I prefer outline because it gives me more flexibility and I have prior experience in public speaking using outlines.Your preference________________
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I prefer outline because it gives me more flexibility and I have prior experience in public speaking using outlines.Your preference________________
Manuscript – which looks like a coloring book – I color code. I am usually very familiar with the manuscript and the colors codes make me stay on track. I have cut back on my rabbit trails in a huge way and dropped down to around 30 minutes or less for the main message.It has produced good results.Plus it gives time for ministry when needed________________
Roughrider…some thoughts
For decades, my dad always preached from an outline. He could quote verses by heart to an amazing extent (still can). But I don’t know if it was age, the coming of Bible programs and word processors, or perhaps a desire to leave a better record of his sermons as a legacy–or none of the above–but he has went to a manuscript style for the last few years.I always preach from a manuscript, even though I will digress or add additional spoken comments as I feel the need. I do so because, for one thing, I may not be that good at doing an outline. The other reason is that I would hate to leave out some really good part because it slipped my mind.I tend to think that my dad, now 81, likely uses a manuscript now because it is easy, at his age (and mine!) to perhaps overlook something you very much wanted to say. But, yeah, back in the day, he was hammer down.I also create a manuscript so that I can, with a few slight changes (e.g., perhaps taking out references that would apply only to my church), I can post my sermon to our church’s Facebook page. While I don’t know if my written sermons are very impressive, it is for sure that my preached sermons are even less so. I just hope that I am, indeed, like Paul was–where my written sermons are more weighty than my physical presence.
Manuscript.Thoughts flow as I write. I have a hard time conveying what I haven’t written, for some reason________________
When I was a wee lad in MIP we visited a church as part of the program. The pastor asked how many used an outline. I raised my hand with others. I had learned from my dad and used his model of a color coded outline. (Went through a lot of highlighters in those days). He explained his reason for using a manuscript. He said, if you pastor you won’t want to lose vital resources that you have used before. And if you look at an old outline and it says story about mother and child, you won’t remember what that story was. But if it’s in manuscript you will have it.
I was called to preach in 1974. We attended the same church Billy Swain (S. Ga.) attended. Billy was in the process of building his house in 74. He asked if I would like to ride to another city with him where he was in revival. On the way he asked if I would preach that night. I was not about to preach for the best known preacher in our state for him. So he gave me some advice. He suggested I write down everything I was going to say when I preached. He went on to say you may not use all of it but it is good to have in you need it.I tried to follow his advice but that simply did not work for me.I admire you who can. I use a lot of scripture so my notes are some outline with many scriptures. This works for me.Since I am retired from pastoring I don’t get to preach near as much as I would like.Planning to go to Eatonton Ga soon to preach and to N. Fl to preach for one of our Actscelerators soon________________Recorded Sermons @ http://www.pastorwiley.com
4th Generation…
I agree. If I don’t write it out, sooner or later I’ll not remember what it was. The other good thing about a manuscript is it allows you to preach that sermon again without having to reinvent the whole wheel. I have never preached the SAME sermon twice…even if I started with a manuscript that I preached before. As I would study on it, meditate on it, etc., I always find additional things to add. Further, it is also the case that I usually find a part that I delete.The first time I preach a sermon, I put the date on it (on the manuscript, as well as in the file name). If I happen to preach it again, I add the new date (while retaining the old date), save it under the OLD file name…the SAVE AS under a new file name and/or date. This way, if go looking through sermons in, say, 2014, I can see that I preached it in, say, 2020. If I didn’t have those dates, I might forget I had preached it so recently, and do it again.As it is, if I am reading over old sermons trying to find some inspiration, I typically don’t read over anything I preached within the last three years or so. I figure by then that it’s not only acceptable to preach it again, but folks won’t quite remember it (if I’m lucky!). Frankly, sometimes I don’t even remember it that well!
If you can make that a 30 minute window, I am in________________Recorded Sermons @ http://www.pastorwiley.com
JLarry…
Depends
Early on in the ministry it was strictly outline and I would free preach, that is, use the outline as the guide to the sermon. But that lends itself to a topical approach and if I want to do expository preaching, I do manuscripts. While pastoring, I stick only to them. But other places I’ve done combinations of the two. It’s never been quite the same. JMHO________________www.spiritwatch.orgAm I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? Galatians 4:16