Preaching Grace: Possibilities for Growing Your Preaching and Touching Peoples Lives

We live in one of the richest ages of mission the Christian movement has ever known. This is a new time, a time when people go to church not because it is the thing to do, but because they are searching–often desperately–to discover the grace of God in their lives. Preaching does makes a difference.

Preaching today, says Kennon Callahan, is less about law and more about grace. It is about inviting people to discover God′s grace, perhaps for the first time, and touching their lives in a powerful, personal, helpful way. Callahan, who has helped tens of thousands of church leaders and pastors through his dynamic workshops and seminars, sees the sermon as a shared event for the pastor and the congregation who are gathered to discover the good news for this day and the week to come. He sees preaching as a sign of grace, compassion, community, and hope.

Preaching Grace encourages pastors to develop the approach to preaching that matches with their unique gifts and strengths. Drawing from his own experience as a preacher as well as his reflections on the rich variety of sermons he has heard throughout the years, Callahan offers wisdom and clear insights on eight possible areas of strength:

Presence: communicating the sense that the grace of God is being genuinely shared in your sermon Preparation: preparing in a way that best matches your needs and those of the people whose lives you touch Resources: gaining inspiration by looking toward the men and women whose gifts enrich your life Content: sharing a message that can change people′s lives and advance their destinies Motivation: sharing your compassion to create a common cause as you stir and inspire people′s lives Delivery: enhancing your confidence and assurance, enabling your congregants to better receive your sermon Structure: learning to build your sermon so that people leave with the spirit to act on its message Outcome: identifying your sermon′s goal and taking the steps needed to get you there

Through focusing on these strengths, pastors will discover more fully their own personal preaching style and advance the sermons that will stir and inspire their congregations–to discover the grace of God, the compassion of Christ, and the healing hope of the Holy Spirit.

How you grow your preaching shapes how you grow yourself.
How you grow yourself shapes the growth of your preaching.

This is an age of mission. This is a time when our gifts and strengths can truly touch people′s lives–often for the first time. In Preaching Grace, Kennon Callahan, today′s most sought–after church consultant and a powerful preacher in his own right, shows pastors how to develop an approach to preaching that builds upon their unique gifts and strengths and gain the confidence and assurance to grow their preaching. "This is what God invites us to share."

Does your sermon have a sense of presence?
"Confidence and assurance communicate the grace of the Gospel as much as the words you say, the points you make, the insights you share, and the longings you stir."

Does your sermon lead people to a spirit of compassion and a sense of community?
"Your preaching is a sacred, holy gift in people′s lives and destinies. Your preaching is a sign of grace, compassion, community, and hope. Your preaching is the outer and visible sign of God′s grace in people′s inner lives."

Does your sermon draw people closer to the grace of God?
"As you advance your preaching, it will have increasing value in your whole community. You will be a source of help in the whole of the mission field God gives you. You will touch the life stages of the people whom God has given you to serve in mission."

Preface vii

1 Preaching When the Whole World is a Mission Field 1

2 Presence 17

3 Preparation 33

4 Resources 55

5 Content 71

6 Motivation 87

7 Delivery 103

8 Structure 123

9 Outcome 143

10 Creating a New Beginning 161

The Author 173

Index 175

KENNON L. CALLAHAN, –researcher, professor, and pastor–is today′s most sought–after church consultant. He has worked with thousands of congregations around the world and has helped tens of thousands of church leaders and pastors through his dynamic workshops and seminars. Author of many books, he is best known for his groundbreaking study Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, which has formed the basis for the widely acclaimed movement of mission growth. Callahan has earned the B.A., M.Div., S.T.M., and Ph.D. degrees. His doctorate is in Systematic Theology. He has served both rural and urban congregations in Ohio, Texas, and Georgia and taught for many years at Emory University.