The Elements of Preaching

Quite some time ago one my my accidental mentors, John Koessler (God Our Father) told a classroom full of future pastors to read at least one preaching book every year. Having found this one, I took it's format as a sort of modified devotional and powered through it in just a few weeks. I could have read it in one afternoon but I found it pithy enough to cause some genuine reflection on my own preaching. True to it's name, the layout of the book is not a well developed or convoluted argument. Rather it is a collection of 42 brief (1 paragraph to one page) preaching aphorisms. Here are a few very brief sentences culled out for my own benefit. * The pulpit is no place for borrowed blessings. * "You can never make a sermon what it ought to be," said Phillips Brooks, "if you consider it alone. The service that accompanies it, the prayer and praise, must have their influence upon it" * When the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind; and when the preacher does not know what he is trying to accomplish in his message, no service is a good service. * Are you preaching because you have to say something, or because you have something to say? Some books which read this quickly are like soup broth - they might taste good but they won't fill you up at all. This one rates as a wonderfully balanced stew. It's a quick read and yet it's definitely got a fair bit of meat in it. This one will end up on my reading list more than once.

If you are a preacher, buy this book!! I plan on reading it once a year. It helps you look at your preaching more objectively, and will be helpful whether you've been preaching 1 year or 71 years!

THis is an excellent book to give to a new pastor to read. It is also an excellent book for veteran pastors to review over and over. Wiersbe keeps the focus of the pastor on the essentials of good, solid Biblical preaching. Easy to read and full of good reminders and advice.

This book is a must for anyone interested in preaching and having people listen. The author has packed all the do's and don'ts in without wasting words. The book can be read and understood in a few hours so that you can begin to use the information immediately and it is information that you will want to use. I highly recommend this book to anyone from the soapbox preacher to the mega-church pastor.