This module serves to train the student in one of the most important tasks of pastoral ministry, the preaching of the Word of God. This task is considered foundational to fulfilling the calling of God to the ordained ministry. The Apostle Paul illustrated the importance of proclamation in his charge to Timothy: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2.
This module addresses the need for preparation of the preacher as a necessary prerequisite to the preparation and delivery of the sermon, so that both the preacher and the spoken message will have authority. This module will equip the student to go through the process of sermon construction from a hermeneutical study of the Biblical text, through the stages of development, until the sermon is ready to be delivered. Attention will be given to the preaching event as the oral culmination of sermon process, including the call for a decision. In addition, the module will aid the student in understanding the need for planning a preaching program that addresses the needs of the congregation and aids in the overall worship experience of the people of God. The skills developed from this module will also help the minister to be an effective teacher of the Bible to the church.
For maximum benefit, this module should be taken after the student has completed modules in Introduction to the Ordained Ministry, Spiritual Formation, Old Testament, New Testament, Oral and Written Communication, and Hermeneutics since a working knowledge in these areas will be assumed in the instruction.
This module contributes to the development of the following abilities as defined in the U.S. Sourcebook for Ministerial Development.
CN 16—Ability to identify the steps of historical, literary, and theological analysis used in exegesis
CN 17—Ability to exegete a passage of Scripture using the steps listed above
CP 1—Ability to communicate publicly through multiple methods (oral, written, media, etc.) with clarity and creativity for the sake of fostering meaning
CP 2—Ability to write clearly and in grammatically correct manner in the modes of discourse used in the ministry
CP 3—Ability to speak coherently and cogently in the modes of discourse appropriate for the various ministry contexts
CP 15—Ability to think globally and engage cross-culturally for the purpose of mission
CP 16—Ability to preach evangelistically and to be engaged with and equip others in personal and congregational evangelism
CP 21—Ability to envision, order and participate in contextualized theologically grounded worship and to develop and lead appropriate services for special occasions (i.e. wedding, funeral, baptism, Lord’s Supper)
CP 22(Elder)—Ability to prepare, organize, and deliver biblically sound sermons using appropriate techniques and skills in culturally appropriate ways
CP 24(Elder)—Ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of current homiletical models in light of enduring theological (Bible, doctrine, philosophy) and contextual (history, psychology, sociological) perspectives
CX1—Ability to discover sociological dynamics and trends and to apply that information to specific ministry settings
CX2—Ability to analyze and describe congregations and communities
CX4—Ability to explain the operational culture