My preaching debut took place in February, 2004. I was invited to preach before the student body at our little Bible College on the Canadian prairies. In the moments before I went up to preach before roughly 800 of my fellow students, my heart was racing. As I looked down, I could see my lapel mike moving as my heart threatened to explode out of my chest.

Somehow, as I expounded upon Luke 10:1-8, I made it through this rather terrifying experience. In the following weeks, several students and even some professors took the time to encourage me. Since then, I have never stopped preaching, and by God’s grace, I have grown a lot.      

No preacher ever “arrives.” If the preacher comes to believe he has mastered the preaching craft and can simply push cruise control and glide along, he is in a dangerous place. I am certain, however, that you have a desire to improve your preaching, and are earnest to do so.

Here are 6 ways to strengthen your preaching.  

Listen to “good” preaching. 

It has never been easier to listen to preaching. Through the medium of the internet, there are millions of sermon podcasts available online. Obviously, not all sermons are “good” sermons, but find a few able preachers that you trust, and glean all you can.

Preaching is not so much “taught” as it is “caught.” The more you listen to good preaching, the better you will understand how preaching works. It will also feed your own soul and take you deeper into the riches of God’s word.      

If you can, attend at least one conference a year that includes plenty of preaching. I have attended several practical, “how to” kinds of conferences, and they have their place. But the conferences that proved to be the most impactful, refreshing, informative, and encouraging, were those which focused on expository preaching.    

Read a lot

Simply put, preachers are readers. If you don’t like to read, I am not sure you are called to preach. Perhaps it is time for you to turn off the TV, set down your smart phone, and supplement your reading diet.    

Let me challenge you, first of all, in the reading of Scripture. Find a Bible reading plan (if you don’t have one), and dive in. Every preacher should be “competent in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24) and very familiar with its contents.    

Additionally, try to read a good work on preaching annually. Martyn Lloyd Jones’ Preaching and Preachers is one of my favorites. Read widely in the areas of theology, biography, history, and maybe even a work of fiction. If you have never read a classic like Bunyan’s, Pilgrims Progress or Augustine’s, Confessions, then perhaps it is time to “take up and read.”

Not only will this be a fun exercise, but it will also serve to improve your vocabulary.

Pray!

From start to finish, your sermon preparation must be coated in prayer. You cannot faithfully deliver God’s word, apart from His grace.

As you begin preparation, you can pray something along the lines of:

“Lord, help me to see the riches contained in your holy Word. Lord, help me to be disciplined and diligent in my study of the Word. Lord, help me to handle the text of Scripture aright, and present the message clearly and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, help my hearers to be attentive and receptive to the message. Lord, may this sermon accomplish your eternal purposes, and may you alone be glorified (Romans 11:36).”

Years ago, I remember meeting with a veteran pastor who told me he prayed more after the sermon than before. He is wise. The last thing any preacher wants is for the seed of the Word to be snatched up by the enemy (Matthew 13:19).

If you are going to strengthen your preaching, then prayer is a must. Saturate your preparation, delivery, and follow-up in prayer. And don’t be afraid to ask you congregation for prayer as well (1 Thessalonians 5:25).       

Sing!

Some years ago, I started singing hymns during my personal devotion time at my church study. A first I was rather shy, but now it’s natural and I don’t think much of it, even when I am in earshot of others.

This has been a boon to my devotional time, but it has also had the unintended effect of strengthening my voice.

For every preacher, your voice matters. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon writes, “What a pity that a man who from his heart delivered doctrines of undoubted value, in language most appropriate, should commit ministerial suicide by harping on one string, when the Lord has given him an instrument of many strings to play upon!”[1]     

If God can speak through a donkey (Numbers 22:22-30), then undoubtedly, he can speak through a man with a weak or monotone voice. That is no excuse, however, not to seek improvement in your voice and powers of elocution.

Just as the athlete constantly exercises his body, so too should the preacher exercise and strengthen his voice. Singing hymns (old and new) is a great way to do that.

Attend a preaching workshop or seminar.    

Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Simeon Trust Preaching Workshop. There was preparatory work, peer evaluation, and helpful instruction from skilled expository preachers. This “hands on” workshop it proved to be very beneficial in my own ministry. 

Finding a solid preaching workshop in your area can serve as a “tune up’ for your preaching. It is well worth the time and effort. 

Preach a lot

The more you preach, the better you will get. Generally speaking, that’s how things work in life, and preaching is no different.

Take every preaching and teaching opportunity seriously, big or small. Whether it be Wednesday evening service, a men’s bible study, a small group bible study, or something else. Handle the Scriptures with care and reverence (2 Timothy 2:15).

If you have an opportunity to preach or teach outside your regular Sunday morning duties, jump at it. When I travelled to Africa a few years ago, I preached 7 times in 5 days. This pace stretched me, but in a good way. My translator told me at the end of my trip, “each time you got a little better.”

If you are looking for more opportunities, simply pray, “Lord, open up doors of opportunity for me to preach.” I am certain He will.      

In conclusion, remember that preaching is a sacred task. Indeed, there is a certain audacity to preaching. To stand in the pulpit and claim to speak God’s Word is no light matter. The apostle Paul declares, “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17).

Wherever you are at in your preaching journey, you can grow. You can better feed your people “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). Continue to trust God to Work through His Word. And pray that God will help you take your preaching to the next level.  

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[1] Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: Complete and Unabridged (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1954), 111.