Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Yohan Perera
On June 23, 2009
Pastors today are asking, what are the qualities of a real preacher? Actually the question
should be what are the qualities of an effective preacher? So let me share with you today,
the 10 qualities that transform an ordinary speaker into a effective preacher.
Dont preach something that you dont do yourself in the first place. How can you become an
effective preacher if no one listens? Dont distribute pages from the Bible, rather let the
message to speak to your heart in advance. Then it to your others.
I have heard even the most theologically qualified and experienced pastors preaching poor
quality sermons. Some preach faulty doctrines. A good preacher interprets scripture correctly.
He uses hermeneutical principles to interpret the Word.
Dr. John O. Wood says, the condition of the Pastors Library says a lot about the condition of
the church. Use at least one solid commentary when preparing your sermon. Remember,
God has called you to nurture the souls of those he has entrusted in your care.
Never twist Gods Word to support what you want to say (isogesis). Always let the scripture
to speak for itself, and expound what the original author intended to say (exegesis). In other
words bring then and there to now and here.
7. Keep learning
One day I was interpreting for an English Preacher, and was shocked when he said he doesnt
read newspapers, watch news or listen to the radio or read any books other than the Bible. He
categorized them as nonspiritual. How on earth can you address the modern issues that bother
your congregation if you do not know whats happening in the world?
For example, personally I dont enjoy cricket. But most of the people in our congregation do.
Therefore I keep myself up to date with basic details about current tournaments. In preaching
it doesnt hurt to use contemporary events as illustrations. People respond to your message
best when you relate to their interests and familiar areas of life.
8. Communicate Clearly
Ask yourself, Can a 10 year old understand my sermon? Did you know the each person in
your audience has got filters and your message travels through them before it actually lands
on them. These filter include culture, social level, education, age and personal attitude. You
definitely cannot deal with everything in a single sermon, but certainly you can consider most
of these filters during preparation.
Let me tell you a story. A general rule of thumb to follow when preaching is to maintain eye
contact with the congregation while presenting the sermon. One day a lady pastor was
preaching to a group of tribal people. Before long the women in the crowd seemed to feel
angry at our preacher while the men seemed amused. When she preached she maintained eye
contact with everyone in the group regardless of their gender. In that tribal culture, a woman
looking straight into a mans eyes was an invitation to have sexual intercourse with her. She
was preaching Gods word, but something else was running through the minds of men in her
audience.
Appropriate illustrations also help communication more easier. You need to be careful
however because using the wrong illustration to represent the wrong truth will confuse the
listener.
Bibliography
1. Dr. Lednicky H. Maurice, The Scriptures Applied, Morris Publishing, USA, 1999
2. Sharma Robin, The Greatness Guide, Harper Collins Publishers, USA, 2006
3. Dr. Wood O. George, Core Values, Gospel Publishing House, Missouri, 2007
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