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Decisional Preaching
In His sovereignty, God mysteriously has ordained that what we do and don’t do when we preach in some way affects whether or not people decide for the truth. He has assigned us certain responsibilities as preachers that when carried out faithfully seem to foster spiritual decision-making. The supernatural power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit somehow work in partnership with certain rhetorical principles of persuasion to create a decisional emphasis in the preaching event.So, let’s explore this issue of decisional preaching, because people don’t ooze into the kingdom of God, nor do they ooze into obedience. They decide for both. And we need to give them a chance to do so.
147 pages, Paperback
Published February 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 19, 2025
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted a book that would have insight and methods that would impact my preaching. What I got was, "You need to preach in such a manner it calls for a decision."
This book was very much like all the church planting books who really say almost nothing except, "We need more church plants" and "It is easier to give birth than it is to raise the dead."
I listened to Shaddix on a podcast and went and bought the books he was promoting. I found very little substance other than the sentiment preaching should move the listener to a decision. The rest of the book was forgettable.
This book was very much like all the church planting books who really say almost nothing except, "We need more church plants" and "It is easier to give birth than it is to raise the dead."
I listened to Shaddix on a podcast and went and bought the books he was promoting. I found very little substance other than the sentiment preaching should move the listener to a decision. The rest of the book was forgettable.
March 29, 2026
A brief book on the need for sermons to prompt listeners to "decide" and "say yes" to Scripture, both for salvation and sanctification. However, the book is mostly just a shallow overview of typical SBC exegetical sermon methodology.
•••
The central idea of the book is helpful: sermons should draw truth and application from Scripture, then present them clearly such that listeners must respond in their thoughts and actions. This idea is repeated throughout the book, but Shaddix did not really contribute much that was relevant or new on the subject.
If you have read any other Southern Baptist guide to preaching, you have a good idea of what is said in the bulk of this book. Shaddix spent a chapter on the need for a pastor to be deep in Scripture for his own benefit, he spent on chapter on the need to peach exegetical sermons, he spent a part of a chapter on the need to peach free from your notes, and so on. While there may be some helpful advice in here for those who aren't familiar with the subject, it mostly felt like he just tagged "doing this helps prompt decisions" or "do this in a way that prompts decisions" to the ends of paragraphs, rather than elaborating new material. But two out of the six chapters of the book did have more relevance to the title of the book.
First, a chapter on theology, where he argued that his Calvinism is not at odds with understanding that people have to reach out to God to be saved and make their own decisions to be sanctified. How are these concepts related? Shaddix spent the whole chapter saying he doesn't know. While this is not a theology book, this area theology is at the center of the purpose of the book, and Shaddix's uncertainty led to weak language throughout — only the Holy Spirit changes hearts, but also you must convince people to decide for Scripture, to say yes to Scripture, and preaching without enough force abandons people to indecision, etc. For a book explicitly covering this topic, I want much more exploration and clarity in this area.
The other chapter was a call to use public invitations. Not the whole book is about leading to public invitations, and he recommended more methods than just altar calls, and he said that they are not required, but he basically argued that they are a must. He compared the value of invitations to the value of baptism and wedding vows, he compared the dismissal of invitations to refusing to raise hands or clap during worship, and he argued the same risks of manipulation and abuse exist in leading worship or passing the offering plate. Shaddix limited the discussion to practical considerations, rather than Scriptural or theological arguments, which I think vastly weakened the chapter. Overall, this chapter betrayed a very low view of baptism and worship, and a vast overestimation of public invitations (in my opinion). I'm not even against invitations, I just think this chapter is an overreach.
•••
In short, the book is just a super brief (~130 pages) version of any other SBC preaching book, with little extra to offer — and what is unique to this book is vague, uncareful, and shallow. While a quote here or there was nice enough, you should probably just read any other book on preaching.
•••
The central idea of the book is helpful: sermons should draw truth and application from Scripture, then present them clearly such that listeners must respond in their thoughts and actions. This idea is repeated throughout the book, but Shaddix did not really contribute much that was relevant or new on the subject.
If you have read any other Southern Baptist guide to preaching, you have a good idea of what is said in the bulk of this book. Shaddix spent a chapter on the need for a pastor to be deep in Scripture for his own benefit, he spent on chapter on the need to peach exegetical sermons, he spent a part of a chapter on the need to peach free from your notes, and so on. While there may be some helpful advice in here for those who aren't familiar with the subject, it mostly felt like he just tagged "doing this helps prompt decisions" or "do this in a way that prompts decisions" to the ends of paragraphs, rather than elaborating new material. But two out of the six chapters of the book did have more relevance to the title of the book.
First, a chapter on theology, where he argued that his Calvinism is not at odds with understanding that people have to reach out to God to be saved and make their own decisions to be sanctified. How are these concepts related? Shaddix spent the whole chapter saying he doesn't know. While this is not a theology book, this area theology is at the center of the purpose of the book, and Shaddix's uncertainty led to weak language throughout — only the Holy Spirit changes hearts, but also you must convince people to decide for Scripture, to say yes to Scripture, and preaching without enough force abandons people to indecision, etc. For a book explicitly covering this topic, I want much more exploration and clarity in this area.
The other chapter was a call to use public invitations. Not the whole book is about leading to public invitations, and he recommended more methods than just altar calls, and he said that they are not required, but he basically argued that they are a must. He compared the value of invitations to the value of baptism and wedding vows, he compared the dismissal of invitations to refusing to raise hands or clap during worship, and he argued the same risks of manipulation and abuse exist in leading worship or passing the offering plate. Shaddix limited the discussion to practical considerations, rather than Scriptural or theological arguments, which I think vastly weakened the chapter. Overall, this chapter betrayed a very low view of baptism and worship, and a vast overestimation of public invitations (in my opinion). I'm not even against invitations, I just think this chapter is an overreach.
•••
In short, the book is just a super brief (~130 pages) version of any other SBC preaching book, with little extra to offer — and what is unique to this book is vague, uncareful, and shallow. While a quote here or there was nice enough, you should probably just read any other book on preaching.
April 10, 2019
Solid and brief book on the importance of preaching with the intention of decisions to be made. This isn't a book about altar calls (though it has a small section regarding them), but rather a defense of crafting sermons and delivering them with force to provoke decision. Highly recommended for every preacher.
April 14, 2025
This was an excellent book on why sermons should lead to calling for decisions! Shaddux provides excellent scriptural foundation for decisional preaching, which he explains is not just a typical “altar call”. If you are a pastor/youth pastor looking to grow in your sermon capabilities I recommend this book!
March 29, 2026
Very helpful
This book really helped me think about how I can encourage my listeners to make decisions to grow closer to Christ. Shaddix gives a lot of helpful advise and provides great arguments and illustrations for decisional preaching.
This book really helped me think about how I can encourage my listeners to make decisions to grow closer to Christ. Shaddix gives a lot of helpful advise and provides great arguments and illustrations for decisional preaching.
November 17, 2024
I really helpful book on preaching for decisions. I especially benefited from his perspective on the invitation. Don't make the mistake of using it wrongly or of not using it at all.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews