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The Moody Handbook of Preaching
“Why is it that some can preach for an hour and it seems like five minutes, while others preach for only five minutes and it seems like an hour?” —Haddon Robinson The Moody Handbook of Preaching answers this question and many others through the experience, knowledge, and understanding of men and women who are experts in their fields and who love God and His church. Chapters are divided into four sections—Forming a Philosophy of Preaching, Mining the Text, Illustrating Truth, and Developing Methodology—that offer a multidisciplinary approach to preaching. Delve deep into topics such Seasoned pastors and rookie seminarians alike will benefit from this handbook that features the work of graduate and undergraduate professors at Moody Bible Institute as well as three Moody presidents. Discover insights and greater understanding on your path to better preaching.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
John Koessler
29 books17 followersJohn Koessler serves as chair of the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute, where he has served on the faculty since 1994. He is an award-winning author who has written thirteen books and numerous magazine articles. He writes the monthly “Theology Matters” column for Today in the Word and is a frequent workshop leader at the Moody Pastor’s Conference. Prior to joining the Moody faculty, John served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He is married to Jane and they have two adult sons. John and Jane live in Munster, Indiana.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 14, 2009
Really I think it tried to do too much to really do anything particularly well. Of the four parts the first one was kind of a 'well duh' moment (extended edition). Although I would recommend the chapter on How Women Hear the Sermon for men who are speaking to mixed audiences but don't have much experience with communicating with women.
The second section in mining the text was all right, but honestly a book like Grasping Gods Word which focuses expressly on the study of different varieties of Biblical literature would serve you better. (although if you're a Greek of Hebrew scholar there were some good pointers for you here. I'm not, so it was wasted on me) These chapters basically covered some of that content with the occasional tid bit of information for preaching application, but really not as much in that area as I would expect for a book on preaching.
the last two sections were the best. My favorite chapters were by John Koessler (the power of comparison), Rosalie de Rosset (felling the devil), Kelli Worrall (drama and the sermon), Winfred Neely (sermons that move), Bryan O'Neal (the logic of the sermon) and Michael Milco (exegeting your audience). These chapters individually would have been more like four stars, I really enjoyed them.
Second to last chapter they started talking about voice strain and staying hydrated. The entire chapter was dedicated to this concern. I understand the importance, and the book was quite well rounded for it's inclusion, but really, did they have to make it an entire chapter? I kind of felt like it was a wast of my time. Thanks Moody
The second section in mining the text was all right, but honestly a book like Grasping Gods Word which focuses expressly on the study of different varieties of Biblical literature would serve you better. (although if you're a Greek of Hebrew scholar there were some good pointers for you here. I'm not, so it was wasted on me) These chapters basically covered some of that content with the occasional tid bit of information for preaching application, but really not as much in that area as I would expect for a book on preaching.
the last two sections were the best. My favorite chapters were by John Koessler (the power of comparison), Rosalie de Rosset (felling the devil), Kelli Worrall (drama and the sermon), Winfred Neely (sermons that move), Bryan O'Neal (the logic of the sermon) and Michael Milco (exegeting your audience). These chapters individually would have been more like four stars, I really enjoyed them.
Second to last chapter they started talking about voice strain and staying hydrated. The entire chapter was dedicated to this concern. I understand the importance, and the book was quite well rounded for it's inclusion, but really, did they have to make it an entire chapter? I kind of felt like it was a wast of my time. Thanks Moody
April 3, 2021
This is good resource for anyone wanting to get in touch (or to refresh themselves) with some fundamentals on expository preaching.
The book attempts to answer Haddon Robinson’s famous question, “Why is it that some can preach for an hour and it seems like five minutes while others preach for only five minutes and it seems like an hour?” (11).
As expected, the chapters vary in excellence and usefulness. A strength of the book is its angle towards (mostly) realistic application for the preacher. However, a concomitant weakness is that some chapters plainly point out the obvious, which may be helpful for those who never received training (or lost touch with it), but is a little redundant and disappointing for someone who wants to go deeper.
Another strength, pointed out in the introduction, is the multidisciplinary approach to the book (12). The professors who contribute to the work specialize in a variety of fields and bring their expertise to view preaching from unique angles. For example, ch. 26, “Abuse it and Lose it” is written by Terry Strandt and Jodi Jenning, who taught in Moody’s music department, on the proper way to care for one’s voice. They approach this topic with insight from their field of expertise, vocal performance, and comment on issues such as treating laryngitis (376) and various harmful habits (379), among other things in ways that a specialist in Hebrew poetry would not necessarily be able to do.
The chapters I found to be especially helpful were:
Ch. 7 “How Women Hear the Sermon” by Pam MacRae
Ch. 11 “Preaching from the Poetic Books” by Andrew Schmutzer (I may be a little biased here because he was one of my favorite professors at Moody)
Ch. 14 “The Use and Abuse of Greek in Preaching” by Gerald W. Peterman
Ch. 16 “Felling the Devil” by Rosalie de Rosset
Ch. 22 “Sermons that Move” by Winfred Omar Neely
I would have appreciated additional chapters on topics such as “Addressing current events (such as tragedies or political tensions) in the sermon,” “Preaching difficult passages (such as passages that are subject to especially thorny exegetical debates),” and “Preaching from the Law codes (which no one really touched on),” among others.
In the end, I would recommend this as a resource for reviewing basics for expository preaching and filling in gaps of weakness in one’s preaching or training. It is, after all, a handbook. So one shouldn’t expect in-depth or exhaustive treatments of advanced issues in preaching.
As an alumnus of Moody, it was a plus that I was able to enjoy reading from some of my favorite professors in the book.
The book attempts to answer Haddon Robinson’s famous question, “Why is it that some can preach for an hour and it seems like five minutes while others preach for only five minutes and it seems like an hour?” (11).
As expected, the chapters vary in excellence and usefulness. A strength of the book is its angle towards (mostly) realistic application for the preacher. However, a concomitant weakness is that some chapters plainly point out the obvious, which may be helpful for those who never received training (or lost touch with it), but is a little redundant and disappointing for someone who wants to go deeper.
Another strength, pointed out in the introduction, is the multidisciplinary approach to the book (12). The professors who contribute to the work specialize in a variety of fields and bring their expertise to view preaching from unique angles. For example, ch. 26, “Abuse it and Lose it” is written by Terry Strandt and Jodi Jenning, who taught in Moody’s music department, on the proper way to care for one’s voice. They approach this topic with insight from their field of expertise, vocal performance, and comment on issues such as treating laryngitis (376) and various harmful habits (379), among other things in ways that a specialist in Hebrew poetry would not necessarily be able to do.
The chapters I found to be especially helpful were:
Ch. 7 “How Women Hear the Sermon” by Pam MacRae
Ch. 11 “Preaching from the Poetic Books” by Andrew Schmutzer (I may be a little biased here because he was one of my favorite professors at Moody)
Ch. 14 “The Use and Abuse of Greek in Preaching” by Gerald W. Peterman
Ch. 16 “Felling the Devil” by Rosalie de Rosset
Ch. 22 “Sermons that Move” by Winfred Omar Neely
I would have appreciated additional chapters on topics such as “Addressing current events (such as tragedies or political tensions) in the sermon,” “Preaching difficult passages (such as passages that are subject to especially thorny exegetical debates),” and “Preaching from the Law codes (which no one really touched on),” among others.
In the end, I would recommend this as a resource for reviewing basics for expository preaching and filling in gaps of weakness in one’s preaching or training. It is, after all, a handbook. So one shouldn’t expect in-depth or exhaustive treatments of advanced issues in preaching.
As an alumnus of Moody, it was a plus that I was able to enjoy reading from some of my favorite professors in the book.
July 15, 2020
This is a must have reference for anyone going into pastoral ministry. Each contributor has something immensely important and profound to say.
February 16, 2024
A good book to include in a preacher's library. I would recommend the printed copy. I read the Kindle edition and it has no log of the chapters making it hard to go back find the chapters that were of most interest and help to me.
March 1, 2017
It was ok. Maybe it will be a resource in the future. But all in all it wasn't that great.
July 26, 2014
It’s been a while since I added a book review to the site, so here’s a fresh book worthy of your consideration. This new work from Moody Press recently dropped through my door. I have not read it all, but I have read enough. I have read enough to recognize that this is a very helpful book for preachers.
It is written by faculty members and associates of Moody Bible Institute and Moody Graduate School. Each writer writes in their own area of expertise and this creates a collection of some quality. It is easy to think that only homiletics profs are seeking to produce preachers, thereby forgetting the specific skills and input of other members of a good Bible school faculty. This book redresses that balance.
The book’s 27 chapters are divided into four sections. The first section is Forming a Philosophy of Preaching, which includes chapters from the present and two former presidents of Moody. Section two is entitled, Mining the Text. This section addresses the interpretation of narrative, didactic, poetic and prophetic literature, as well as two chapters on the use of Hebrew and Greek in preparation and in preaching (amen and amen to some of the advice given in The Use and Abuse of Greek in Preaching).
The third section is entitled Illustrating Truth with chapters on the use of comparison, history, story, drama and technology. Finally the fourth section is entitled Developing Methodology. This final catch-all section includes chapters on audience analysis, sermon movement, delivery and the use of Bible software (not sure why this is not in section 2).
Although I see no formal endorsement by Haddon Robinson, his name is blazoned across the back cover under a quote that has driven the editor of the book, John Koessler, to compile this book. The quote is typical Robinson, “Why is it that some can preach for an hour and it seems like five minutes, while others preach for only five minutes and it seems like an hour?” Good question. And this book is a worthy addition to the many books that seek to answer it.
Originally reviewed on http://www.biblicalpreaching.net
It is written by faculty members and associates of Moody Bible Institute and Moody Graduate School. Each writer writes in their own area of expertise and this creates a collection of some quality. It is easy to think that only homiletics profs are seeking to produce preachers, thereby forgetting the specific skills and input of other members of a good Bible school faculty. This book redresses that balance.
The book’s 27 chapters are divided into four sections. The first section is Forming a Philosophy of Preaching, which includes chapters from the present and two former presidents of Moody. Section two is entitled, Mining the Text. This section addresses the interpretation of narrative, didactic, poetic and prophetic literature, as well as two chapters on the use of Hebrew and Greek in preparation and in preaching (amen and amen to some of the advice given in The Use and Abuse of Greek in Preaching).
The third section is entitled Illustrating Truth with chapters on the use of comparison, history, story, drama and technology. Finally the fourth section is entitled Developing Methodology. This final catch-all section includes chapters on audience analysis, sermon movement, delivery and the use of Bible software (not sure why this is not in section 2).
Although I see no formal endorsement by Haddon Robinson, his name is blazoned across the back cover under a quote that has driven the editor of the book, John Koessler, to compile this book. The quote is typical Robinson, “Why is it that some can preach for an hour and it seems like five minutes, while others preach for only five minutes and it seems like an hour?” Good question. And this book is a worthy addition to the many books that seek to answer it.
Originally reviewed on http://www.biblicalpreaching.net
March 31, 2016
A text that is worthwhile for anyone who regularly engages in preaching to read. I was impressed with the scope of the book and how many different angles it encouraged me to consider. Particularly the sections on preaching to women and preaching on Old testament narrative implored me to continue to grow in my preaching technique(s). Despite it being a book that would seem to be a slog, I was routinely excited to pick it up and continue my exploration into the art of preaching.
December 23, 2014
It makes a good reference when preparing to preach. it is however How women interpret Sermons' that is worth rereading. Good write up
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews