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Preach: Theology Meets Practice
Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and president of 9Marks, is widely respected for his efforts to build biblically faithful churches in America that will impact the nations. In this book about one of the practical distinctives of that work, Dever and his former student Greg Gilbert offer a theological and practical guide emphasizing the centrality of expositional preaching -- sermons intentionally rooted in a specific Bible text.
Dever and Gilbert clearly explain how God exercises His divine power through the Word, making it the basis of any relationship we have with Him. Thus, preaching directly from Scripture should be at the center of church life. Toward that goal, the authors give practical advice on how pastors can decide what texts to preach on, how to prepare and outline their sermons, and how to deliver and review those presentations.
Pastors will especially appreciate the book’s final section: transcripts of past sermons from Dever and Gilbert augmented by insightful conversations between them about how each sermon was planned and whether or not is was effectively implemented.
Dever and Gilbert clearly explain how God exercises His divine power through the Word, making it the basis of any relationship we have with Him. Thus, preaching directly from Scripture should be at the center of church life. Toward that goal, the authors give practical advice on how pastors can decide what texts to preach on, how to prepare and outline their sermons, and how to deliver and review those presentations.
Pastors will especially appreciate the book’s final section: transcripts of past sermons from Dever and Gilbert augmented by insightful conversations between them about how each sermon was planned and whether or not is was effectively implemented.
227 pages, ebook
First published March 5, 2012
67 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Mark Dever
126 books327 followersMark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.
In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.
Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.
In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.
Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
September 2, 2023
A very good introduction to preaching. I think this might be the best first book to give to a new preacher.
March 30, 2024
I liked it. A good solid intro to biblical exposition.
The authors introduced me to a new concept of high-altitude preaching. Most of the time expository preaching takes a relatively short text, one verse at a time, hence, low altitude. But, high-altitude sermons treat bigger swaths of Scripture at a time. For example, Greg Gilbert included one of his sermon manuscripts in the book, and his text was Genesis 37-50. This high altitude approach is to back away from the details of a text and to consider the larger thrust of a book. It allows the weight and shape of a book to be discerned more readily. There are strengths and weaknesses to both, but it served as a new preaching thought for me.
The authors introduced me to a new concept of high-altitude preaching. Most of the time expository preaching takes a relatively short text, one verse at a time, hence, low altitude. But, high-altitude sermons treat bigger swaths of Scripture at a time. For example, Greg Gilbert included one of his sermon manuscripts in the book, and his text was Genesis 37-50. This high altitude approach is to back away from the details of a text and to consider the larger thrust of a book. It allows the weight and shape of a book to be discerned more readily. There are strengths and weaknesses to both, but it served as a new preaching thought for me.
March 6, 2015
Technically, this book offers nothing new to conservative preachers in regards to preaching and sermon prep. However, I was greatly interested in the critical process that takes place after sermons. I see the great benefit in having your peers help you become a better communicator of the Word.
November 29, 2018
Dever and Gilbert's vision of preaching
This is a helpful book of tips for improving preaching by Greg and Mark. I have a different vision of what pulpit ministry ought to be so this book wasn't to my liking, but I acknowledge it can be of help. It's a bit like what I imagine a crash course through their pastoral internship programs might be like. The easiest way to see if you'll gain from this book and listen to sermons from Greg Gilbert and Mark Dever to see if they're guys you'd want to pattern yourself after.
This is a helpful book of tips for improving preaching by Greg and Mark. I have a different vision of what pulpit ministry ought to be so this book wasn't to my liking, but I acknowledge it can be of help. It's a bit like what I imagine a crash course through their pastoral internship programs might be like. The easiest way to see if you'll gain from this book and listen to sermons from Greg Gilbert and Mark Dever to see if they're guys you'd want to pattern yourself after.
August 21, 2023
Not the most thorough guide on how to preach, but it gives you what you need to craft an exposition sermon. Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in Dever’s preaching wisdom. Even Gilbert’s suggestions have been largely influenced by Dever.
July 19, 2012
This is more like 3.5 stars. The book was good, but not great. Basic information on why preaching is important and how to prepare and deliver sermons. Of course, both of these men are better preachers than me, but that does not make the book great. There are better preaching books to dig into.
I felt like they wrote too much to large church situations where there are dozens of visitors/non-christians each week. What if I have the same basic set up week after week with occasional visitors? A lot of their suggestions would not work in mid range or smaller churches. Also their emphasis on evangelism during the Sunday sermon is misplaced.
The best part of the book, was also the most unique. They include a section on reviewing your sermons with other staff members. I do not have a staff, but I do have elders who could help review my sermons. And they actually critique one of each other's sermons in the book. This part was most beneficial to me.
I felt like they wrote too much to large church situations where there are dozens of visitors/non-christians each week. What if I have the same basic set up week after week with occasional visitors? A lot of their suggestions would not work in mid range or smaller churches. Also their emphasis on evangelism during the Sunday sermon is misplaced.
The best part of the book, was also the most unique. They include a section on reviewing your sermons with other staff members. I do not have a staff, but I do have elders who could help review my sermons. And they actually critique one of each other's sermons in the book. This part was most beneficial to me.
January 31, 2017
I love Mark Dever, I also love reading books on preaching, how we need help, but if you're going to add to the number of excellent volumes already available, then you really have to add something new or of significant value to the field to make it worth while. With the exception of the piece on sermon and service review carried out at Capitol Hill, I regret to say there was nothing new here. Come to think of it, that piece was covered pretty well in other 9 marks publications, so didn't even need to get into this one. Sorry guys.
June 10, 2015
Finished "Preach" this morning.
As a preacher and communicator, I have been enriched from reading and thinking about the various suggestions offered. And I truly believe my congregation will be blessed because I have spent time in "Preach."
I would recommend this book to any and all who stand before a congregation and proclaim God's Word.
As a preacher and communicator, I have been enriched from reading and thinking about the various suggestions offered. And I truly believe my congregation will be blessed because I have spent time in "Preach."
I would recommend this book to any and all who stand before a congregation and proclaim God's Word.
June 12, 2012
This book performs double duty. First, from a theological perspective, it defends the necessity of expository preaching. Second, it gives a helpful overview of how to prepare, deliver, and review sermons.
I found it to be an encouraging and helpful read!
I found it to be an encouraging and helpful read!
April 1, 2016
Great book! Dever always seems to make what he writes simple and very organized. This book will help me solidify things I already am doing in my preaching and has even given me some new things to try. This is the book I am going to have all of my students who want to learn how to preach read.
August 17, 2013
Assign this book to everyone in seminary who aspires to enter the pastorate. Very practical.
November 2, 2018
Seldom does any book stand as a definitive and exhaustive treatment of its subject. Looking for such a book is often a futile effort. Typically, the value of a book will lie in the way it fits into the gaps and contributes to a larger subject. That is why I think this book is so worthy of attention. It is certainly not an exhaustive treatment on preaching, nor a technical how-to in preparing and delivering sermons. It is a good practical discussion on preaching.
This book is particularly helpful in the realm of preaching application. Most preaching seems to be one of two extremes on application. Some preaching tries to be all application all the time and fails to preach the contextual meaning of passage. This results in very man-centered preaching, consoling and cementing people's natural tendency to think the Bible is primarily about them. Sitting under that sort of preaching over time will not mature a person in the faith, nor it will it increase their knowledge of God through what his word actually reveals about him.
The second extreme is either a sort of spiritual meditation out loud in front of people, or a mere doctrinal lecture that remains abstract and ultimately disconnected from real life. Even when true things are said with this method, it fails as any actual preaching of God's word. People are not matured in the faith, but are only entertained or intellectually stimulated.
When a preacher gets up to preach, he has two things primarily in front of him--the Bible and people. His job is to explain what the Bible says and means and then apply that to the actual lives of the actual people in front of him. This kind of preaching is founded first on an accurate explanation of the biblical passage and then a processing of its meaning to the real flesh and blood people in the seats. The preacher must first know what the passage means in its original context and then must work through what it means to unbelievers present, new believers present, mature believers present, the local church membership present, men present, women present, etc.
How many times have pastors been frustrated by poor attendance only to get up and preach against miss church and the poor attenders, true to form, are not there? Preachers have to think about who will be there and take care to preach to them. I could say more, but I highly recommend this book. Every preacher ought to read it, and he ought to start right away.
This book is particularly helpful in the realm of preaching application. Most preaching seems to be one of two extremes on application. Some preaching tries to be all application all the time and fails to preach the contextual meaning of passage. This results in very man-centered preaching, consoling and cementing people's natural tendency to think the Bible is primarily about them. Sitting under that sort of preaching over time will not mature a person in the faith, nor it will it increase their knowledge of God through what his word actually reveals about him.
The second extreme is either a sort of spiritual meditation out loud in front of people, or a mere doctrinal lecture that remains abstract and ultimately disconnected from real life. Even when true things are said with this method, it fails as any actual preaching of God's word. People are not matured in the faith, but are only entertained or intellectually stimulated.
When a preacher gets up to preach, he has two things primarily in front of him--the Bible and people. His job is to explain what the Bible says and means and then apply that to the actual lives of the actual people in front of him. This kind of preaching is founded first on an accurate explanation of the biblical passage and then a processing of its meaning to the real flesh and blood people in the seats. The preacher must first know what the passage means in its original context and then must work through what it means to unbelievers present, new believers present, mature believers present, the local church membership present, men present, women present, etc.
How many times have pastors been frustrated by poor attendance only to get up and preach against miss church and the poor attenders, true to form, are not there? Preachers have to think about who will be there and take care to preach to them. I could say more, but I highly recommend this book. Every preacher ought to read it, and he ought to start right away.
February 15, 2020
Dever & Gilbert wrote this book about preaching- why we do it and how to do it. The book has three sections: theology, practice and sermon transcripts. Theology is the why we do it and practice is how we do it. The sermon transcripts section, they took actual sermons of theirs and critiqued one another.
This book is definitely for pastors, particularly teaching pastors. I read it to keep evaluating whether I should move toward being a teaching pastor and to grow in an area where I need lots of help. Dever & Gilbert where inspiring in the theology section. I was compelled by each chapter on why we should preach. I'd summarize them as: we preach because God has spoken...we preach because God's Word has power...we preach the meaning God has given...we preach so people change. Now I would say, I wanted something more on "why" we preach. I thought they'd treat it more directly from Scripture but instead treated it more generally with big themes from Scripture.
The section of how we do preaching was pretty helpful to see how they do it. My pastor has walked me through his way of preparing and my father (a pastor) has done the same. To see it from a third perspective was helpful. I found it much simpler than Chappell's approach in Christ-Centered Preaching and I appreciated that. It's hard for me to work through someone else's approach exactly- can feel rigid and constricting at times. That being said, having two authors showed they approach it slightly differently too. I found that freeing and helpful.
Lastly the transcript section was pretty cool. I am regularly impressed by Dever's church structure and humility. He meets with a group of people (including young interns) to evaluate his sermon every week. And he and Gilbert's transcripts paused for them to give one another feedback and encouragement. Reviewing the sermon chapter includes how to give encouragement and constructive criticism and it was a fantastic summary. Overall, I liked this book for its simplicity and structure. For a young pastor still very much learning how to preach, this was a helpful book.
This book is definitely for pastors, particularly teaching pastors. I read it to keep evaluating whether I should move toward being a teaching pastor and to grow in an area where I need lots of help. Dever & Gilbert where inspiring in the theology section. I was compelled by each chapter on why we should preach. I'd summarize them as: we preach because God has spoken...we preach because God's Word has power...we preach the meaning God has given...we preach so people change. Now I would say, I wanted something more on "why" we preach. I thought they'd treat it more directly from Scripture but instead treated it more generally with big themes from Scripture.
The section of how we do preaching was pretty helpful to see how they do it. My pastor has walked me through his way of preparing and my father (a pastor) has done the same. To see it from a third perspective was helpful. I found it much simpler than Chappell's approach in Christ-Centered Preaching and I appreciated that. It's hard for me to work through someone else's approach exactly- can feel rigid and constricting at times. That being said, having two authors showed they approach it slightly differently too. I found that freeing and helpful.
Lastly the transcript section was pretty cool. I am regularly impressed by Dever's church structure and humility. He meets with a group of people (including young interns) to evaluate his sermon every week. And he and Gilbert's transcripts paused for them to give one another feedback and encouragement. Reviewing the sermon chapter includes how to give encouragement and constructive criticism and it was a fantastic summary. Overall, I liked this book for its simplicity and structure. For a young pastor still very much learning how to preach, this was a helpful book.
April 19, 2020
In this book, the authors review the basics of why preaching is important, and the importance of expositional preaching. Then they go through some basic tips on preparing sermons, including selecting a passage, making an outline, and developing an introduction and conclusion. The book ends with a couple of example sermon transcripts.
Overall, I came away from the book with a desire to do better in my preaching, but not really feeling like I learned anything new to actually make improvement. There were ideas that made me think - the authors specifically talk about why preaching is necessary in contrast to teaching or discussion. But I didn't find the arguments convincing. Maybe I just don't get it yet.
I also found it interesting how purposeful Mark Dever is in addressing non-Christians in his church. His point is that he wants Christians to feel comfortable inviting non-Christians to church, and they will only do that when they see the preacher working to address their needs and questions.
So, maybe if this was one of the first books I had read on preaching I would have been more impressed, but for me it didn't really inspire new heights in my preaching.
Overall, I came away from the book with a desire to do better in my preaching, but not really feeling like I learned anything new to actually make improvement. There were ideas that made me think - the authors specifically talk about why preaching is necessary in contrast to teaching or discussion. But I didn't find the arguments convincing. Maybe I just don't get it yet.
I also found it interesting how purposeful Mark Dever is in addressing non-Christians in his church. His point is that he wants Christians to feel comfortable inviting non-Christians to church, and they will only do that when they see the preacher working to address their needs and questions.
So, maybe if this was one of the first books I had read on preaching I would have been more impressed, but for me it didn't really inspire new heights in my preaching.
April 8, 2025
This is a good (and brief) book that covers the "why" and "how" of preaching without going into great depth on the mechanics. I appreciated the fact that it covered a great deal in 210 pages, I enjoyed the dialogue between the two authors (reminder that one size does not fit all when it comes to preaching), and I learned from experienced voices. I found the idea of a service "debrief" fascinating, particularly in the humility required to attempt that kind of self-improvement and examination. Mark and Greg's comments on their sermons were helpful and insightful. It left me wanting more dialogue with others about preaching.
June 17, 2025
This book is an informative and easy-reading introduction to the art of preaching. Dever and Gilbert are both good writers and have a strong conviction of the importance of preaching, that is God’s faithful ministers bringing out God’s Word for God’s people every week to teach them, admonish them, and encourage them. Drawing from their convictions, knowledge and expertise, the authors provide very wise insight into many of the most basic principles of preaching. It’s written to be enjoyed by pastors and church members alike.
September 22, 2017
Solid little book that I was able to read in just a few hours. The first section on the theology of preaching was fantastic. The second section on the practice of preaching was extremely helpful. I always enjoy learning about the methods and practices of others, especially if I'm able to make some of those methods and practices my own. Gave it four stars was because of grammatical and formatting errors.
October 18, 2017
The best part about this book is getting the viewpoint of two different preachers. Each one is a great expositor, but you get to see how they each prepare in a different way. It helped me understand that I don't have to "fit the mold" of a particular preacher. I can be myself in the pulpit and in my preparation. I'm also glad they included sample sermons at the end and how they critique themselves and one another.
February 23, 2018
This is in the top 2-3 books I've read related to pastoral ministry. Preaching is not the only thing pastors do, but it is the task that should take the lion's share of a pastor's time and effort. This book is biblically grounded, practical, and realistically flexible in its application to the individual pastor.
If you are a pastor, want to be a pastor, or if you ever intend to preach, then this book will be a great benefit to you.
If you are a pastor, want to be a pastor, or if you ever intend to preach, then this book will be a great benefit to you.
August 28, 2018
Quite a good book. This is not an über in-depth instructional book like Haddon Robinson’s “Biblical Preaching”. It isn’t meant to be. But it does offer many great tools and wonderful instructions for a preacher. The main point of this book is that the Holy Spirit uses His Word, not ours. So, preachers needs to preach it. I cannot imagine every elder in every church not benefiting greatly from reading this book.
June 26, 2020
Read this book with our pastoral residents. The book is divided in two sections. The first deals with a theology of preaching, the second with practice. Although it was not as practical as I would have liked (especially for a group of young men who are aiming to learn how to preach faithfully), it was helpful nonetheless. I especially appreciated the authors’ commitment to Christ-exalting expository preaching.
August 1, 2018
I read this book to get a handle on what "expositional preaching" is. One takeaway is that people really want to understand the Bible better. I just think the difference between 45 min "messages" in the evangelical context and a 17 minute sermon in the Lutheran context is quite a large difference. It did make me reassess a little how I approach a text to get a central thought.
April 3, 2020
Dever and Gilbert have provided preachers with a helpful resource. They clearly explain the biblical reasons why we preach. They give practical tips from how they prepare to preach. It is a dialogue between two skilled preachers. I admire how they seek to make faithful preachers, not carbon copies. I would recommend this to those who want to improve their preaching and preparation.
October 24, 2023
Super practical guide on preaching. Loved hearing about the process they go through as preachers. “Preaching is not finally a matter of giving a few thoughts here and there about God or the Bible. It is the proclamation of an authoritative message from the throne room of heaven itself: Be reconciled to God through Jesus!”
March 7, 2024
From time to time I find it encouraging to read simple books on preaching. It helps me keep my focus where it needs to be and to remind myself what I believe and love about preaching. This book served that role well. Nothing especially noteworthy stuck out, and if you've you've read other stuff from Dever you'll have likely heard much of this elsewhere. Still, I enjoyed it.
October 31, 2024
A decent, solid book on preaching. The section on sermon reviews is helpful, but I've found that only trained preachers are able to conduct helpful reviews of each other's sermons. Without training in preaching, most don't know what to ask or critique.
Also helpful reminder to preach larger sections of Scripture.
Also helpful reminder to preach larger sections of Scripture.
December 11, 2020
The first 4 chapters present a biblical theology of preaching, grounding the motivation for preaching in the very character of God. I’d highly recommend those chapters for anyone teaching the Bible regularly in any capacity.
October 30, 2022
A helpful book to get you thinking about the role of preaching and how you go about preparing a sermon. Dever's sermon transcript at the end was particularly strong; a great sermon on the meaning of the death of Christ.
December 20, 2017
Good stuff for preachers to read and think through when putting messages together.
June 27, 2018
Helpful. I especially loved the sermon review in the back section.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews