For Young Pastors: How to Preach
Part 1: Preaching Styles and Ways
Preaching is one of the most important responsibilities of Christian ministry. A pastor is not simply a public speaker who delivers motivational speeches every Sunday. A pastor is entrusted with communicating the Word of God, explaining biblical truth, encouraging believers, correcting misunderstandings, and calling people towards a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
However, knowing the Bible and knowing how to preach are two different things. A person may possess considerable biblical knowledge but struggle to communicate it effectively. Another person may be an excellent public speaker but lack sufficient biblical depth.
Effective preaching requires both substance and communication. It requires biblical understanding, spiritual maturity, preparation, clarity, and an awareness of the people listening.
Young pastors should understand that there is no single preaching style that works in every situation. Different biblical passages, congregations, circumstances, and spiritual needs may require different approaches.
The objective is not to imitate someone's personality or speaking style. It is to communicate the same biblical truth faithfully and effectively.
Part 1: Understanding Different Preaching Styles
1. Expository Preaching
Expository preaching involves explaining a biblical passage in its original context and drawing out its meaning and application.
The preacher begins with Scripture rather than beginning with an interesting topic and searching for verses to support it.
For example, a pastor preaching from Romans 8 could explain the historical and theological context, examine the meaning of important expressions, discuss Paul's argument, and then explain how the passage applies to Christian life.
Expository preaching is particularly valuable because it encourages congregations to understand the Bible systematically rather than relying on isolated verses.
It also helps pastors avoid selecting Scripture merely to support their personal opinions.
Young pastors should consider making expository preaching a central component of their ministry. It develops biblical literacy, theological discipline, and confidence in handling Scripture.
2. Topical Preaching
Topical preaching focuses on a particular subject and examines what the Bible teaches about it.
Examples include forgiveness, faith, prayer, marriage, salvation, leadership, suffering, generosity, and the Holy Spirit.
A sermon about forgiveness might examine Matthew 6:14–15, Ephesians 4:31–32, and Colossians 3:13.
The advantage of topical preaching is that it allows pastors to address specific questions and challenges faced by their congregations.
However, topical preaching has an important responsibility: the preacher must represent the complete biblical teaching on the subject rather than selecting convenient verses.
A sermon about prosperity, for example, should not focus exclusively on biblical passages about material blessings while ignoring passages about suffering, sacrifice, contentment, and generosity.
Topical preaching is especially useful when addressing contemporary challenges and common questions about Christian life.
3. Textual Preaching
Textual preaching takes a particular biblical text or a relatively short passage and develops a sermon around its central ideas.
For example, a pastor could preach from Psalm 23 by organizing the sermon around three themes:
- The Lord as our Shepherd.
- The Lord as our Provider.
- The Lord as our Protector.
Unlike broader topical preaching, textual preaching remains closely connected to the selected passage.
It is useful for communicating a focused biblical message without necessarily examining an entire chapter or book.
4. Narrative Preaching
Narrative preaching uses biblical stories to communicate spiritual and theological truths.
The preacher may examine the story of David and Goliath, Joseph, Ruth, Jonah, the Prodigal Son, or the healing of Bartimaeus.
Rather than simply explaining theological concepts, the pastor takes the congregation through the events, characters, conflicts, decisions, and outcomes of the biblical narrative.
Narrative preaching can be particularly effective because people naturally connect with stories.
However, pastors must avoid turning biblical narratives into fictional entertainment or reducing them to simplistic motivational lessons.
The objective is to understand what the biblical author intended to communicate through the story.
5. Doctrinal Preaching
Doctrinal preaching focuses on the fundamental teachings of Christianity.
Important subjects include:
- The Trinity.
- The divinity of Jesus Christ.
- The incarnation.
- The resurrection.
- Salvation by grace through faith.
- Justification and sanctification.
- The person and work of the Holy Spirit.
- The authority of Scripture.
- The Second Coming of Christ.
Doctrinal preaching is essential for building a theologically informed congregation.
Christianity is not merely a collection of moral principles. It is grounded in particular truths about God, humanity, sin, salvation, Jesus Christ, and eternal life.
Young pastors should not assume that their congregations already understand Christian doctrine.
They should teach these subjects patiently, systematically, and accurately.
6. Evangelistic Preaching
Evangelistic preaching focuses on communicating the Gospel to people who have not accepted Jesus Christ.
It explains humanity's separation from God, the reality of sin, the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection, the availability of salvation through grace, and the call to repentance and faith.
Romans 10:9–13 provides an important biblical foundation for communicating the Gospel.
Evangelistic preaching should be understandable to people who may have little or no familiarity with Christianity.
The objective is not emotional manipulation. It is to communicate the Gospel faithfully and invite people to respond to Jesus Christ.
7. Prophetic and Corrective Preaching
Prophetic preaching addresses spiritual complacency, injustice, corruption, hypocrisy, idolatry, and the failure to follow God's commands.
The Old Testament prophets frequently confronted kings, religious leaders, and ordinary people regarding their conduct.
In the New Testament, Jesus also confronted religious hypocrisy and challenged systems that contradicted God's purposes.
Pastors should not avoid difficult subjects merely because they might be unpopular.
However, corrective preaching must be grounded in Scripture, humility, and love. It should not become an excuse for personal attacks, political manipulation, or self-righteousness.
Part 2: Different Ways of Structuring a Sermon
A preaching style describes the general approach to communicating a message. A sermon structure describes how that message is organized.
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Young pastors should become familiar with several structures.
1. The Three-Point Sermon
This is one of the most recognizable sermon structures.
A sermon is organized around three central ideas.
For example, a sermon titled "Walking with God" could contain:
1. Know God's Word.
2. Trust God's promises.
3. Obey God's commands.
The structure is easy to follow and helps congregations remember the central message.
However, pastors should avoid forcing every biblical passage into three points. The structure should serve the text, not the other way around.
2. Problem–Solution–Application
This structure begins with a problem, introduces the biblical solution, and concludes with practical application.
For example, a sermon about anxiety could proceed as follows:
- Problem: Human beings experience fear, uncertainty, and anxiety.
- Biblical solution: Jesus teaches us to trust God's provision in Matthew 6:25–34.
- Application: Develop a life of prayer, trust, gratitude, and dependence on God.
This structure works particularly well when addressing everyday challenges.
3. Question–Answer Structure
The preacher introduces an important question and uses Scripture to answer it.
Examples include:
- Who is Jesus Christ?
- Why do we need salvation?
- What does it mean to be born again?
- How should Christians respond to suffering?
- What happens after death?
This approach creates curiosity and gives the congregation a clear intellectual journey.
4. Verse-by-Verse Structure
The preacher moves through a biblical passage sequentially, explaining each section.
This is particularly useful for systematic Bible teaching.
For example, a pastor preaching through the Sermon on the Mount could examine each section of Matthew 5–7 over several weeks.
5. Testimony and Application Structure
The preacher introduces a biblical truth, illustrates its relevance through an appropriate testimony or example, and explains how the congregation can apply it.
Personal testimonies can make sermons relatable, but they should never become more important than Scripture.
Part 3: The Communication Techniques of Preaching
Preaching is not only about what a pastor says. It is also about how the message is communicated.
1. Clarity
Use language that your congregation can understand.
Complex theological concepts sometimes require technical vocabulary, but pastors should explain those terms rather than assume everyone understands them.
For example, when discussing justification, explain that it refers to God's declaration that sinners are righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
Do not confuse complicated language with theological depth.
2. Storytelling
Stories help people understand and remember ideas.
Jesus frequently used parables to communicate spiritual truths. Pastors can similarly use biblical narratives, historical examples, everyday situations, and appropriate personal experiences.
However, illustrations should clarify Scripture rather than distract from it.
3. Repetition
Important biblical truths sometimes need to be repeated.
A congregation may not remember every sentence of a sermon, but it should remember its central message.
Repeat important ideas naturally throughout the sermon, particularly when moving from explanation to application.
4. Voice and Delivery
A preacher should learn to use voice modulation, pauses, emphasis, and appropriate speaking speed.
Speaking loudly throughout an entire sermon does not make the message more powerful.
Sometimes a quiet, carefully delivered sentence communicates more than shouting.
Similarly, emotional intensity should arise naturally from the subject being preached.
5. Audience Awareness
A pastor should understand the congregation's level of biblical knowledge, cultural background, age distribution, and immediate concerns.
The same theological subject may require different explanations when preached to new believers, experienced Christians, children, or university students.
Audience awareness should influence communication without compromising biblical truth.
Conclusion
Young pastors should learn multiple preaching styles rather than becoming dependent on one method.
Expository preaching builds biblical understanding. Topical preaching addresses specific subjects. Narrative preaching communicates through stories. Doctrinal preaching establishes theological foundations. Evangelistic preaching communicates the Gospel. Corrective preaching challenges spiritual complacency.
Each approach has its place.
Ultimately, preaching is not a performance. It is a responsibility to communicate God's Word faithfully.
Learn the different methods. Develop your communication skills. Study Scripture deeply. Experiment with sermon structures.
But never allow the desire to become an impressive preacher to become greater than the responsibility to preach the truth.
(This story was written with the assistance of an AI writing program.)
