Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Charlotte Syllabus: PR 601, Principles and Practice in Preparing Relevant and Biblical Sermons Fall 2017 September 15-16, October 13-14, November 10-11. Fridays 6:30-9:30pm, Saturdays 8:30am 4:30pm Prof. Nate Wright 513-504-5102 cell/text nwright@gordonconwell.edu Course Description This course is an introduction to the principles of preparing relevant biblical sermons. Students will gain experience by preaching two short sermons. Lectures and exercises cover a stage-bystage explanation of a method for preparing a sermon. The aim of the course is to help students understand what is required to preach effectively and to practice what they understand. Learning experiences include reading, preaching, receiving feedback from the professor and students, watching yourself on video, and discussion. Course Relationship to the Curriculum Building on skill in exegesis and knowledge of theology, this course teaches students to think homiletically. A year of biblical language and NT 502 or OT 511 are prerequisites. Course Objective To enable students to move from the study and exegesis of the biblical text to sermon construction and delivery of a sermon without notes. Performance: Preach an 8 minute sermon from a biblical text without notes. Preach a 15 minute sermon from a biblical text without notes. Construct outlines using clear, declarative sentences that relate to the big idea. Use transitions between main points and if necessary between the supporting points. Write a sermon manuscript geared to the way audiences listen. Collect at least 10 illustrations. Watch and critique five sermons. Knowledge: Define expository preaching. Understand the procedure of moving from a biblical text to a sermon based on that text.
Understand what these basic elements should accomplish: introduction, homiletical idea (based on exegetical idea), transitions, illustrations, development of the body of the sermon, and conclusion. Understand the importance of Christian maturity in the preacher. Attitude: Value expository preaching. Gain confidence in your ability to exegete, frame the big idea, arrange material for oral communication, and deliver with poise. Depend on the Lord who uses the preaching of Scripture to transform hearts. Course Textbooks Required: Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2014). ISBN-10: 0801049125 John R.W. Stott, Between Two Worlds (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982). ISBN-10: 0802806279 ISBN- 13: 978-0802806277 Keith Willhite and Scott M. Gibson, eds. The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching: Connecting the Bible to People (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998). ISBN-10: 0801091586 ISBN-13: 978-0801091582 John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990). ISBN-10: 0801065046 ISBN-13: 978-0801065040 Donald R. Sunukjian, Invitation to Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007) ISBN-10: 0825436664 ISBN-13: 978-0825436666 Scott M. Gibson, ed., Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry (Wooster, Ohio: Weaver Book, 2016) Recommended: Scott M. Gibson, Should We Use Someone Else s Sermon? Preaching in a Cut and Paste World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008). ISBN-10: 0310286735, ISBN-13: 978-0310286738 Jeffrey Arthurs, Preaching With Variety (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007)
Course Requirements Attendance: Lectures and exercises. Students are expected to be on time. If it is absolutely impossible for you to be present, please speak with Wright before class. Collect support material: Collect at least 10 illustrations; write them down following this form: Type of Support Material (e.g. a story, example, current event, song, visual aid, statistic, analogy, etc.) Brief Summary (e.g. Grace) Source (e.g. Boston Globe, Dec. 12, 2013, p. 22). Support Material. (include material here) These illustrations may include material you use in either of the sermons you deliver in class, but please avoid simply Googling illustration material create your own illustrations from your experience of creation. Combine all 10(+) illustrations into a single Word document and submit by the due date in the syllabus. Note that all the illustrations submitted in this assignment by students in your class will be combined into a single document and distributed at the end of the semester. Reading: Self-graded. At the end of the semester, on Sakai assign yourself a grade out of 100 points based on how much you read and how well you read (e.g. 91/100). No grade may be higher than the percentage of pages read. Reading well is judged on your attention, comprehension, and retention. Note that some reading is due on specific days of class in order for you to be ready for lectures and discussion. Students will read all pages of all required texts except the Sunukjian text, for which only the specific pages noted in the course schedule are required. Outline for 8 Minute Sermon: (1.5 pages max, single spaced, 12 pt font). Submit to Prof. Wright as a Word attachment on or before the date in the syllabus. After submitting, revise according to professor s feedback as many times as needed, until I tell you that you may proceed to manuscripting. Include on the outline: Your audience (8 minute sermon: your PR601 classmates. 15 minute sermon: your place of ministry)
Your text reference Subject Complement Exegetical idea Homiletical idea Purpose. Skeletal outline: o Write out main points/moves in complete sentences. o No outline points beyond the level of capital letters. o One sentence per point. o Indicate what portion of the text each point covers. Write out transitions word for word. Use italics. (use rhetorical questions and restatement.) Indicate at least one issue of relevance per point something that needs to be explained, proved, or applied and briefly suggest what kind of support material you will use to accomplish that. Mark these with a double **asterisk. Write out the intro and conclusion word for word. 8 Minute Sermon: Time limit = 8 minutes. Three percent penalty for every 30 seconds over. Audience = your classmates. Preach without notes. Write a manuscript of the sermon after I accept your outline. You will not preach from the manuscript, but writing it out will help you in preaching without notes. Turn in the manuscript (hard copy) on the day you preach. Write for the ear, not the eye. We will record your sermon in the class and it will be available via Sakai. Watch yourself on video by the end of the course. Sample Sermon Analyses Using the sermon analysis questions below, evaluate five sermons from the list below - preached by five different preachers. Watch/listen to the sermons on your own time, so that you are prepared by our second weekend of class to discuss them. Dig deep. Show that you can apply what you have read and learned so far in class. 8 page max. (12 pt. font, single-spaced)/about 1.5 pages per sermon analysis. Submit your analyses in a single Word file via Sakai by the date in the schedule. Please note that the purpose of this assignment is not to summarize the sermon s content, but to show that you understand the basic parts of sermon building.
NOT: The preacher talked about being loving and then how God loves us. He talked about verse 16 and 17 and then told a story. He had good delivery. I liked it, and it was easy to listen to. But: The preacher s delivery was captivating because of her expert use of pause. She used silence to rivet attention at two crucial points: x and y. Besides the expert use of silence, the preacher s voice reinforced the content very well. When she described her childhood joys, her voice was lively and quick. When she expressed anger, I could hear it in her flat pitch and harsh tone. NOT: I couldn t figure out the preacher s big idea. But: I was confused as I listened and am still confused as I try to state the preacher s big idea. It seems that the preacher had two big ideas, x and y, but he did not demonstrate how they relate to each other or how they arise from the text. The intro funneled nicely into x, but then the conclusion stated y. Outline for 15 Minute Sermon: same instructions as above, except that your outline may be 2 pages max, single spaced, 12 pt font. 15 Minute Sermon: Preach a relevant expository sermon, without notes, to a hypothetical audience. Choose your text from the list below. Time limit = 15 minutes. Three percent penalty for every 30 seconds over. Audience = your home church or group you currently minister to. Preach without notes. (No manuscript required, but still recommended). We will record your sermon in the class and it will be available via Sakai. Watch yourself on video by the end of the course. Grading: Grading Scale: 100-94=A 93-90 = A- 89-87 = B+ 86-84 = B 83-80 = B- etc. No late work will be accepted. If you experience illness or emergency, please speak to me personally.
At the end of the semester borderline cases will be determined on the basis of class participation, but no grade will be raised more than 5 points. Assignment Percent of Report Card Grade Points Possible Reading report 10% 100 Analyses of sample sermons 10% 100 Outline for 8 Minute Sermon. 10% 100 8 Minute Sermon 20% 200 Outline for 15 Minute Sermon 10% 100 15 Minute Sermon 30% 300 Final Exam 10% 100
Course Schedule Date Assignments Due Lecture/Discussion Sept. 15 Reading: Stott (all) Intro to the course and classmates. What is Expository Preaching? Sept. 16 Reading: Robinson 1-117. Choose text for 8 minute sermon Subject/Complement, Developmental Questions, and the Exegetical Idea Homiletical Idea, Purpose, and Development of the Sermon s Idea Outlining Forming the Sermon Support Material Filling the Sermon Sept. 29 (No class) Outline due for 8 Minute Sermon @ 11:00 p.m.; wait for feedback. *note that Sunukjian 305-310 will guide your outlining process Oct. 13 Reading: Sunukjian 142-181, 305-310. Review Robinson 119-170. Introduction and Conclusion Delivery Oct. 14 Oct. 30 (No class) 8 Minute Sermon (also turning in manuscript) 5 sermon analyses from approved sermons Preaching lab Class discussion Outline due for Final Sermon @ 11:00 p.m.; wait for feedback. Nov. 10 Final Sermons Preaching lab Nov. 11 Final Sermons Final Exam Share ten best illustrations Preaching lab Nov. 18 (No class) All work due by 11:00 p.m. Finish all required reading and submit your reading grade. Watch yourself preach and indicate you did so (check box on Sakai).
Preaching Evaluation Sheet PR 601, Wright Name: Time: Grade: Intro Gain Attention Surface Need Introduce Idea Exegesis and Theology Did the sermon say what the text says? Big Idea - Clear Repeated Arrangement Clear/logical Transitions Relevance and use of Support Material Conclusion Summarize Reinforce Language and Delivery
Sample Sermon Analysis Questions (from Dr. Scott Gibson) Answer these questions in response to each of the five sample sermons you listen to/watch. {Remember to put the preacher s name and the sermon title at the top of each reflection} 1. What do you think is the main idea or concept the preacher was trying to get across? Y/N Can you state it? 2. When through with the introduction, did you want the preacher to go on? Y/N Did it capture interest so that you would want him/her to continue? Y/N How did he/she do? 3. Did he/she illustrate? Y/N If so, what did he/she do? to explain, prove or apply? Did he/she succeed? Y/N Why or why not? Please provide specific examples of how the preacher explained, proved, or applied the text. 4. Do you think the conclusion drove home the big idea of the sermon in a way that caused you to want to respond? 5. What do you think that you as a listener might do, think or change as a result of hearing the sermon? 6. Do you think the delivery helped or hindered the presentation? What were its strengths? What about weaknesses? 7. Do you think that the sermon grew out of the biblical text? Was it imposed on it? 8. Is there anything else you d like to say about this sermon?
Approved Online Sermons for Analysis (in addition to the CD/DVD) 1. Haddon Robinson, The Businessman Who Missed the Bottom Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgy9jibco8 2. Tony Evans, Treasures from Trials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgy9jibco8 3. Patricia Batten, What Your Mother Really Thinks of You http://www.patbatten.com/listen/ 4. Matthew D. Kim, Contagious Community http://www.grace.org/sermon/contagious-community/ 5. Scott M. Gibson, It All Depends https://vimeo.com/91436484 6. Jeffrey Arthurs, So Let a Man Examine Himself http://www.ccczion.org/multimedia-archive/so-let-a-man-examine-himself/#play-audio 7. Vic Anderson, (choose any) http://www.centerpointmesquite.org/category/sermons/ 8. Eric Dokken, (choose any) http://www.gracemarblehead.org/sermons/preacher/eric-dokken/ 9. Kent Edwards (choose any) http://www.oasischurchoc.com/sermons.php 10. Ken Shigematsu (choose any) http://mtpleasant.tenth.ca/series Approved passages from which to preach for PR 601 (pick two) Mt. 6:16-18 Mt. 7:13-14 Mt. 19:13-15 Mk 3:31-35 Mk 8:27-30 Mk 9:33-37 Mk 12:13-17 Mk 12:41-44 Mk 13:32-37 Luke 6:43-45 Luke 6:46-49 Luke 8:16-18 Jn 3:16-21 Jn 4:39-42 Jn 8:42-47 Jn 14:1-4 Jn 18:15-18 Jn 19:38-42 Jn 20:19-23 Acts 2:42-47 Acts 7:54-60 Acts 13:1-3 Act 15:36-41 Act 16:11-15 Act 28:11-16 Rom 12:1-2 1 Cor 1:4-9 Gal 5:22-23 Eph 6:1-4 Phil 2:12-13 Phil 4:2-3 Col 4:2-6 1 Th 1:2-3 1 Th 5:16-18 2 Th 3:1-5 1 Ti 6:17-19 2 Ti 4:19-22 Titus 1:1-3 Philemon 4-7 Heb 2:1-4 Heb 13:1-3 Heb 13:7-8
Syllabus Addendum Academic Standards Cheating and plagiarism are considered serious breaches of personal and academic integrity. Cheating involves, but is not necessarily limited to, the use of unauthorized sources of information during an examination or the submission of the same (or substantially same) work for credit in two or more courses without the knowledge and consent of the instructors. Plagiarism involves the use of another person s distinctive ideas or words, whether published or unpublished, and representing them as one s own instead of giving proper credit to the source. Plagiarism can also involve over dependence on other source material for the scope and substance of one s writing. Such breaches in academic standards often result in a failing grade as well as other corrective measures. For more information, please consult the Student Handbook. ADA Policy The seminary complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A student with a qualifying and authenticated disability who is in need of accommodations should petition the seminary in accordance with the stated guidelines in the Student Handbook. Cancellation of Class In the event the seminary has to cancel a class meeting (impending storm, professor illness, etc.), the Registration Office will send out an email (via the GCTS email account) notification to all students registered in the respective course. If the cancelation occurs the day of the scheduled meeting, the Registration Office will also attempt to contact students via their primary phone contact on record. The professor will contact the students (via GCTS account) regarding makeup. If a weekend class is cancelled, the class will be made up during the scheduled Make-Up weekend (see the Academic Calendar for the designated dates). For more info, consult your Student Handbook. Extension Policy Arrangements for submission of late work at a date on or before the end date for the semester as noted on the seminary s Registration Calendar are made between the student and professor. Formal petition to the Registration Office is not required in this case. This includes arrangements for the rescheduling of final exams. However, course work (reading and written) to be submitted after the publicized end date for the semester must be approved by the Registration Office. An extension form, available online, must be submitted to the Registration Office prior to the stated date. Requests received after this date will either be denied or incur additional penalty. For a full discussion of this policy, please consult the Student Handbook. Grades Faculty have six weeks from the course work due date to submit a final grade. Grades are posted on-line within twenty-four hours of receipt from the professor. Students are expected to check their CAMS student portal in order to access posted grades (unless instructed otherwise). Those
individuals who need an official grade report issued to a third party should put their request in writing to the Registration Office. Returned Work Submitted hard-copy course work will be returned to the students if they provide a self-addressed and postage- paid envelope with their final work. Work submitted without the appropriate envelope will be destroyed after the grade has been assessed and issued. Virtual Writing Center Free assistance in writing papers is available to students through the Virtual Writing Center at Gordon Conwell. The Virtual Writing Center is staffed by Gordon Conwell graduates, or writing tutors with specialized knowledge in writing and/or ESL. Generally, this service is available to students who have completed or are currently enrolled in one of the following three classes: CT500 (Introduction to Theological Research) CO501 (Introduction to Counseling Research) IS502 (Theological Research and Writing) If you enrolled in GCTS before Fall 2008, you were not required to take one of the three prerequisites above, and you may request access to the Virtual Writing Center. Also, ESL writing tutors are available to ESL students even if they are not currently enrolled in a degree program. If you do not meet one of these qualifications, but feel you would benefit from using the Virtual Writing Center, contact us and we will evaluate your status. Email writingcenter@gordonconwell.edu for more information.