Customer Reviews

Preaching on Your Feet: Connecting God and The Audience in the Preachable Moment

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

 

 

What is the best way to preach? To use notes -- even to the point of reading a sermon -- or not to use notes? Fred Lybrand, a Southern Baptist preacher who seems to be cutting his own path, opts for the "not to use notes" approach in his new, useful, handy, clear book <em>Preaching on Your Feet</em>. I should perhaps tell my own story before I go any further.

What do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of preachers. And, what do you think? I'm keen on hearing the experience of folks listening to preachers: do you prefer that they read a more carefully stated sermon or have more eye contact?

But to my story. Why? No use talking about preaching if you don't back it up with how you do things. When I began preaching I had no idea what I was doing so I imitated, quite unconsciously, those I admired. Some of them were pastors and others of them were professors. That led to the use of fairly complete notes, including quotations. Then I read John Stott's book <em>Between Two Worlds</em> where he urged young pastors to write out their sermons and then, after ten years if I remember right, to begin preaching from notes. So I did this, but I wasn't comfortable doing this. Teaching for a decade or so became my teacher and it led to being more comfortable with an outline. To this day I tend to speak from a sketchy outline. I now use a "Journal" for all sermon notes (and all kinds of other things) and I preach from that. But I cheat when I say this: I don't do the weekly preaching thing where I am asked to give a new sermon every week. Instead, I can have ten sermons in a row where a church asks me to do something on Jesus Creed. And I never really give the same sermon twice because I speak from notes and adjust as I go along and as I see what is happening ... and this leads me to Lybrand's theory.

Preaching on your feet is his studied expression on the basis of years of preaching: it involves deep study, strategizing your sermon and then preaching. But without notes. I know there are many against this approach, but -- as long as one can have a few notes (and I tend to have less than a small page of notes) -- I think he's right. Here are his reasons for "preaching on your feet" (I've italicized what I consider most important):

1. Time management: you save the hours it takes to write out a sermon or write out thick notes.
2. Connection with the audience: eye-to-eye is better than eye-to-manuscript-to eye. The struggle here is palpable for those who sit and listen.
3. Remembering: if you can remember it, they can remember it.
4. Humility: struggling to find the best word is normal human existence.
5. Adaptability: good preachers read the eyes of those who listen and adapt and adjust to the levels of comprehension.
6. Holy Spirit led. Obvious and potentially a source of abuse and an excuse for lack of preparation. Still, Lybrand gets this right. Preaching on the feet is more susceptible to Spirit guidance -- in the moment -- than reading the ms. But, Spirit guidance occurs as well in the writing of the ms. But it is not in the moment.
7. Personality trumps plagiarism: Lybrand is big on each preacher having personality, that person's personality and not someone else's.
8. An act of faith.
9. Growth in confidence.
10. Readiness.
11. A walk with God is more intimate to preaching ...
12. You become sharper (if not smarter).
13. Fresh delivery.
14. Joy in preaching.
15. Audience is expectant.

Lybrand covers it all, but this point might be the most significant: there's no example that anyone was using notes or reading a sermon or (he argues) preaching an "expository" sermon in the Bible. The only method we see is preaching on one's feet. And he has a chp listing the great preachers whose studied practice was preaching on their feet: Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, etc..

And he says something important: too many preachers today are using their seminary professors' lectures as models for preaching. The differences in context, purpose, audience, content, etc, are obvious.

Ask me or many other preachers to preach without notes and our first response will probably be "I'm too scared!" Notes can be helpful depending on the content you wish to communicate, but more often, they are probably harmful to the effectiveness of the sermon. What I like about Lybrand's book is his unwavering passion to see preachers preach from their heart. The more sermons I hear, the more I see that this is crucial. If I want to read or be read to, I can pick up a book. Tell me what God has laid on your heart! Yes, it can be scary to stand with your heart exposed before a congregation, but another quality of Lybrand's book is that it minimizes fear by showing how to prepare fpr preaching without notes. When it comes to preaching, one style may not fit all, but it is hardly arguable that the more we prepare, the more passion we communicate, and the farther we get from reading our notes, the better preachers we will be. This book will move every preacher in those directions.

Lybrand has brought a much-needed challenge to today's evangelical seminary graduate. His well written answer to detached and boring sermons is like a fresh wind. The chapter on the "Three Essentials of Effective Preaching" reminds us pulpiteers of what we supposed to be able to do! If you are a sermon-builder, get this book! If your pastor is passionless and too analytical, buy him a copy. I've been building sermons for 41 years and found this book to a valuable addition to my studies.
Dave McPherson, a pastor

I picked up this book at the last conference. Being a methodical type theologian, I had always memorized my sermons. After reading this book, I changed my presentation - but not my exacting exegesis. The response of the congregation has been impressive. The expressive dynamic of "realtime" interaction connected with them just as Fred explained. It could be compared to listening to a sermon on video verus interacting live. Same content - different experience level. Yes, I do leave out a minor point here and there that I had meant to cover; but, the results in effectively communicating God's truth are well worth it.
Ken Wilson

Lately when I read these pastoral helps, I feel the authors spend way to much time trying to "preach to you" with what I call "filler chapters." Because the actual instruction of "HOW" to preach on your feet feels lost in all of this. There is no step-by-step or "this is how I do it" included, just a ton of quotes from Charles Spurgeon and a lot of biblical support filler.

Honestly, I liked Scott McKnight's review of the book - more than the book! All of the meat of the book is right there. I just felt the only people reading this book are pastors who are looking on some instruction, but then the instruction is buried deep inside.

1. Prepare like you would normally
2. write it down
3. develop a memorable outline
4. practice
5. meditate on it
6. leave your notes in your office and do it
7. and eventually you'll get better

Early in my ministry I preached from a fully prepared manuscript believing that, as one seminary professor put it, I needed to not only ask that the Spirit be present Sunday morning, but also allow the Spirit a chance to instruct me at the keyboard on Thursday afternoon! That is to say, the committed preacher needs to prepare for Sunday ahead of time, and not just "wing it" in worship. Good advice, then and now. And yet, I found myself wondering over time about the efficacy (and intimacy) of reading to a congregation on Sunday the letter/sermon I'd written to them in the days beforehand. If the people are here now, and I am here now, why not speak to them rather than read to them?

Fred Lybrand's book touches on questions one may have on making such a shift. Preparation and delivery remain key, as Lybrand's treatment illustrates, but now the preacher's focus in worship is spent more on being with the people while they are present, rather than on reading a manuscript to them. For those familiar with Jerry Grotowski ("Towards a Poor Theater"), the insistence that an actor's (read here: preacher's) chief gift to an audience (read: congregation) is her presence is close at hand. A useful handbook on preaching style and delivery even if, as The Expository Times suggests, a bit muddled theologicaly. Three and a half stars.

Fred Lybrand wrote an excellent book. I put his preaching philosophy to work with success. It has changed my preaching and people have noticed. His approach has been characterized as write a manuscript...memorize the outline...then don't use notes.

This is not the basis of the book. Some of the critical reviews of the book didn't get the point. Speaking extemporaneously was the point. Here's my example: Last week I preached from Mark 1 when Jesus called the disciples "to come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." I had studied, outlined, manuscripted, and did the power point slides. I did not use notes when preaching. During the sermon I noticed a large number of young men in the auditorium. I deviated and spoke directly to those young men. I challenged them to live for a bigger purpose in life. This would not have happened with a manuscript in the pulpit.

This is the best book I have ever read on preaching. I have been a pastor for 35 years and have wrestled with the "preaching moment" all my ministry. Compliments on my sermons were frequent, yet I always felt something was missing. I preached from detailed notes and often would memorize them in order to "get it right". I stumbled across this book while browsing in a Lifeway bookstore. Intrigued by the title I decided to read it. It completely rocked my preaching world. This is now my method of preaching and I have never felt so liberated. The first Sunday I did feel like i was "jumping out of an airplane without a parachute", but I also felt the nearness of the Spirit as never before. The greatest confirmation came from my 12 year old son who said to me " Dad, you aren't using any notes are you?" I replied "No, is that bad?" He then said " I like it because I can understand what you are saying better. You should keep doing it". That was certainly the answer to any questions I had. My oldest son, who works in youth ministry also read the book, tried it and reported the same feelings of liberation.

I don't like to give bad reviews, but this book warrants one. Without knowing the author's credentials, I can honestly state that he gives little evidence of having researched this book at all. There is no indication of proof that his prescription of preaching will actually improve one's preaching prowess. Thankfully, the author constantly backs away from his premise, leaving the reader with the distinct impression that the author is unwilling and unable to substantiate his claims. As a preaching, I found this book laughable. The author claims great personal success and a solid biblical rationale, but he fails to give evidence of either. In the end, this book is a waste of time. Sorry to be so harsh, but this really is the worst book on preaching I have ever read.

At first I thought that this book was actually going to be full of information, but I quickly found out I was wrong. It was just chapter after chapter of defending why the author thinks this is the method you should use. There were a few bits of info in some chapters, but the rest was like reading an aurgumentative essay. I must say I was very disappointed.