Sermons

[ZiSunka]

Which would you prefer?

A traditional three-point, half-hour sermon,

or

a sermon with one major point and a lot of Bible verses and references to back up that one point, that lasts maybe 10 to 15 minutes?

[Gold Dragon]

I always find references to three-point sermons funny. :)

Limited to those two options above, I would choose the longer sermon where you would explain the application of the verses and references you used in the context of the lives of your audience instead of a shorter sermon where you simply list verses and references.

Cheers.

[ZiSunka]

Hmm...maybe I didn't explain the choices well. The longer sermon is the regular sermon where the preacher has three major points and expounds on them with examples from life, Bible verses and observations of his own.

The shorter sermon is not just a list of verses, it is totally different. The preacher sticks to one topic only, and teaches that topic using Bible passages and such, but he only talks for a few minutes, making his point quickly, then ending the sermon.

Which do you think you would learn more from? One point per sermon, or the traditional three?

How often do you find that you can apply your pastor's sermon to your life? Every week? Once in a while?

The reason I ask is I just read an article about sermons. This article researched how people learn from sermons. It said that their research showed that few people actually learn from three-point sermons. They defined learning in terms of making permanent application to your life. So, few people make application to their lives from the traditional sermon.

But they also tested learning from one-point sermons and found that people learned and applied one-point sermons five time as often. They were learning at a 500% rate compared the longer, more rambling sermons.

Pastors also reported that they enjoyed the shorter sermons more and found it easier to teach a one-point sermon than a three-point. They said they usually found that people stopped listening after the first point anyway, and had to raise their voices or do some other dramatic technique to regain the people's attention for the second and third points.

Th research also tested people on what they remembered from the different kinds of sermons. With the 3-point, 100% of the people had totally lost any memory of the sermon by Wednesday, but with the 1-point, 68% of the people had recall of the sermon.

That's why I'm asking this question.

Would you rather have learning in small, digestable bites, or in a smorgasboard?

[Gold Dragon]

I would tend to agree with the research. Although I don't know if 10 minutes would do justice to any point. I think 15-30 minutes is a good time range.

Even in any three point sermon, there is usually an underlying point that joins the three points. The only change I see necessary is de-emphasize breaking your primary point into three subpoints. You can still talk about all three points, but focus on presenting the primary point and how everything relates to that one point.

[ZiSunka]

It put me in mind of a really cool old book I have called, "100 Three-minute Sermons." Each sermon is two pages long and takes about three minutes to read. I think I get as much out of those 3-minute jobs as I do from any 45-minute sermon! In fact, I know I remember them better.

[eldermike]

There are two basic styles of preaching. Expository and Topical. I like Expository which is essentially preaching the Bible itself for the purpose of teaching the meaning of scripture. People who hear expository preaching on a regular basis tend to understand scripture.

Topical preaching simply applies scripture to some topic, such as marriage, or serving in the church, or tithing. I have heard some really good topical speakers but many don't use this properly and tend to focus on negatives. People who hear a lot of topical sermons tend to know alot about certain topics but they get lost in all the movement required in scripture to support the points within a given topic.

A mixture of the two is intresting to me and is my natural teaching style. I personally don't think a scripture should be read to support a point, it should be read to understand it's Holy intended message. But a point can be made from that message supporting a topic but the topic has to be secondary to teaching scripture.

So, from your list I choose number 1 even though both are topical choices.

Mike

[ZiSunka]

I think most sermons preached in the US today are topical. In my whole 16 years as a Christian, I have only heard an expository sermon once, and that was at a Beachy Amish church meeting.

[costlygrace]

My preference is a Spirit-filled sermon! One that lasts as long or short a time as the Holy Spirit wants it to, and comunicates exactly what He wants communicated then and there. There is simply no substitute.

[Gold Dragon]

There are two basic styles of preaching. Expository and Topical. I like Expository which is essentially preaching the Bible itself for the purpose of teaching the meaning of scripture. People who hear expository preaching on a regular basis tend to understand scripture.

Topical preaching simply applies scripture to some topic, such as marriage, or serving in the church, or tithing. I have heard some really good topical speakers but many don't use this properly and tend to focus on negatives. People who hear a lot of topical sermons tend to know alot about certain topics but they get lost in all the movement required in scripture to support the points within a given topic.

A mixture of the two is intresting to me and is my natural teaching style. I personally don't think a scripture should be read to support a point, it should be read to understand it's Holy intended message. But a point can be made from that message supporting a topic but the topic has to be secondary to teaching scripture.

So, from your list I choose number 1 even though both are topical choices.

Mike
It is possible to preach a 1 point expository sermon. Pick a passage to preach on and be sure to read and talk about the entire passage. However, distill the entire passage to one key overall point and throughout your exposition and application, remember to continually relate to your primary point.

[eldermike]

It is possible to preach a 1 point expository sermon. Pick a passage to preach on and be sure to read and talk about the entire passage. However, distill the entire passage to one key overall point and throughout your exposition and application, remember to continually relate to your primary point.
I agree.

I think we are paying a price in the baptist church with so much topical preaching. In my small group I find a hunger for what God's word has to offer and the topics flow out from just reading the word of God. What do others think?

[ZiSunka]

I'd love it if our pastor would read the scriptures and explain them, but that NEVER happens. Like I said, in 16 years, all I've heard is sermons made up of cute stories and observations, with a little scripture thrown in to support the points. It's like modern American devotionals. They all have one verse of scripture, then an amusing, interesting or exciting ancedote with a loose connection to the theme of the scripture. I'd love to have a devotional that actually explained scripture, rather than just entertain for a moment.

[Gold Dragon]

Agreed. We are very topical too. My small group is starting a new session and I'm going to suggest that we try not to make it topical or a book study but instead simply reading and studying more of the Bible.

[ZiSunka]

Agreed. We are very topical too. My small group is starting a new session and I'm going to suggest that we try not to make it topical or a book study but instead simply reading and studying more of the Bible.
We used to do that in a Bible study I was in in Cleveland, and I LOVED it! We'd pick a book of the Bible, read every verse, discuss what we read, consult commentaries when we needed to and it was great! I never missed a session because Bible study was so exciting and enlightening that way!

[eldermike]

We used to do that in a Bible study I was in in Cleveland, and I LOVED it! We'd pick a book of the Bible, read every verse, discuss what we read, consult commentaries when we needed to and it was great! I never missed a session because Bible study was so exciting and enlightening that way!
That is the only method my small group uses. We are a small group church, no sunday school, and my small group is the only bible study group and it's getting very large.