You’re invited to join me next week for one of 4 free webinars I’m leading called “Planning Your 2012 Preaching Calendar.”

After coaching more than 1,000 pastors over the last few years, I’ve learned that one of the best tools for reducing your stress, maximizing creativity, honoring God and working with the natural patterns of your people is planning your preaching calendar months in advance.

With that in mind, I am committed to doing everything I can to help you plan out what you’re going to preach in 2011.

My bestselling “Planning a One Year Preaching Calendar” resource lays out the principles of how to plan your preaching a year in advance, but next week I want to go a step further!

That’s why next week I’m doing a series of FREE WEBINARS for pastors called “Planning Your 2012 Preaching Calendar,” where I will literally walk you (by phone and on your computer) through the 2011 calendar during the course of our 75 minutes together and help you plan what you’re going to preach over the next year.

You can register now at this link:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar

This is NOT the same general training that I teach in the 1 hour preaching calendar CD resource…

Instead, I will help you APPLY the preaching calendar ”principles” to the unique makeup of the 2012 calendar.

In each of these webinars, I will walk you through:

* When, specifically, to plan your 2012 Big Days (and when not to plan them).
* The pitfalls and possibilities built into the 2012 calendar
* How to make the most of people’s natural seasonal patterns.
* The best times in 2012 for each of the 3 different types of sermon series (attraction, growth & balance).
* How to make Easter in 2012 more effective than ever at your church.
* Which days you can expect fewer people and how to best use those days.
* Plus much more!

I don’t remember being more excited about any of the webinars we’ve done than I am about these!

Church Leader Insights exists to help you “maximize your ministry” and this webinar is my virtual opportunity to sit down across the table from you (over the phone and on your computer) and walk you through this planning process.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
7:00pm – 8:15pm Eastern
6:00pm – 7:15pm Central
5:00pm – 6:15pm Mountain
4:00pm – 5:15pm Pacific

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011
2:00pm – 3:15pm Eastern
1:00pm – 2:15pm Central
12:00pm – 1:15pm Mountain
11:00am – 12:15pm Pacific

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar

Thanks for your continued support of Church Leader Insights and I can’t wait to talk to you next week!

If you have any questions or prefer to register by phone, simply call             1-800-264-5129      .

Remember, all you need is a phone line for the long distance call and computer access to join me on one of these webinars. Oh, and did I mention that each one is FREE!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. Do you know any other pastors who would benefit from one of these webinars?
Please forward this invite to them — I’d love for them to join us!

Here’s the address to sign up again:

www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com/preachingwebinar

Around The Journey, we call it “The Hook” – it’s the first 3 to 5 minutes of the sermon that is designed to capture the attention of your audience and set the tone for the message you are to deliver.

As a communicator, I’m always looking for examples of how to ‘set the tone’ to share God’s word and ‘capture the attention’ of my too often disinterested audience.

I try to learn from many different sources…including Hollywood.

Below is a fun link to 30 Classic Opening Movie Scenes.

According to the site, these are the “First moments that sucked us in, from old-school (”Citizen Kane”) to newbies (”The Dark Knight”).”

A reminder of just how powerful the first few minutes of a movie (or sermon) can be:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20407866,00.html

Enjoy!

Nelson

We are fortunate to live in an age when so many great ministry tools are available to us.

One powerful ministry tool at our disposal is video preaching.

Whether you’re in a multi-site situation or simply a solo pastor preparing to be away for a Sunday, the ability to record a sermon on video and play it back during the service is one way to multiply your ministry.

Here are four tips to maximize the impact of your preaching video:

1) Be sure to look straight at the camera.

Don’t look at the actual audience in attendance. Remember that people will be watching the screen on Sunday.

If you’re not looking at the camera, you’re not looking at them. Their perception will be that you’re looking off in the distance.

2) Try to incorporate some simple engagement devices.

Tell them to take out their outline/message notes. Have them circle a word in a verse. Have them stand up, read a scripture verse aloud.

I know it might sound and feel odd, but you’ll be amazed at the feedback. People really enjoy it.

BTW – if you tell them to stand, pause and give them a moment to stand.

For example, you might have them read a verse out loud with you. And “interact” with them just as you would if you were live – stop and ask them to read the second half twice as loud.

3) Don’t make any apologies for being on video.

This is a BIG point.  Don’t imply in any way that because you’re not there in person, their life won’t be changed by the message.

Don’t treat this message any different or any less impactful as a live message

4) Preach like you would normally preach.

Once you start recording, commit to it. You wouldn’t stop mid-message on a Sunday morning and start over, so don’t do that on video either.

Commit to it and preach the Word with passion and purpose.

These four tips will increase the impact of your video preaching and allow you to multiply your ministry even when you can’t be there live.

Do you have any tips you’d like to add? Leave a comment below to share.

P.S. Looking for a way to increase the effectiveness of your preaching (live AND on video)?  

Check out my new e-book, “Double the Effectiveness of Your Preaching.”  It’s a FREE Download here.

One of the decisions I made early on in my ministry was that I would do everything possible to cooperate with God to become the best preacher I could be.

And I”m still committed to constant improvement.  With that in mind, I read a great article recently by Tyler Scarlett, Pastor of Forest (Virginia) Baptist Church, and I want to share it with you today:

The Ten Commandments of Preaching
by Tyler Scarlett

When it comes to preaching and teaching the Bible, we all fall short. Who hasn’t quoted the wrong reference or (worse) read the wrong passage of Scripture altogether? Who hasn’t, in the heat of the moment, accidentally gotten tie-tongued and credited Paul with the words of Peter? You may even find yourself creating a homiletical mountain out of an exegetical molehill.

Everyone makes mistakes, but for all the mistakes preachers can (and do) make, here are 10 that we should do our best to avoid at all costs.

1. Thou shalt not put words in God’s mouth.

God is more than capable of saying what He means and meaning what He says. He doesn’t need our help to add to or take away from His Word. We have no business saying God said something He didn’t say. That’s why we must handle the Word of truth accurately (1 Tim. 3:15). If you’ve ever been misquoted (in conversation or a newspaper), you know how frustrating that experience is. Imagine how the God of the universe must feel when one of His messengers misquotes Him. We need to be sure to get the message right!

2. Thou shalt prepare and preach every message as though it were thy last.

Even if it is only to a small Sunday night crowd, the preacher never should take his or her responsibility lightly. Why? Because it very well may be the last sermon you ever preach or the last sermon someone listening ever hears. Furthermore, we don’t know what God’s Spirit has been doing behind the scenes. A rebellious teenager or wayward spouse may be on the verge of repenting and trusting Christ. The listener’s need is urgent, therefore the preaching should be urgent.Preaching is not a playground for frivolous fun,but a battlefield for gutsy warfare. It is where the very issues of life and death, heaven and hell, hang in the balance. As the great Puritan theologian and preacher Richard Baxter once eloquently said, “I’ll preach as though I ne’er should preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” We should seek to do the same.

3. Thou shalt not present the Word of God in a boring and non-compelling manner.

Newsflash: If people are falling asleep during your sermon, it’s not God’s fault. If God’s Word is sufficient to transform lives, isn’t it also sufficient to keep people’s attention? Don’t get in the way of the transforming power of God’s Word by letting it become boring. To preach and teach the Bible in a boring and unpersuasive manner is, I believe, a sin.This is not to say every preacher has to be dynamic, witty, and entertaining. It does mean, however, that every preacher should see him or herself as God’s messenger and spokesman for that moment. He or she must plead passionately and desperately with those listening to hear and heed God’s Word.

4. Thou always shalt point to Christ in thy message.

Seeing that Jesus Christ is the focal point of every passage, it stands to reason that He should, therefore, be the focal point of every sermon. As Dennis Johnson writes, “Whatever our biblical text and theme, if we want to impart God’s life-giving wisdom in its exposition, we can do nothing other than proclaim Christ.”

The most humbling experience of my seminary years was related to this. In one of my preaching classes, I had to give several sermons in front of my peers and professor. The first sermon I preached was well-received and complimented. So, after the second sermon (from the Old Testament), I sat down arrogantly waiting to hear “the showers of blessings” and compliments about how well I had done.  My professor, Greg Heisler from Southeastern Seminary, said, “Tyler, that message was passionate and challenging…but you made one huge mistake.” He continued, “You could have preached that message in a Jewish synagogue or a Muslim mosque and [the congregation] could have said ‘Amen!’ to everything you said. You never once mentioned Christ in your entire message.” He left me with this challenge: “You need to be sure that every time you preach—even from the Old Testament—that if a Jew or Muslim were in the audience [he or she] would feel extremely uncomfortable.”Remember, we are not simply theistic preachers; we are to be distinctly Christian preachers.

5. Thou shalt edify thy hearers to faith and obedience.

It’s like the old hymn: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” Regardless of the passage, the goal of every sermon should be to remind people that whatever the issue or doctrine at hand God and His Word are reliable. When God gave the Ten Commandments, He didn’t begin by barking orders at the Israelites. In fact, the Ten Commandments don’t start with commands. They begin with the reassuring words, “I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt…” (Ex. 20:1). In other words, God reminded them: “You can trust Me; that’s why you should obey Me.”The real motivation for Christian living is not, “I have to obey God,” but it is, “Given everything I know to be true about Him, why wouldn’t I obey God?” A good sermon will help people to think and live that way.

6. Thou shalt not be one kind of person and another kind of preacher.

This is the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde syndrome of preaching. On the one hand, this means you can’t live like the devil Monday through Saturday and expect to preach with the tongue of an angel on Sunday. Paul told Timothy: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these [sinful] things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). Every preacher must seek to be a “clean vessel” which is “useful to the Master.”This also means you shouldn’t try to be someone else in the pulpit. As Phillips Brooks once said, “Preaching is truth through personality.” God only made one Charles Spurgeon, one Adrian Rogers, one John MacArthur, and one John Piper. Don’t try to imitate other preachers; be yourself.

Listening to such great preachers is like watching a grand Fourth of July fireworks display. You sit back, relax, watch and “Ooo” and “Ahh” with everyone else. You should be amazed at it and enjoy it, but you shouldn’t go home and try to duplicate it in your backyard. You can’t. There’s no sense in trying. The same is true with preaching. When you preach, be yourself.

7. Thou shalt not open a commentary until thou hast read the passage 100 times.

This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s an important reminder. Which would you rather eat:  Grandma’s made-from-scratch, warm, fluffy biscuits or a frozen biscuit that’s been nuked in the microwave? Reheated food is never as good or fresh. The same is true with sermons.The biggest temptation, I think, for the current generation of preachers is to jump directly into the commentaries or click over to the sermon Web sites without thoroughly meditating on the passage first for him or herself. As Robert Smith once commented: There are far too many preachers who preach only from the neck up. The truth is most powerful when it is from the lips of a person whose heart and mind have marinated extensively on God’s Word.

8. Honor thy context above all else, so that it may go well with thee in thy message.

The battle cry of the soldiers of the Texas Revolution was “Remember the Alamo!” The battle cry for today’s preachers should be “Remember, context is king!” I often tell people they don’t need to know Greek and Hebrew to teach the Bible well, but they must know the context well.The role of context in preaching and teaching cannot be underestimated or over stressed. Without context, I could preach a sermon that said, “and [Judas] went away and hanged himself” and the Lord Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” While there may not be anyone promoting suicide from the pulpit, if we don’t pay close attention to context, the result may be spiritual suicide. Don’t ever lose the context.

9. Thou shalt make the point of the text the point of the message.

The title of John Stott’s timeless book says it all: Between Two Worlds. The preacher of the Word of God finds him or herself with one foot in the biblical world and one foot in the modern world. It falls upon the preacher to straddle these two with balance. Don’t ever forget that what God said 2,000 or 3,000 years ago is exactly the same message people need to hear today.Some will argue, “Yeah, but what about all the history, culture, and differences in language from biblical to modern times? My people don’t understand all that stuff.” Well, guess what? You should teach it to them.Don’t dumb-down the Bible; smarten-up the people. The Bible is the most relevant thing in the universe because God is the most relevant Being in the universe.

10. Thou shalt preach and teach doctrine above all else.

Many churches are weak and lifeless because they have spiritual anemia. What they lack is doctrinal iron in their bloodstreams. All week long, people hear messages from other people.  “What people need,” as Robert McCracken once said, “is to hear a word beyond themselves.”  Doctrine  feeds the soul. It reassures the faithless. It matures the child. It’s what keeps churches healthy and alive. Without it, pastors speak without preaching, and churches sing without worshiping. Preach doctrinally rich sermons!The great problem in today’s pulpits is not a lack of preaching, but an abundance of dreadful preaching. This is largely because many preachers are not as careful and mindful of the task as they should be. Not only does the church need us preachers to keep these Ten Commandments, but more importantly God and His Word deserve the effort required.

This is a great list.  Would you add anything?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

P.S. If you’re passionate about being a good steward of your pulpit (or stage), I’d like to give you a FREE Copy of my new E-Book, “Double the Effectiveness of Your Preaching” – CLICK HERE to Download Now!

Like I have been telling you the last couple of days, I’m committed to helping you Maximize Easter this year like never before!

To help you make this the BEST EASTER EVER for your church, here are four keys to make the maximum possible impact with your preaching this Easter:

1- Begin a new Sermon Series on Easter Sunday, April 24.

By starting a brand new series of sermons on Easter, you will give your Easter guests a reason to return to your church the following week.

In fact, you can challenge them to commit to be a part of each week of the new series.

2- Choose a Sermon Series that will attract the people of your community.

Remember that people are most open to attending your church (and to the Gospel) when they’re experiencing Trouble, Tension, or Transition in their own lives.

Keep the people you’re trying to reach in mind as you prayerfully select your Easter sermon series topic.

3- Prepare your Easter Sermon for God to use it mightily.

With all the prayer and preparation that you and your church are doing to make this the BEST EASTER EVER, don’t leave your Easter Sunday sermon to chance.

Schedule a sermon run-through for a few days before Easter and choose one or two people you trust to listen and offer feedback. At the very least, record yourself preaching the sermon and listen to it yourself.

4- Don’t re-invent the wheel.

Now is the time to plan your new sermon series to begin on Easter Sunday. By starting with one of my complete sermon series resources, you can lean on hundreds of hours of research, preparation and design.

And this week only, you can get 25% Off on seven of my most effective Sermon Series – perfect to kick-off on Easter Sunday!

Click the picture below to read more and order now at 25% Off:

These are some of the most powerful Easter sermons we’ve used at The Journey – Each series comes complete with:

• Sermon Notes
• Sermon Transcripts
• Graphics
• Presentation Backgrounds
• Memory Verse Cards
• And more!

With Easter only about six weeks away, now is the time to plan what you’re going to preach.

And since I am committed to helping you experience a powerful Easter at your church, I’m offering seven of my most effective sermon series resources at 25% Off – THIS WEEK ONLY.

Sermons available for 25% Off include:

	From Stress to Rest
	This five-part message series will help you teach your church how to move from the overwhelming stress of life into the rest that’s available in Christ. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Forgiveness: The Real “F” Word
	Use this series to teach your church five powerful and life-changing truths about forgiveness. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Relationship Rescue
	Your church will learn the keys to experiencing successful relationships despite the challenges of life with this four-part series. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Unshakeable Faith
	Teach your church how to “Stand Strong When Things Go Wrong” with this six-part sermon series. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Pure Sex
	This five sermon series will teach the people of your congregation and community how to experience pure sex, God’s way. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Work Matters
	The seven messages in this series will help you teach your church how to find harmony and satisfaction when it comes to their work. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off
	Se7en
	This eight-part sermon series teaches what the Bible has to say about the “seven deadly sins” and how to overcome them. Click here to Download Now for 25% Off

Click the picture above to read more and order now at 25% Off.

These series have all proven to be not only attractional at reaching people, but effective at helping people grow.

Each sermon series comes complete with:

• Sermon Notes
• Sermon Transcripts
• Graphics
• Presentation Backgrounds
• Memory Verse Cards
• And more!

But don’t delay – your 25% Off is available this week only!

One of the most helpful and well-received sermon series we’ve done at The Journey this year was called “Unshakeable Faith.”

And now I’m excited to let you know that the full, six-part series (and everything you need to teach it at your church) is available in the Church Leader Insights Store.

Here are the details:

Teach your people how to “Stand Strong When Things Go Wrong” with this brand new, six-part sermon series.

Jesus tells a story of two men in Matthew 7:24-27 – one wise, one foolish – who chose to build their homes on two very different foundations – one on ROCK, one on sand. And when the storms came, one house survived and one didn’t.

Your people are no different – no matter how much we wish it wouldn’t, the storms of life WILL come.

• The question is “on what foundation will they depend to get them through?”
• When the unexpected happens, how will the people of your church respond?

Unshakeable Faith is a six-week sermon series that will help you equip your people to face the toughest of situations with their faith not only intact, but stronger than ever!

This Sermon Series Includes these Messages:

• Unshakeable Faith
• Facing Failure with Faith
• Facing Death with Faith
• Facing Doubt with Faith
• Facing Illness with Faith
• Living with Unshakeable Faith

You’ll also receive these resources:

• Sermon Notes
• Sermon Transcripts
• Graphics
• Presentation Backgrounds
• Memory Verse Cards
• And more!

P.S. This is a great series to teach your people this fall – order it for Immediate Download (click here) and you can download the entire series within minutes.  Or click here to secure your 7-CD Set.

Can’t we all use a chuckle on Monday morning?

Here’s a list I saw recently from the folks at Preaching Magazine (www.Preaching.com):

The Top 10 Signs Your Sermon Isn’t Going Well

13. Your associate pastor is warming up in the bullpen.

12. The praise band begins playing you off the stage.

11. The congregation is filling in the blanks of your outline before you get there.

10. You think the lyrics to a bluegrass song are really connecting with your audience.

9. When you pause for dramatic effect, several people giggle.

8. Your cell phone starts ringing, and you answer it.

7. The person signing for the deaf just pulled on mittens.

6. When the children are dismissed to junior church, most of their parents go, too.

5. Your sermon took shape over a glass of wine and volume three of Left Behind.

4. Your interpreter just rolled his eyes and put your last statement in quotation marks.

3. Desperate mothers are pinching their babies.

2. The ushers are handing out refunds.

1. You began your sermon with “Top 10 signs your sermon isn’t going well.”

Have a great Monday!

P.S. To increase the effectiveness of your preaching and reduce your stress from week to week, check out “Planning a One Year Preaching Calendar“

I just finished reading John Maxwell’s new book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, and I’ll be talking about it in a future CLI Newsletter (you are getting the newsletter aren’t you? if not, click here).

Here’s a powerful story that Maxwell shares in this book:

President Abraham Lincoln, an incredible communicator, was known during the Civil War to attend a church not far from the White House on Wednesday nights. The preacher, Dr. Gurley, allowed the president to sit in the pastor’s study with the door open to the chancel so he could listen to the sermon without having to interact with the crowd.

One Wednesday evening as Lincoln and a companion walked back to the White House after the sermon, the president’s companion asked, “What did you think of tonight’s sermon?”

“Well,” Lincoln responded, “it was brilliantly conceived, biblical, relevant, and well presented.”

“So, it was a great sermon?”

“No,” Lincoln replied. “It failed. It failed because Dr. Gurley did not ask us to do something great.” Inspiring communicators always expect a lot from their listeners.

I often joke about my propensity for “crash-landing” my sermons, but one thing I’ve learned to check for in every sermon I prepare: What am I asking these people to do with what I teach them?  I call it “preaching for next steps.”

The point is – as President Lincoln noted above – no matter how biblical, relevant, well presented or even brilliant your message may be, the lack of a clear and compelling call to action will render it a failure in motivating people to radical obedience.

So, what do you expect of the people you’ll be preaching to this Sunday?

What is the great thing that you’re going to challenge them to do?

P.S. For my hand-selected book recommendations and the best and latest in church leadership each month, be sure to subscribe to the Church Leader Insights Newsletter - click here for your Free Subscription.

I ran across this story in a book I was reading recently and I think it has great application when it comes to planning and preparing to preach:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was once asked how long it would take to prepare an address on a particular theme. “That depends on how long you want me to speak,’ the President answered.

“If you want an hour on the issue, I can be ready in two days. If you want thirty minutes, it will take me a week. If you want five minutes, it may take a month to prepare.”

FDR knew that arriving at the essence is one of the most demanding exercises of all.

“…Arriving at the essence is one of the most demanding exercises of all” – Isn’t that true for our sermon prep as well?

P.S. One of the best tactics I know of to get ahead and give myself plenty of time to hone in on the essence of the message is planning your preaching in advance.  To learn more and get started, check out my one hour training called “Planning a One Year Preaching Calendar.”