and most of these video producers don’t know which churches are looking for them. I know from personal experience there are talented video producers who would love to make God their passion and create videos for churches, but they have problems finding the churches that are willing to utilize them.
Thanks Craig. It’s interesting that I not only learn from you and others about preaching but also about organizing my time. Thanks for this.
PS. Rob phrased it well: [I'm continually reminded] why I like you so much.
May God bless you and your family.
Marcin,
Thanks for the encouragement. May God bless you and yours as well.
[...] LifeChurch.tv’s Craig Groeschel mentions the Life Church process of creating videos as part of his weekly sermon preparation. [...]
Craig, Chris and Shadowette:
There are ways to do simple videos in a week-to-week fashion and do it with great quality. But, as an example, I’d be interested to know about the total number of people and man-hours used to make the videos used in “Satan’s Sex Ed”. Something tells me those took more than one guy and a half day of editing. :)
That kind of quality takes time: pre-production (scripting, set-up, props, costumes, etc), production (shooting, audio [sound track], lighting) and post production (graphics, animations, editing, etc.).
Craig, can you ask your guys to comment on here about that particular set of videos? Thanks for sharing with us your heart and your time!
- Anthony
Anthony,
I’ll have someone from the video team answer your question.
Craig
Hey Guys. I’ve been enjoying the thread of conversation about video. I love video and what it can do. It’s about story telling not (just a video). If it’s better as a video roll-in to the sermon…do it. If it’s better from the stage do that. Here at Lifechurch.tv most of the people see the sermon on video anyway. So we might as well shoot and produce it. I come from a news background (16 years) so cranking this out is not a major issue. It can be done with quality. With the right person.
Answering a couple of questions. Yep it took about 30 minutes of shooting for the devil video and about 30 minutes to 1 hour to edit. Music and everything. What you can’t put a clock on is laying awake in bed thinking about what that will look like. You guys know what I mean. The shoot and editing was the execution of all that.
Craig and I really don’t have a script or script writers. We have an outline in our head. Craig thinks content I think what’s this gonna look like.
God is changing the way you share his word. Keep it up.