Twelve Essential Skills for Effective Preaching Book Analysis

Preaching is speaking the truth about the word of God. In the Second Edition of McDill’s now classic text, The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, the author revises the original text to make it relevant to the next generation of preachers and to the general public interested in the fundamentals of delivering the good news. Just as scripture itself needs to be continually revisited to remain relevant to contemporary believers, so too do Christian commentaries and guides like The 12 Essential Skills. McDill’s primary audience is would-be and aspiring preachers, but anyone, Christian or not, can gain essential wisdom from this text. The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching is divided into four sections, plus the two prefaces (that of the original edition plus a new preface to the second edition), introduction, conclusion, and appendices. In its entirety, the book is only 300 words, offering a concise overview of the core skills McDill offers as keys to great preaching practice. Conveniently, McDill also sub-divides the book into the titular twelve skills, which are pragmatic and practical rather than philosophical or theological. It is therefore presumed the reader is already engaged in critical analyses, exegeses, and Biblical correspondences to develop the core material for sermons or Bible studies.
A cogent introduction opens the text brilliantly, mentioning basketball great Michael Jordon as well as legendary conductor Itzak Perlman. Anchoring The 12 Essential Skills to popular culture, McDill lays the groundwork for the tone and theme of the text. This is a text geared not for an academic or scholarly audience but for the general public of believers. Mentioning exceptionally talented individuals like Perlman and Jordan means that McDill is going to distinguish between those who are born with innate gifts but who still do need to work hard and practice to perfect their skills. It is on this note that McDill presents the core material of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching. Great preaching does start with a calling and perhaps even a gift, but to truly raise the material and elevate the congregation, one needs to hone and develop skills through hard work. Also in the introduction, McDill provides an outline or general overview of what the book contains, as well how to read and get the most from it. McDill points out that he will focus on the well-established key word method of developing sermons, which both Hamilton (1992) and Stockhouse & Crisp (2014) explicate in their similar texts on how to ideally present the New Testament to diverse congregations. McDill also discusses the keynotes of rhetoric in the introduction to The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, and notes that the objective in preaching should always be maximizing audience appeal. Finally, McDill tells the reader straight out that the book is about how to prepare an expository (as opposed to narrative or inductive) sermon, and is not about sermons in a sociological or historical sense.
Expository sermons are sermons that communicate the meaning of the primary source, by discovering what the original writers meant and the theological underpinnings of the passage. The text speaks for itself, as the word of God. However, the preacher essentially translates the spiritual essence of each passage for a modern listener. Launching straight away into the twelve essential skills of great preaching, McDill explains the reason why each skill is important, how to cultivate it through systematic practice and hands-on experience, and also how to model sermon delivery after experts. Preaching is a calling, as McDill points out, and it does require skill, but not every preacher has the same delivery. McDill claims, “we are all gifted and can develop the skills appropriate to those gifts,” (p. 6). On that note, the author discusses text analysis in Section One of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, including separate chapters on Diagramming the Text Structure, Noting the Text Details, and Asking Research Questions.
In “Diagramming the Text Structure,” McDill discusses the first essential skill in great preaching, which involves deliberately creating conceptual and mind maps that will be helpful in organizing one’s ideas by visualizing the relationships between various Biblical concepts, themes, motifs, or key words. The author’s approach includes offering stories or anecdotes that deftly illustrate what he means by text diagramming and the problems when preachers omit this essential skill. One requires observational skills throughout the entire process of textual analysis, as well as inductive and deductive reasoning. Expository sermon preparation hinges on the preacher’s ability to carefully analyze, pick apart, scrutinize, digest, and then relate the text. According to McDill, most modern preachers focus too much on deductive reasoning, looking first at the general truths and only thereafter focusing on the particulars. To exercise inductive reasoning and thinking, McDill advises readers to start with the details first and move on from there. By starting with the details, the preacher uses the same type of reasoning that a scientist would (p. 13). Too much deductive reasoning can cause a preacher to overlook critical details that render a text more meaningful. The author concludes this important first chapter with seven reasons why inductive reasoning is an essential skill.
The second essential skill for great preaching is “Noting the Text Details,” which involves a more diligent analysis of the details that might otherwise be ignored or overlooked with a more cursory reading of scripture. Noting the text details follows logically from Chapter One, in which McDill laid the foundation for inductive reasoning methods of textual analysis. McDill points out that noting the details entails practicing the art of deep reading, taking into account inter-textual and contextual variables. This stage is also where the preacher might delve a little into history and culture to show how each detail in the text can pertain as much to the current times as to Biblical times. Instead of basing a sermon on bias or “what we already think we know,” the preacher approaches the text with renewed vigor, fresh eyes, and an open mind (McDill, 2006, p. 14). Noting the text details helps preachers actively avoid biases in their work.
Linked with cultivating the essential skill of noting details is the third skill: “Asking Research Questions.” Like scholars, preachers need to be researchers. They need to spend far more time preparing the sermon than delivering it. The most important aspect of expository sermon preparation is research, which grounds the sermon content in factual evidence from the primary source texts. Whenever possible, the preacher should read numerous theological correspondences and commentaries to see what other authors have said about the passages in question. Through a systematic analysis of the language and historical context, it is more likely the preacher will transform a simply good sermon into a great one. This is also the stage at which the preacher should be conducting serious scholarly research whenever possible, using libraries and online databases to learn about the geography, culture, historical figures, and anything else relevant to the text.
Section Two of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching comprises three chapters including skills four, five, and six. Skill four, or chapter four, is “Naming the Text Idea.” Chapter five or skill five is “Bridging from Text to Sermon.” Skill six is “Writing Sermon Divisions.” Taken together, skills four through six are covered under the sectional rubric of Theological Interpretation, Part Two of McDill’s text. One does not need to be a theologian to be a great preacher, but one does need to develop a theological mindset in order to prepare and deliver a proper expository sermon. Theological interpretation begins with the essential skill of naming the text idea. In “Naming the Text Idea,” McDill means searching for the core theme of each text or passage. Doing so requires poring over the text and meditation on its meaning. Only when the meaning has been “unlocked” is it possible to proceed with the rest of sermon development.
Skill five is “Bridging from Text to Sermon.” McDill notes this is one of the pivotal skills because it involves the process of transmitting what has been written in scripture in a way that is unique and meaningful for the congregation. Bridging is what makes no two sermons alike, even when they are about the same themes or passages. Just as there can be multiple bridges across the same river, there are also a potentially infinite variety of bridges between text and sermon. Therefore, McDill offers some methods for how to correctly build an “interpretive bridge,” depending on the content of the text and the intended theme or mood of the sermon. To bridge means carrying the original text’s meaning from one side to another, linking the source text and its contextual variables with the variables that are familiar to the modern hearer.
“Writing Sermon Divisions” is chapter/skill six. Division statements are transitional words and phrases that guide both the source text and the sermon. Just as an effective expository essay contains transitional words and phrases connecting one paragraph to the next, so too is an expository sermon organized accordingly. Transitional phrases increase eloquence and anchor meaning. McDill notes that division statements need to be practiced routinely, because they may not come naturally to all preachers. An effective sermon division is like an interpretive bridge, in that it links disparate elements based on their common themes. However, the division statements are also important in helping construct the overall outline of the sermon.
The third section of The 12 Essential Skills centers on the art of sermon development. This section also includes three chapters, each outlining individual essential skills including balancing persuasive elements, exploring natural analogies, and drawing pictures, telling stories. In Chapter/Skill Seven, “Balancing Persuasive Elements,” McDill discusses an often overlooked element crucial to an effective sermon: how to anticipate and respond to audience responses and even to objections. When delivering sermons to a diverse group of people, preachers are bound to come across worldviews and perspectives different from their own. Open-mindedness and cultural competency are underlying skills that promote the clever balance of persuasive elements that can turn any sermon into one that is relevant to all members of a congregation. By considering what audience members might be thinking in response to hearing the sermon, or what their belief systems or backgrounds might be, the preacher does a much better job of promoting understanding of the Biblical text, helping the audience to accept the meaning and truth of that text, and evoking a response or call to action.
Chapter or skill eight is “Exploring Natural Analogies.” The key to an effective sermon is bringing the Biblical text to life in new ways, using the literary devices of analogy, metaphor, and simile. This is where a preacher can really shine, adding personal anecdotes or drawing from popular culture and current events to show why scripture remains perennially relevant. The key to analogies is vivid imagery that all members of the congregation can picture and relate to, driving home understanding of the text. McDill also advises that preachers keep their analogies “natural,” to avoid non-sequiturs or confusing the congregation. Keeping it simple is keeping it effective. Analogies transmit a “heavenly truth using earthly images,” (p. McDill, 2006, p. 128). As with conceptual or thematic bridges, the analogies take a broad, abstract, or theological notion and bring it down to earth. The congregation needs analogies to see why one thing is like another, or to gain deep understanding of otherwise heady or philosophical ideas.
In Chapter nine, McDill talks about “Drawing Pictures, Telling Stories.” A natural extension of chapter eight, chapter nine encourages the reader to use language that is as vivid as possible to tell engaging stories. Storytelling is the oldest form of preaching, and is embedded in the Bible itself. Therefore, preachers remain true to the essence of their craft when they weave stories into their sermons. The stories should build bridges between the source text and the modern world, or between Biblical times and the contemporary. McDill states that preachers can draw from whatever material makes them most comfortable during delivery, including but not limited to personal anecdotes or stories that the community might relate to because of shared experiences. Because McDill draws pictures and tells stories throughout The 12 Essential Skills, the reader is much better equipped for understanding the methods and means by which this essential skill is practiced. One needs only draw upon the innate human gift for storytelling, one of the oldest art forms in the world. Storytelling connects people from disparate cultures, backgrounds, and worldviews, and also allows preachers to recreate meaning from texts that could be difficult for the modern audience to understand.
The fourth and final section of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching is on Sermon Design. This section contains the last three essential skills: touching human experience, aiming for a faith response, and planning the oral presentation. Sermon design refers to the structure of the sermon and the method of delivery, requiring a lot of time and preparatory work on the part of the preacher. The tenth skill covered in Chapter Ten is “Touching Human Experience.” Touching human experience means locating the precise points at which Biblical themes have meaning for people’s lives, either the personal lives of individuals, or collective lives of the community. Human experience is ultimately universal, even when the details vary. Everyone eventually experiences pain, loss, grief, anger, and sadness. These are the elements that comprise human experience regardless of culture, gender, or historical context. The way to touch human experience in a sermon is to take each individual passage being discussed, locate its theme, and then figure out how that theme connects with what is going on in the lives of people in the room. At times, the preacher may focus on an aspect of human experience that is highly specific, but at other times it may be general.
One of McDill’s most important chapters is Chapter 11, “Aiming for a Faith Response.” After all, the ultimate purpose of a sermon is to elicit a faith response, to inspire, uplift, and reinforce faith. Faith is the cornerstone of preaching, the essence of the calling, and the eventual aim of every sermon. Therefore, every aspect of the sermon design should be geared toward this all-important goal, notes McDill. Driving each sermon towards the end goal of a faith response is not easy, though, considering the multitude of approaches to each individual Biblical passage. Through the preacher’s vivid imagery and analysis, the hearer should cultivate faith from hearing the sermon or find new ways of looking at an idea by bringing God into the picture. Evoking or inspiring change is also a critical goal of all sermons. “An adult who puts his faith in Christ is a changed person,” according to McDill (2006, p. 180). When a preacher wishes to communicate the essential message of a text, the lesser goal is an intellectual understanding of that passage. The greater goal of preaching is to evoke change, or to inspire one to take action based on faith. When members of the congregation experience the typical setbacks of daily life or are grapping with existential angst or trauma, they look to the preacher and the Bible for hope, connection, and support. It is important for the preacher to depersonalize the message at this point, recognizing the ultimate and overarching goal of sermon work is to increase faith.
Finally, Chapter 12 is “Planning the Oral Presentation.” Planning the oral presentation is the final step in the preparation process of delivering a proper expository sermon. The preacher needs to organize the sermon so that it flows logically, coherently, and cohesively from one point to the next. An outline helps, as McDill points out, but each person will have their preferred methods of organizing their thoughts and words. The preacher can also determine the selection of what to include or omit, in the interests of keeping to a specific schedule or time frame. For the most effective communication, the preacher also needs to stay on point and tightly organized. As with the other chapters of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, the author includes worksheets that the reader can use for organizing thoughts and designing a structured, consistent expository sermon. The preacher should write down the specific text or passage, the division statements, and all associated ideas. Then the preacher can wield the power of inductive reasoning to come up with the best imagery and anecdotes to weave into the sermon and evoke a faith response. Practicing out loud with the help of video or in-person modeling of other preachers can be tremendously helpful.
The conclusion of The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching starts with an anecdote and then carefully wraps up the main body of the text. McDill reiterates the importance of planning, using scripture to substantiate his claims. For example, the author shows how Christ planned his own ministry carefully. The needs of the congregation depend on careful planning and preparation, as well as ongoing personal and professional development. Ongoing training is something that McDill dutifully discusses in the conclusion of the book. Not only does ongoing training ensure that one’s ministry is current and up to par, but also that the preacher remains humble and responsive, willing to change and grow. The calling to preach is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously and earnestly. McDill also offers readers some additional suggestions for sermon preparation in the conclusion, such as committing oneself, implementing systematic procedures, and following step-by-step guidance as it is presented in books like these. Worksheets on persuasive elements and preaching for faith are also tremendously helpful.
The worksheets and step-by-step guidelines are what really makes McDill’s (2006) book The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching stand out among other similar books. Therefore, McDill’s work deserves to be on the bookshelves of all students of the Bible, theologians, and particularly for those dedicated to transforming academic knowledge into practical action. The twelve essential skills can be honed across one’s lifetime, and yet all aspiring preachers can already begin to deliver sermons based on the advice McDill offers. Preachers sometimes talk about expository sermons without truly understanding what they mean, and end up either boring their congregations with too much exposition or moving too off-topic for the sermon to be truly anchored in Biblical truth. What McDill presents is a sensible balance between the academic rigor of textual and historical analysis and the equally as important arts of persuasion and storytelling. Preaching is both art and science, and like art and science, can be learned. It is a myth that one needs to be born with a specific gift or talent; what McDill shows is that anyone who is called to the lofty goal of shepherding a congregation has the power within to preach earnestly and correctly. From this book, I have learned how to cultivate the invaluable twelve skills McDill outlines. I have worksheets and exercises to use, and stories to reflect on as I parepare for ministry.




References

Hamilton, D.L. (1992). Homiletical Handbook. Nashville: B&H.
McDill, W. (2006). The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching. Second Edition. Nashville: B&H.
Stockhouse, I. & Crisp, O.D. (2014). Text Message: The Centrality of Scripture in Preaching. Wipf and Stock.