A SHORT COURSE ON HOMILETICS

Jerry Smith, PhD

Missionary Pastor-Teacher

Faith Missionary Church, TN USA

MINISTRY ESSENTIALS TRAINING

Think of a great preacher

What makes/made him a GREAT preacher?

Think of a bad preacher

What makes/made him a BAD preacher?

What is homiletics?

• The art of preaching (in the Bible)

• The art of giving sermons (not inthe Bible)

Public speaking with a spiritual purpose

Working VocabularySermon : (church service) an address of a religious

nature (usually delivered during a church service);an instructive lesson from the Bible; a discourse

Preaching : <euaggelizo> to announce good news("evangelize") especially the gospel: declare, bring(declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (thegospel); to proclaim

Public Speaking : Delivering an address or message toa public audience; speaking to an audience in public

1. What is happening in churches?

1. Boring speakers

I can’t wait till this guy is finished!

2. Unprepared speakers

Uhh, uhhmm …

3. Long-winded speakers

What time is it? How much longer is this guy gonna speak!

2. What is happening in churches?

4. Men’s words instead of God’s words

Quoting from books instead of meditation

5. Christ-less messages

Where is the Lord in this message?

6. Good morals and emotional appeals

Sounds good, feels good, makes me cry

3. What is happening in churches?

7. Hermeneutically unsound speakers

That’s not what the Bible says!

8. Speaking without knowledge / experience

I read it in a book!

9. Speaking without a point / telling stories

What are you saying?

4. What is happening in churches?

10. Lofty theological terms

Huh?

11. Greek and Hebrew lessons

So, what does it say in English!?

12. Not filled with the Spirit

I’m shy …

A Study of Teaching in Churches

A Qualitative Study Of Deviations From ‘Christ Ed’ In Eight Local Christian Churches In Cavite,

Philippines

Questions answered in the study:

1. Are local church teachers centering on the LordJesus Christ in their teaching?

2. Are local church teachers basing their lessonson the Word of Christ?

3. Are local church teachers followingpedagogical practices?

*Pedagogy : principles and methods of instruction

Major findings resulted from the study:

1. Churches A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H were foundto be teaching lessons which deviated fromthe Lord Jesus Christ as the central focus

2. Churches A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H were foundto be deviating from known pedagogicalpractices that are conducive to learning:

*Deviate : to take a detour from

Conclusions of the study

1. Spiritual teachers should center their lessonson the Lord Jesus Christ …

2. Spiritual teachers should remove elementsand practices which were non-conducive tolearning and incorporate pedagogical practiceswhich were conducive to learning.

*Non-conducive : Not good for

Recommendations of The Study

1. Spiritual teachers of churches B, D, C, E, F, G, and H should center their teaching on the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Spiritual teachers of churches A, B, C, D, E, F, G,and H should study the Bible more ...

13. Spiritual teachers of churches A, B, C, D, E, F, G,and H should study modern pedagogical practicesin order to enhance the learning experience of thelearners

18. Spiritual teachers of churches A, C, D, E,F, and H should practice a variety ofteaching methods apart from lecturemethod only …

19. Spiritual teachers of churches A, C, D, E,F, G, and H should limit their lessons to lessthan one hour …

What does it mean to PREACH?

To preach means to proclaim

Proclaim what?

good news / glad tidings

How do I know? The Bible tells me so.

Romans 10:15

And how shall they preach, exceptthey be sent? as it is written, Howbeautiful are the feet of themthat preach the gospel of peace,and bring glad tidings of goodthings!

What does it mean to PREACH in the BIBLE?

Preach the GOSPEL

Preach CHRIST

Preach the WORD

In this course we will cover:

1. What it means to:– Preach the Gospel

– Preach Christ

– Preach the Word

– Preach from Overflow

2. How to:– Prepare a message

– Deliver a message

3. God’s design

4. Practicum