* * * T H E P R E A C H E R ' S S T U D Y * * *
U P D A T E & E Z I N E
"Helping Busy Preachers Become Better Preachers"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://preacherstudy.com
First Tuesday of October, 1999
Subscribe free on the web at:
http://preacherstudy.com/maillist.htm
If you don't have Web access write to:
subscribe_ezine@preacherstudy.com
[Your email address will be kept fully confidential
and will never be sold to given to anyone.]
Published the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month
or whenever we update the Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In This Issue:
[1] Greetings!
[2] Featured Article: "How To Begin And Benefit From A Sermon Study Group"
(Part 1 of 2)
[3] Important Preacher's Study Website Updates
[4] Contact Info
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[1] ***Greetings!***
Welcome to the new and improved Preacher's Study Update. Note the slight
name change. It is now called, The Preacher's Study Update & Ezine. The "&
Ezine" part indicates that I will be including articles on preaching in
the midst of the update news for the Website. I will move from the once
weekly publication schedule to a twice-a-month frequency. This will
continue to be a free mailing that will be linked solidly to the website
but will also contain enough content to make it worthwhile even to those
who don't have web access.
Like many of you, I preach in a real church to real people every Sunday,
sometimes as often as 100 times per year. I've been doing so for over 22
years. In that time I have learned a few things I believe are worth
passing along. I'm also in touch with others who can help. It is
therefore, my intent to provide my readers with helpful articles, tips,
and items of interest pertinent to preaching in each issue, starting with
this one.
This first "improved" issue contains Part 1 of a recently written piece of
my own called, "How To Begin And Benefit From A Sermon Study Group". I
find that many of the regular readers of my website either haven't heard
of this method or haven't tried it. Give it a read and see what you think.
It works for me - very well. Email me if have had experiences with this
method that you would like to share at:
editor@preacherstudy.com
If you know someone who might also benefit from this mailing, please
forward it to them (only in its entirety). It's totally free and my intent
is to keep it that way, though its contents are copyrighted and cannot be
reproduced in any form other than this complete ezine. If you wish to be
removed from my mailing list, unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom
of this and every issue.
Before I turn you loose on the article below, allow me to invite you to
visit The Preacher's Study if you haven't recently. Now 3 1/2 years on the
web, it is still at:
http://preacherstudy.com
An explanation of recent changes is at the bottom of this ezine.
[2] ***Featured Article***
"How To Begin And Benefit From A Sermon Study Group" (Part 1 of 2 parts)
by Dave Redick
Can a committee write a sermon? Knowing the proverbial bad reputation of
committees, one might have doubts. Those who view sermon preparation as a
solitary endeavor might understandably say "no," but experience has shown
me that some things normally done by one person can, on occasion, be
improved by the cooperation of two or more. Solomon stated it better than
I can: "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their
labor." (Ecclesiastes 4:9 -NAS) This can be the case in the preparation of
sermons.
I got my first taste of sermon study group preparation several years ago
when I was invited to take part in one organized by several Eugene, Oregon
ministers. I didn't know what to expect at first, but the prospect of
having lunch with other preachers to discuss sermon preparation quickly
convinced me to make the 45-minute drive to the restaurant they had
selected for the meeting. I wasn't disappointed. What followed was a rich
experience that challenged my preaching skills and deepened my
relationship with three other men of like faith.
The catalyst for our group was a mutual friend's contact with Bob Russell,
minister of the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. Bob has been
using this method for quite some time and actively encourages others to
try it.
In a sermon study group you get together to well... study. More
accurately, you gather to share the fruit of studying a mutually agreed
upon passage or theme of Scripture. The group doesn't prepare your sermons
for you but you all share research, insights, and ideas.
*Benefits*
The benefit that I noticed immediately with my first group experience was
the fellowship that developed. Since all members share the common task of
preaching week after week there is plenty of common ground even if you
don't know each other prior to your first meeting. When our first group
started, several of us knew one another by acquaintance but little more.
When we finished our first series (six messages from the first six
chapters of Daniel) we were thoroughly tuned in to each other's lives and
aspirations.
A second benefit soon noticeable in such a group is the intellectual and
spiritual stimulation each group member receives. While there are many
aspects of ministry to challenge us, often we must attend seminars and
conferences outside our regular weekly duties to be challenged on the
level of leadership. Here is something that can provide such stimulus
right in your own back yard. This benefit comes both from the input of the
others and from the heightened responsibility of sharing in the context of
those at or above your own level.
Sharpened homiletic skill is a third benefit. I didn't spend as much time
carefully crafting the main divisions of my messages until I met a certain
servant of Jesus Christ who always showed up in the meetings with his
worn, brown-covered copy or Roget's Thesaurus. He had a special gift for
making his talking points concise, precise, and memorable.
Fourthly there is often an opportunity to mentor or be mentored in such a
group. I'm nearly 50 and my current study group contains several ministers
who are Gen-X guys. These young men are eager to learn from anyone with
more experience. It is a golden opportunity to model the things I consider
important in preaching. Dedication to the expository method, need to
connect with hearers, and constant application of what I call the "so
what?" factor (after they hear your sermon, so what?) copy well in such a
hands-on context. Helping these guys along in ministry is intensely
gratifying.
A fifth benefit is the friendship and support that develops. As trust
builds, more intimate issues are naturally shared with the group. Mutual
prayer and concern for one another's ministries seem to develop nearly on
their own in such an environment.
Finally, you'll seldom leave a meeting without a file folder stuffed with
useful material. Expositions, outlines, illustrations, insights, gathered
all week by you and the other members - it's like having your own
professional research team. Even though I cannot use all of this material
in my Sunday sermon, I carefully file it for future reference when there
is call to deal with the issues raised in a different context.
You have to study anyway. Why not take a little extra time to pool your
resources and effort. You'll be a better preacher for it.
<<TO BE CONTINUED...>>
(Next Time: Part 2: "Methods and Group Killers"
(c) The Preacher's Study, 1999. All Rights Reserved. Reprint by author's
permission only. You may forward this entire Ezine to friends freely but
please don't cut and paste this article. Thanks.)
[3]***Website Update***
The Preacher's Study Website has undergone a major redesign. Effective
immediately I am shifting from the shareware/registration based system to
an annual subscription based mode. A number of readers have requested this
as it is much more economical for regular users. (The shareware price has
been $2 per sermon. A one year subscription to the new Premium Area will
bring that price down to less than 16 cents per message!) While I know
this won't make everyone happy, especially those who use the material but
never register :-( but it should benefit the majority of my readers.
Please don't send me hate mail if you don't agree. :-) Subscribers will
have immediate access to the nearly 200 full text sermons on the site,
along with new messages posted regularly throughout the year. I am also
offering an annual sermon-a-week email subscription for those who don't
have web access. There will continue to be a substantial free area for
viewing, reading, and downloading.
For a full description go to:
http://preacherstudy.com/subinfo.htm
God bless,
Dave Redick
[4] ***Contact Info***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Preacher's Study Website And Ezine
http://preacherstudy.com
"Making Busy Preachers Better Preachers"
Email: editor@preacherstudy.com
To subscribe to this Ezine go to:
http://preacherstudy.com/maillist.htm
US Mail:
The Preacher's Study
1470 Westwood Lane
Sweet Home, OR 97386
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|