Martin Luther — What Makes a Good Preacher?

According to Luther, the good preacher should:

1. Teach systematically

2. Have a ready wit

3. Be eloquent

4. Have a good voice

5. Have a good memory

6. Know when to make an end

7. Be sure of his doctrine

8. Venture and engage body and blood, wealth and honour, in the Word

9. Suffer himself to be mocked and jeered of every one

this information is Taken from john stott’s text on homiletics, between two worlds: the challenge of praching today

For more about sermons and preaching see these posts:

Letters to My Students Vol. 1: On Preaching by Jason K. Allen–Book Review

Preaching By The Book – A Book Review

What Makes a Great Sermon?

A New Way to Study

Recently I learned about a new way to study a passage of Scripture. The pastor of the church I attended that week described it in his sermon. It was an approach he learned it in his homiletics (the process of writing and delivering sermons) class. After reading the section, ask yourself these four questions:

1. What is the central teaching of this passage?
2. What is the flaw in human nature (i.e. sin) described?
3. What is the goal of God in your life concerning this flaw?
4. What means of overcoming the flaw does God offer?

There may be more than one answer to each question, depending upon the length of the reading. You can choose to focus on just one, or list more than one. Sometimes the answers will be obvious, other times you may have to think and pray because the answer is more subtle. What a great suggestion for journaling if you read a portion of Scripture every day! I plan to try it soon, and hopefully will post some of my results. I would be interested to hear about the experiences of others who might want to use this method.

Of course, we Lutherans know that every good sermon contains both law and gospel, so be sure to check your work against this criteria!

For more about sermons see these posts:

Sins and Sermons

What Makes a Great Sermon?

Preaching By The Book – A Book Review