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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A Sample Preacher Growth Plan

Preacher Growth Plan

·         Read Deeply and Broadly

o   Read one preaching book every two months in the following order: Telling the Truth by Beuchner, The Witness of Preaching by Long, and Preaching in the Spirit by Kinlaw

o   Subscribe to Newsweek and spend 15 minutes each day reading headline news

o   Read one of the top five NY Times Bestsellers every 6 months

·         Develop the Imagination

o   Sense and draw the biblical passage I am preaching at least once each month

o   Write an allegorical short story based upon the focus of my sermon at least once every other month

o   Read Lord of the Rings and watch the movie looking for ways the film director imaginatively engages and interprets the text
 

·         Attend Seminars, Conferences, and/or Classes

o   Attend the Preaching Essentials Workshop in the Spring

o   Attend the Gordon Conwell Preaching Conference in the Fall

o   Audit a preaching course at Wesley Seminary


·         Listen to and View Sermons

o   View or listen to two sermons per month from the following preachers: Barbara Brown Taylor, Steve Deneff, Andy Stanley, Cleophus Larue, Craig Barnes, Anna Carter Florence, Francis Chan, and Haddon Robinson.

o   Listen to one of my sermons monthly and view one of my sermons quarterly in order to analyze strengths and weaknesses of my sermon content and delivery.
 

·         Receive Feedback

o   Identify and meet with a preaching coach every three months who will view one of my sermons with me and provide immediate feedback and coaching.

o   Distribute an identical congregational survey at the beginning and the end of every year to solicit commendation and critique regarding preaching in my local church
 

·         Experiment with Creative Sermon Forms

o   Employ one creative, out of the box, sermon form per month in the coming year.


3 comments:

Muta Mwenya said...

Dr. Luchetti this is awesome! Thanks for sharing this. I actually don't listen to my sermons because I don't want to either critique myself too hard (sometimes to a fault) or become narcissistic. But I see the value based on this plan.

John Miller said...

Awesome ideas, thanks Lenny!

So if I happen to have three extended LOTR editions, does that mean my movie marathon constitutes 12 hours of "sermon prep" during this work week?

Lenny Luchetti said...

Not so fast, John:-) Every December we watch LOTR trilogy. I tell myself this is not a waste of time, that it is in some way helping my preaching:-)