![]() ![]() Thankfully, manuscript preaching is not the only way to preach. Maybe it doesn’t seem any different to the audience, but I don’t enjoy preaching as much when I’m reading from a page. I feel less engaged with the congregation and less dynamic. But I’ve never felt as comfortable preaching from a full manuscript. I love having those sermons written out now because it’s much more useful to return to a manuscript than to an outline or scattered bullet points. David Platt and John Piper stick closely to their full manuscript, but no one would accuse either of lacking passion or authenticity.įor my part, I wrote out sermon manuscripts for a couple of years early in my ministry. There is a skill (and art) to writing your sermon for the ear and then reading from a manuscript in a way that doesn’t feel stilted. The biggest drawback is the potential lack of energy and eye contact. Of course, there are dangers to manuscript preaching as well. Even if they lose something in delivery, I want to make sure the content is as strong as possible. I always have our pastoral interns preach from a full manuscript. Most importantly, writing out a manuscript promotes greater clarity, concision, and theological fidelity. After the message is spoken, you can share the sermon more easily in print-whether in a book, on your blog, on your church’s website. You can enter the pulpit feeling more confident and less stressed about losing your way. You are able to plan for the well-placed rhetorical punch. The advantages to preaching from a full manuscript are many. I’ve often had the experience of speaking at a conference, and the organizer will say, “By the way, we are going to turn these messages into a book, so after you speak send me your manuscript.” More than once, I’ve been the only one who says, “Uh, I don’t use a manuscript, and it’s going to take a lot of work for me to turn my personal notes into something that can be published.” Most of the well-known pastors I know preach from a full manuscript. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages. There are three typical ways a preacher might preach: with a manuscript, with no notes, with some notes. But let’s set aside the unique spectacle that is a Senate confirmation hearing and think more directly about preaching. ![]()
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