Preaching Killer Sermons: How to Create and Deliver Messages that Captivate and Inspire

by Lane Sebring

Today’s audiences are more distracted than ever, but sermons can only be effective if people are listening. You have to capture people's attention. But how? In Preaching Killer Sermons, author and pastor Lane Sebring reveals practical preparation and delivery techniques that will enable you to better connect with your listeners. Discover how -Capture and maintain the interest of your listeners -Structure each sermon for the greatest impact -Maximize your prep time on a tight schedule -Overcome distractions & communicate with clarity -Inspire people toward life-change If you want to discover practical methods to communicate clearly every time you preach, this book is for you. What church leaders are saying about Preaching Killer Lane has written a very helpful, practical book for preachers and teach-ers. I think there are two great sins in misusing the text and boring your audience. In teaching pastors and seminary students, I find there are plenty of resources and attention given to avoid the first great sin. But there is a lack of resources on how not to bore people. And too many preachers feel that if they have rightly divided the Word of Truth, they have done everything God requires them to do. I think accuracy and effectiveness are equally important in preaching. Preaching Killer Sermons is a great resource to help pastors truly be effective in communicating the powerful truth of God's Word. I plan to start using this with the preaching students I teach. –David Whiting, Executive Search Consultant, Vanderbloemen, former Lead Pastor, Northridge Church, Rochester, NY The hardest thing I do each week is not leadership development or pastoral care - it's crafting a message which will communicate truth in an engaging and impactful way. I genuinely want to get better at what I believe is God's greatest call on my life. I'm thankful for Lane's heart to help us be better preachers. I'm thankful for this book. –Ron Edmondson, Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Lexington, KY, Church leadership blogger, RonEdmondson.com Pastor Lane Sebring has done an outstanding job of reverse engineering the "great sermon." His efforts will help all who preach to preach better prepared sermons, and become better prepared communicators. Preach-ing Killer Sermons should be included reading in homiletics courses around the world. –Brett Fuller, Senior Pastor, Grace Covenant Church, Chantilly, VA Chaplain, Washington Redskins If you are a communicator in the local church you need to pick up this book. Lane brings practical insights and helpful encouragement on every page. Pick it up ... and apply the lessons contained within. –Rich Birch, unSeminary, Executive Pastor, Liquid Church, Mountainside NJ The concepts Lane shares in this book have helped sharpen my effectiveness in communicating the content of God’s inerrant Word! I would highly recommend this book to both the novice and the experienced preacher. –Dr. Billy Ross, Senior Pastor, Centreville Baptist Church, Centreville, VA Trustee, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary I serve on a Teaching Team with Lane, so I watch him live out Preaching Killer Sermons each week. Lane’s heart is to communicate God’s Word in culturally relevant and engaging ways. Now he’s sharing his passion in a book full of practical tools to help preachers (and teachers/speakers). You’ll hear his heart as he challenges you to examine and refine your own preaching habits.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[Joel Griffis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Didn’t feel compelled by every point, but I absolutely love the intense practicality of this book. I’ve been exposed to a lot of preaching books that are more theoretical in nature, which there’s nothing wrong with, but after a while they can get pretty repetitive. So this book has been a breath of fresh air. I loved reading about all the details of his process of preparation and delivery, from crafting the sermon, to his weekly schedule, to how he gets ready on Sunday morning, to the kind of notes he takes with him on stage. It’s clear that he wants to do everything he can to be the best preacher he can be, and I really resonate with that.

[Justin Likens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for those who want to grow stronger in their delivery of a sermon, and those who want to make sure they are connecting with their audience as much as possible.

[Philip Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for any who regularly preach and want a whetstone for their public speaking and effective communication. I skimmed it for an essay. The book does well at covering communication and sermon delivery, but that's my least favorite and the least interesting topic of preaching (it's also what I'm very bad at, public speaking and illustrations). From the very beginning he writes "I am assuming you already _____" and what follows is all the most interesting stuff to me, such as praying and studying the Word and believing God's power is what makes preaching matter. He also says in chapter 3, "If you have not studied biblical hermeneutics, which is the art and science of biblical interpretation, I suggest that you do that to provide some helpful background knowledge of how to handle the text appropriately." which seems a bit odd in a preaching book, unless you remember he is only discussing the delivery of a sermon. I do appreciate him suggesting the benefit of involving others in the preparation of a sermon, the need to know your congregation well to know how to connect with them, the importance of getting useful sermon feedback, and he specifies that the objective of your sermon should reflect the objective of the text (which is an important concept). His basic format of 1. Make a Point, 2. Illustrate the Point, 3. Give an Application was simple and useful. On the other hand, I think this book at times can stray into the pitfall of focusing too much on inspiring and emotionally impacting the congregation instead of faithfully communicating the intent of the text (again, that's the focus of the book and he makes that clear from the get-go). There is literally a section at the end of the book titled "Whatever you do, be inspiring" that carries the main point "tell your church what they are, and eventually they will become that."

[Brandon H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Most preaching books focus on content—what you preach; this one is all about communication—how you preach. Preaching is a unique art, and much has been written about how to do it correctly. This book goes beyond what makes a sermon “textbook correct” to what makes a sermon work."- Lane Sebring

This was a very helpful book, full of practical advice on how to prepare and deliver quality sermons. The insights within this book will sharpen your focus and help you create sermons that don't bore your audience to death. You owe it to yourself, your audience, and most importantly the gospel to communicate effectively. This book can be a helpful tool in that endeavor.

4 stars!

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really practical book that collates some of the best practices on good preparation and delivery. The author is helpful, likable, and gives credit to those from whom he has learned (Tim Keller, Andy Stanley, Calvin Miller, among others). You might not find anything "brand new" in this book, but if your job description includes preaching, you'll find this book a good investment with lots of content worth highlighting.

[Ryan Rench · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of nuggets. I liked how practical this book was. I'd never heard of the author, but I like his clarity and tone, and the content made me stop and think about some things.
Namely, I want my sermons to connect (something I've been challenged on recently) and that takes work! I'll often listen to an audio version of a book, and if it's got enough in there to act on, I'll buy the physical copy.
I've got one on the way. :)

[Cory Shumate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

I rated five stars not because it’s the best book on preaching but because Lane does a stellar job accomplishing what the book was intended for. It’s a fantastic 101 book that has a surprising depth, given the scope of areas it covers. It’s practical, encouraging, and inspiring.

[John Leffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, another preaching book

This might seem at first like just another homiletics course in print but it is far more than that. Lane adds great tools to his craft of preaching by using those same tools in his writing. I would recommend this read fore anyone wanting to know more about the art of preaching well.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books as some new insightful information that I will be trying out.

Quick easy read. But ful of good information on not just preaching but speaking in general. I would say it is a must read for ministers and speakers alike.

[Brian Tubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent look at Effective Preaching

When it comes to preaching, preachers should do more than simply pray and study the Bible. They must learn to be effective communicators. That’s the premise and message of “Killer Sermons.” And it’s one many preachers need to take to heart.

[Bret Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent primer on preaching. Mostly information you’ve heard before but likely need to be reminded of again. Much of it felt like it was distilled from Andy Stanley. Still, an enjoyable read. I liked how he weaved the experiences of “Ryan” through the book. That was a nice touch.

[Dirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful book for preachers

Preachers should not try to ‘wing it’ or rely on their experience.

I love this book! It taught me new things, things I should have learned earlier. Not only that, it inspired me to keep developing in my preaching.

[Clayton Keenon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid refresher on the fundamentals.

[Books Of The Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read. Realistic, practical and helpful advice to keep your preaching fresh. Highly recommended.

[Brent Lenentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has many powerful and practical insights on preaching from someone who has immersed himself in the topic.

[Mark D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, enjoyable, interesting read. Very similar to Stanley's Communicating for a Change.

Most interesting to me what how and why he uses a team in preparing his messages. It's easier for me to do it on my own, but whenever I bring others in, it's helpful. Sebring takes this to another level.

Some of his thoughts are making it into my Preaching Skills class that I'm currently teaching.

[Josh G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time through. Such a great book that goes beyond preaching theory into the realm of practical delivery and effective human connection. Sebring offers many principles and practices concerning prep-time management, gaining/keeping attention, inspiring Gods people, and effectively communicating Scripture. If you’re looking for something that factors in “the human elements” of preaching, this is a great resource.

[Jared Detter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information about preparation and delivery of speeches that can be applied even outside of preaching sermons.