The Art of Storytelling

Preaching is a wonderful thing, at least to preachers. Most men and women who become pastors do so because at one point or another in their lives, they were affected by the words of their pastor. Then, they went to college and then seminary. Upon going to their first pastorate, they discover that preachers do indeed preach but that is only one small thing they do. Preachers, as it turns out, do a whole lot more than preaching.

When it comes to preaching, how does one go about doing it? There are many different ways. Some do expository preaching, others preach topically, and a few more tell stories. There isn't any one way that is better than the other, just so long as the Message gets preached. My friend Caught in the Middle explains this beautifully.

I often experiment with my preaching style. Last Sunday, many of you noticed and recognized a new preaching style...and from what many of you said, you enjoyed it. To tell you the truth, it was a very difficult thing to do. Usually I read my sermon and sometimes I only have 5-6 pages of notes. Last Sunday I had a one-page outline and pretty much didn't even use it. There is a huge danger when a preacher gets up to preach in an extemporaneous manner--Lord only knows where he (or she) will end up. We all have lots of stories for sure.

I may have to put in a call to Caught in the Middle and learn how to fine tune the storytelling thing.