Preach and Deliver: Captivate Your Audience, Kill Bad Habits, and Master the Art of Sermon Delivery

by Brandon Hilgemann

"The general history of the world surely demonstrates quite plainly that the men who truly made history have been men who could speak, who could deliver a message, and who could get people to act as the result of the effect they produced upon them." — Martyn Lloyd-Jones I stood in terror in a musty youth room of an old church. Seventeen teenagers stared at me with blank expressions. It was Wednesday night. I was a freshman in Bible college, invited to preach for a local youth pastor who was out of town. I wouldn’t doubt it if I was his last option after asking everyone else he could. There I stood. All eyes on me. Sweat pouring from my forehead. My hands shook. My knees knocked. And my voice trembled as I read my sermon word-for-word from my notes. My eyes never left the page. With white knuckles, my right hand gripped the microphone. My left hand held my manuscript as if it were my only hope of survival. My feet might as well have been cemented to the floor because they never moved. I could not have preached worse. The message was OK, but the delivery was painful. Preaching is both what you say, and how you say it. We often know the what but neglect the how. My first sermon sure did. If you are like most pastors, you’ve spent years of your life learning the content for your sermon. You took classes on theology, Biblical interpretation, church history, and maybe even Greek or Hebrew. You know your Bible. We have the what. But here’s the Most preaching fails not for lack of content, but deficient delivery. If you preach biblically-based sermons, you have the content. You know the what but haven’t mastered the how. No matter how good your message, if your delivery is poor, your audience won’t receive the message. Even a great message with poor delivery will result in a bored, or distracted audience. Communication is a two-way street. We must remove all roadblocks from your audience receiving the message. To do that, we need to go back to the basics of sermon delivery. What are the essential components of good sermon delivery? This book will answer this question and more by teaching you the most important elements of sermon delivery. In my years of education on a bachelors and masters level from great Christian institutions, I learned the message of the Bible. But I didn’t learn how to deliver that message. It took me a decade of failure, learning from great preachers, and years of research to learn what I have written in this book for you. My prayer is that this book helps you to think through the way you deliver a sermon—the nuances of body language, eye contact, gestures, and more—so that you can preach the gospel in a powerful way that grips the hearts and minds of your audience. This book will help you learn about the basics of sermon delivery, but reading alone will not make you better. That’s why at the end of every section, I have included an action step. Think of it as a challenge to apply what you learned in the chapter. Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” taught his ”Get a friend to tell you your faults…. Correct yourself diligently and frequently, or you will fall into errors unawares, false tones will grow, and slovenly habits will form insensibly; therefore criticize yourself with unceasing care.“ This book will help you identify your faults and help you become a better preacher. So I will ask you to commit to three things if you want to grow as a preacher. First, commit this next season of your life to a healthy relationship with Christ.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2017

Reviews

[Crystal Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, insightful book!

This book is filled with practical tips for increasing preaching effectiveness. It is easy to follow and understand, and packed with helpful, relevant information. Very enjoyable read!

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some very useful ideas and tools, however it also comes with a misunderstanding about the nature of preaching which influences the recommendations that ultimately detract from the biblical nature suggested.

[Carlyn Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical. A book that I find helpful for checking in with myself as well as giving the categories for others to help me think through areas to be assessed.

[Marc Shefelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent advice for preachers. I highly recommend.

Brandon has given practical and biblically faithful advice for preaching better. Combined Combiner with his Preaching Nuts and Bolts book,the two will help you make significant strides.

[Michael Pellaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical and written with an open heart.
I could really feel he lives what he writes