The Three Worst Sermon Types

The Three Worst Sermon Types:

Preaching is a very important part of the ministry. It should never be undermined or discounted. The man that would mount the sacred desk should realize that he has a serious responsibility before God to feed his flock. Sermons should be well prepared, prayed over, and delivered clearly if they are to be of any help.

God uses all types of personalities. He uses the serious, the jokester, the cryer, the straight shooter, and the intelectual all the same. There are many effective ways to communicate Bible truth to a congregation, and there are many ineffective way to communicate a Bible truth to a crowd.

Let me give you just a few of the worst sermon types:

1. All Shout - No Substance

The man that would mount the pulpit with fire in his belly should be able to articulate what he is so excited about. If a man is excited about a truth, then he should be able to explain that truth. There are secular speakers that are able to work a crowd into an emotional upheaval with sad stories, emotional displays, and a dynamic delivery. I fear that some in the ministry know how to do the same thing. The command to "preach the word" still stands today. Away with rhetoric, cliches, one liners, and generic sayings. Give me something from the Words of God!

2. All Information - No Application

There are many covenants, laws, prophecies, and traditions in the Bible. These things can be very detailed and complicated. Some men have taken it upon themselves to learn the intricate details of these concepts, and preach them to their congregations.

The difficulty comes with the application of these concepts to the average listener. Many people in the pews are not helped by an exposition of the second toe on the left foot of the beast in Daniel 2. If a preacher would go into these concepts, he must make sure that there is some application that the listener can apply to their life. If not, then you are just boring them.

3. No Shout - No Substance

We have all heard the hopelessly boring man preach with substance. We endured his lack of personality to get the Bible message he was giving us. Then there is the hopelessly boring man that preaches without substance. Not only is he missing a personality, he is missing a message.

These men tax people's patience, weary teenager's souls, and make children think that church is boring. Nothing is worse than going to church without feeling like you have gone to church. Imagine being invited over to someone's house for a meal, only to find that there is nothing to eat when you get there. The man that has no substance does the same thing spiritually to his listeners.

Conclusion: 

Every sermon should have three basic elements: Substance, Shout, and Application. All effective communication has these elements, and sermons should too.