Help those who hear; listen to the listeners.
- Introduction (show | hide)
We preachers know better than most how mysterious sermon-writing and sermon-delivery can be. How often doesn't it happen that you write a sermon that you really like. It comes together speedily and well during the week and ends up being a message that excites you. So on Sunday you swing into the sanctuary with confidence and eagerness. And yet, when the service is finished, you have the keen sense that the congregation's enthusiasm didn't quite match your own! The same sermon you thought was just fizzing with effervescence ended up fizzling.
Then again, preachers know what it's like to deliver a sermon the composition of which was the proverbial pulling of teeth. All week long you felt like the sermon was your enemy, fighting you at every turn. Come Sunday, you have no choice but to deliver the thing but you are by no means sure it came together. But then . . . there comes one of those "magic" moments (or maybe it's better to call it a "holy" moment) when a hush falls over the sanctuary and you just know, right down to your toes, that this sermon is working. The comments at the church door afterwards confirm it-the same sermon you felt was so weak ended up being a powerful vehicle for the Spirit to use.
All of which is to say that we preachers know full well we cannot always assess our own work accurately. We need feedback. We need input. True, there may be the critique of a spouse to rely on, but even that is just one voice (albeit one we value more than some others perhaps!). In this section of the CEP website, we provide some resources to help Elders, Deacons, and other members of the congregation both evaluate sermons that were already preached and suggest topics/themes for future sermons. Elsewhere on this site you can find also the "Faculty Statement on Excellence in Preaching," which likewise can be turned into a useful evaluation tool.
Of course, feedback and critique can be a bit intimidating, too. But if the right questions are asked-and we try to encourage asking good questions here-then the feedback will finally be constructive and so productive for the future.
- Sermon Evaluation Form (pdf)
- Situational Analysis Form
- Student Guest Preacher:
If you would like to have a Calvin Seminary student preach at your church, please visit the CTS pulpit supply site for more information.