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Inductive Preaching: Helping People Listen
"I spend hours in my study and on my knees preparing sermons, but when I preach them no one listens. What's wrong? Why aren't I getting through? Why do I see blank stares, daydream reveries, nodding heads as soon as I open my mouth to preach? I know my messages are biblically sound. I'm sure I'm preaching what God has laid on my heart. But it's not being received. What's wrong? What can I do?" Sound familiar? If you're a preacher, you probably know the feeling. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can learn to preach in a way that will be readily, even eagerly, received by your congregation. It's all what inductive preaching is, how it works, why it's effective, who's used it―including Jesus, Peter, Paul, Augustine, St. Francis, Wesley, Edwards, and Moody, to name only a few. Also included * Step-by-step guidelines for constructing an inductive sermon * Two sample inductive sermons * A list of 96 inductive preachers from 20 centuries * A strategy for making traditional sermon structures inductive * A checklist of inductive characteristics. The principles in this book can dramatically increase your sermon effectiveness―turn apathy into involvement, make listeners out of the listless. Inductive preaching is preaching that works!
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First published August 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 9, 2023
Don’t buy this book
I own many books on preaching, but this is one of the worst.
The focus is not Christ, but people; felt needs, not repentance and faith.
The author wants us to use parables like Jesus did, tell a story. All well and good, but not at the expense of expository preaching! Jesus used parables both to guide people into faith, and to hide truth from those with hard hearts.
Not even Jesus won all his disciples to faith (think Judas). Not even Paul won the hearts of all his listeners, remember he was beaten, whipped, stoned, and reviled by certain of his hearers. He had their attention, and rejected both him and his message.
As long as we focus on keeping people’s attention, and not on the Word of God, we will neither win their hearts nor their ears.
I own many books on preaching, but this is one of the worst.
The focus is not Christ, but people; felt needs, not repentance and faith.
The author wants us to use parables like Jesus did, tell a story. All well and good, but not at the expense of expository preaching! Jesus used parables both to guide people into faith, and to hide truth from those with hard hearts.
Not even Jesus won all his disciples to faith (think Judas). Not even Paul won the hearts of all his listeners, remember he was beaten, whipped, stoned, and reviled by certain of his hearers. He had their attention, and rejected both him and his message.
As long as we focus on keeping people’s attention, and not on the Word of God, we will neither win their hearts nor their ears.
October 5, 2020
The author's explaination/examination of inductive preaching was helpful. I also appreciated His various techniques for drawing his audience in, inductively. As for the messages themselves.... They left a bit to be desired.
June 24, 2021
Decent. I got it on sale as an ebook from Crossway. I wish they spent more time teasing out the combined inductive/deductive approach to sermonizing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews