Mark Messmore has a passion for teaching and preaching. He also has a passion for teaching people how to preach! In his early 20s, God began showing him the need for a simple, easy-to-follow model for people learning how to prepare and present a sermon. He thought his ideas would eventually end up in a university-level classroom, but it turns out that the Lord had other plans. He recently released his book, Simple Preaching Prep, to help train leaders in the church—whether as Sunday School teachers, youth group volunteers, or pastors—to deliver compelling messages.
In today’s episode, we’re diving right in with Mark on why letting other people stand in the pulpit on a Sunday is a good thing, what keeps pastors from asking other people to preach a message, and what you should look for when identifying who might be up for the task. Plus, he’ll let us in on some of his best tricks for preparing a great message! Enjoy!
Links to Resources Mentioned or Related
- Read the 1st Chapter of Mark’s Book – “Simple Preaching Prep” Book
- “Simple Preaching Prep” eBook
- Mark Messmore’s Website
- Use code PODCAST to get 10% off anything in our store!
- Read Stalled: Hope and Help for Pastors Who Thought They’d Be There By Now
- Watch Podcast on YouTube
Key Takeaways
1) As a pastor, your job is to prepare others to help build up the body of Christ. Jesus commands us to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). One way you can do this is to let other people (even teenagers) preach a sermon at your church.
2) There are immense benefits to letting others take the pulpit from time to time. It’s healthy for both you and your congregation to hear from someone else. Having more than one voice is imperative to keep the focus of your church on the Kingdom and not on the pastor.
3) If you’re new to preaching, Simple Preaching Prep has an easy acronym to help you stay on track in preparing your message. I.N.S.I.D.E. stands for Interview, Narrow the Focus, State the Main Idea, Include Structure, Deliver the Message, and Evaluate. These steps help beginners (and hey—maybe even experts) craft a meaningful sermon.
4) There are things to keep in mind when you’re identifying someone who has the potential to preach a sermon. You should first ask yourself if this person shows the characteristics of someone walking closely with the Lord. Do they have a heart for the Gospel? Secondly, it’s important to measure the person’s skill as a communicator. Are they comfortable in front of an audience? They don’t have to be at a professional level, but they do need some skill.
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