When a prospective pastor isevaluated, church memberswouldn't think about extending acall without first hearing thecandidate preach. When churchmembers discuss the strengthsand weaknesses of pastors, thetypical first criteria is theirpreaching skill. Preaching isobviously an important part ofany pastor's ministry. So, can apastor become a better preacher?Is there a correlation betweentime in preparation and qualityof presentation?

Goodpreaching, of course, depends ona number of factors. But I havefound that the best of preachersspend a minimum of fifteenhours each week in sermonpreparation.There are four broadingredients in a successfulsermon: 1) exegeting the biblicaltext to determine what God issaying, 2) identifying the topicand the issues that connect withthe people in the congregation,3) organizing the content in alogical way that hearers willunderstand and remember, and 4)presenting the message in anengaging and persuasive manner.

Taking these things intoconsideration, as a rule a pastorshould spend at least fifteenhours each week in sermonpreparation divided over at leasttwo weeks. In the first week thepastor spends about seven toeight hours exegeting thepassage(s) of scripture in order to understand it. The big idea or eternal principle is defined, and atentative outline is laid out.Many pastors will then let themessage percolate for a week ofprayerful reflection. Thefollowing week, an additionalseven to eight hours are given tofilling out the outline withillustrations, stories,testimonies, and other didactictechniques. Practicing thedelivery is also a good idea.

Other factors, of course, affect how a pastorprepares his/her sermon. Experience has a majorimpact on the time necessary to prepare asermon, with younger pastors typically takinglonger, and more experienced pastors needing lesstime. The genre being preached affectspreparation time. Is the message from a Psalm ora passage in Revelation? Some parts of the Bibleare just easier to get a handle on, and thus takeless time to develop. But regardless of the topic,time, or context, Paul told the church at Corinth,that while the Jews demanded signs and theGreeks wanted wisdom, “…we preach Christcrucified” (I Cor. 1:23).

The steps to put this rule into practice are fairlyobvious. First, look back over the last threemonths and determine how much time youcurrently put into sermon preparation. If it ismore than fifteen hours, you are doing well.However, if it is substantially less than fifteenhours, you may not be doing the best job of whichyou are capable.

Try splitting your sermon preparation time intwo halves. In the first week, spend time justunderstanding the passage. Do quality exegesis ofthe passage. Take time to think and pray abouthow the eternal principles impact the lives of yourpeople. In the second week, refine your outline,add illustrations that connect to your people.Write out the sermon. Practice preaching it atleast three times out aloud, so that God is mostable to speak to the hearts and minds of yourpeople.