Customer Reviews

Inductive Preaching: Helping People Listen

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book one week and wrote a sermon the next, following its advice. Not only have I never received so much feedback from a sermon, but I have never so enjoyed preaching a sermon. What a gift. I can't wait to preach again.

This is an excellent book which I found very helpful and practical for preparing messages for Sunday morning. I see where it could also be very beneficial for teachers or others who desire to reach their audience effectively. The only reason I rated it 4 out of 5 was that some of the chapters just seem to run on and re-iterate the same point.

Inductive Preaching, though not a new book, is a fresh approach to preaching that aims to be faithful to the truth of Scripture and relevant to the interests and needs of the audience. The approach is one in which the preacher draws his audience in by the use of a number of questions, moving much more indirectly to his main "points", but aiming to draw the listener to actually reach the conclusion for himself. By doing so the listener is far more likely to be engaged, to learn from the sermon, and in fact to 'own' the main points and conclusion. The inductive approach is in direct contrast to the more common deductive approach in which the conclusion is told right up front, with the rest of the time in the sermon spent logically defending or proving the conclusion. The authors help us get a feel for induction as it is used often in the text - asking good questions as often as he comes out and tells us. The use of the inductive method is particularly useful for today's adult learners, especially in a postmodern culture.

The chapters of the book include: The Need; A Promising Solution; Old Parts and New Hope; The Story of Induction; God's Way?; Master's Model; Web and Flow; More Web and Flow; Unbeatable Combination; In the Study; Behind the Pulpit; End to Our Means; plus four appendices with examples and ideas for inductive preaching. It's interesting that the book actually starts off with consideration of the need of the listener and the challenge of connecting with the audience. "How can a minister involve hearers in his preaching? ... This is a key challenge in preaching today." Most books on expository preaching blast pandering to human need and err on the side of neglecting the fact there is actually and audience, much less one whose mind is prone to wander.

The book also makes a case that Jesus and other examples in the Bible make strong use of the inductive method. Another very interesting and helpful part of the book describes how to use a combination of inductive and deductive methods in the same sermon. For example a speaker may move inductively toward the conclusion in the first half of the talk, then take the remainder of the talk to deductively discuss the implications of the main point. There is also an appendix aimed at converting the structure of traditional sermons to a more inductive form. The book also does discuss sermon preparation and delivery, and so it's useful on its own as a textbook on the art of preaching. I would definitely recommend Inductive Preaching to preacher and teachers who struggle from time to time with an audience that doesn't seem engaged or involved in their messages.