I remember attending a session at Shepherds Conference one year. The speaker chastised those of us who used a manuscript to preach from. "You're not Steve Lawson!", he exclaimed. The retort in my mind was, "And we're not all you!"
I find a manuscript helpful in all the ways you've described, and I encourage our session to do the same.
I also recall hearing a very famous Southern Baptist preacher who used no manuscript, and his sermon had no focus, no flow, no landing. He was all over the place. Another example for me to see in real time the benefits of a manuscript.
Pastor Brito, thank you for your content. We are a small church plant in Western North Carolina seeking, by God's grace, to have a church ordered by weekly covenant renewal, festive gathering, and gospel activity in the community. As one of the pastors, I have found it difficult to manage the length of the service with brief comments at the time of confession, the time of communion, and then the sermon itself. I noticed your sermons rarely go beyond 30 minutes. Is this an intentional length in order to make the service flow more naturally and not feel like the sermon is the main point? Thank you in advance. Your work is a blessing to many, including myself.
Justin, thanks for your comments. We try to make any additional exhortations brief—about a minute—to keep the flow going. We do have an initial exhortation that serves as a call to worship and may be a little longer. It happens before the service begins. But you are reading the logic of the sermon well. I do keep 95% of all sermons under 25 minutes. As you may know, it is far more complicated to write a shorter sermon than a longer one. A shorter sermon requires more precision and care. But the logic is to maintain a healthy flow and avoid idolizing one C out of the 6 C's in Covenant Renewal. I have even heard Reformed folks say that as long as you hear the sermon, you technically don't need anything else. Whereas we would say that if you miss everything else, you are missing the storyline.
Thank to for the response. That makes sense. I remember early on in my journey into the pastorate, I was heavily influenced by the MacArthur/Steve Lawson camp that placed preaching upon a mile high pedestal. I remember a service that once consisted of a prayer, 4 songs back to back, and a 55 minute sermon. I am no longer in that frame of mind at all, but I do recognize the preached Word as a primary means of grace. I just don't want to give the impression that it is the real "C" amongst other negotiable and minor "C's." Your response was helpful. It is a full-time task to ingest a thoroughly covenantal framework for family, work, and worship, and then disseminate that to a people who are infants in that way of thinking, but it is a blessed task nonetheless. If time permits, pray for us as we begin to wrap our minds around the church calendar. I'm certain you will hear from me again as I seek to navigate it pastorally.
I remember attending a session at Shepherds Conference one year. The speaker chastised those of us who used a manuscript to preach from. "You're not Steve Lawson!", he exclaimed. The retort in my mind was, "And we're not all you!"
I find a manuscript helpful in all the ways you've described, and I encourage our session to do the same.
I also recall hearing a very famous Southern Baptist preacher who used no manuscript, and his sermon had no focus, no flow, no landing. He was all over the place. Another example for me to see in real time the benefits of a manuscript.
Pastor Brito, thank you for your content. We are a small church plant in Western North Carolina seeking, by God's grace, to have a church ordered by weekly covenant renewal, festive gathering, and gospel activity in the community. As one of the pastors, I have found it difficult to manage the length of the service with brief comments at the time of confession, the time of communion, and then the sermon itself. I noticed your sermons rarely go beyond 30 minutes. Is this an intentional length in order to make the service flow more naturally and not feel like the sermon is the main point? Thank you in advance. Your work is a blessing to many, including myself.
Justin, thanks for your comments. We try to make any additional exhortations brief—about a minute—to keep the flow going. We do have an initial exhortation that serves as a call to worship and may be a little longer. It happens before the service begins. But you are reading the logic of the sermon well. I do keep 95% of all sermons under 25 minutes. As you may know, it is far more complicated to write a shorter sermon than a longer one. A shorter sermon requires more precision and care. But the logic is to maintain a healthy flow and avoid idolizing one C out of the 6 C's in Covenant Renewal. I have even heard Reformed folks say that as long as you hear the sermon, you technically don't need anything else. Whereas we would say that if you miss everything else, you are missing the storyline.
Thank to for the response. That makes sense. I remember early on in my journey into the pastorate, I was heavily influenced by the MacArthur/Steve Lawson camp that placed preaching upon a mile high pedestal. I remember a service that once consisted of a prayer, 4 songs back to back, and a 55 minute sermon. I am no longer in that frame of mind at all, but I do recognize the preached Word as a primary means of grace. I just don't want to give the impression that it is the real "C" amongst other negotiable and minor "C's." Your response was helpful. It is a full-time task to ingest a thoroughly covenantal framework for family, work, and worship, and then disseminate that to a people who are infants in that way of thinking, but it is a blessed task nonetheless. If time permits, pray for us as we begin to wrap our minds around the church calendar. I'm certain you will hear from me again as I seek to navigate it pastorally.
Excellent.