What is Sermon-Crafting?

Welcome to “The Sermon Crafting Blog.” Each week, the blog will feature a post from the staff of The Fred Craddock Center for Preaching Excellence, from a teacher of preachers from Johnson as well as from other schools, or from a preacher who crafting sermons every week to deliver to a local congregation, or even from some folks who listen to sermons and have some thoughts on what makes a sermon well-crafted and compelling.

What is sermon-crafting? Let’s liken it to crafting a piece of furniture from wood. When a furniture maker sets out to craft a chair or desk or table or chest, the first step is to understand where the piece will go—what is the shape and style of the room and house that will contain it? It needs to fit the space in which it will be used. The purpose of the piece is also important. A graceful hallway stand and a butcher block are both tables, but with very different purposes. Knowing the place and purpose the piece, the maker then designs the form and joinery, giving the piece a solid foundation and structure, and choosing the right wood for both the task and the look. Next come the trim and moldings, giving the furniture piece the right look to fit the environment. Finally, the maker applies an appropriate finish, to bring out the beauty of the wood and to make the piece durable and long-lasting.

As we look at sermon crafting in this blog, those same elements will be considered. Some weeks we will look at analyzing the audience and the cultural context of a sermon, to craft a sermon that “fits in the space” and focuses its purpose. Other weeks the blog will look at the foundational work of exegesis and understanding the meaning of the text. The shape and structure of the sermon will be a topic for other weeks. Some weeks may treat the tools and techniques of sermon crafting, while others will lean into the “trimming and finishing” of the sermon to make it attractive and its effect long-lasting.

Each weekly installment should give preachers either a new idea or technique to add to their sermon-crafting toolbox or a reminder of the basics they already know but may have fallen out of use. This is a space where sermon crafters “talk shop,” learn from master craftsmen, and encourage each other to craft good, effective, durable sermons and hone the skills that lead to preaching excellence.