When you have prepared your sermon well, it's important to make sure you are just as intentional about the delivery.

How you preach your sermon can either make your hard work come to life or leave you and everyone else wondering what just happened!

In this episode, we'll explore some important must-do's of sermon delivery.

Just as important as what people see on the screens when you preach, is what people have in their hands as you preach.

Your handout, bulletin, listening-guide - whatever you call it - should be intentional.

There are three main ways to structure what's on the handout. In this episode, we'll explore all three and I'll let you know which one I think is most effective!

When it comes to sermon prep, slides and other supporting media can often become an after thought.

But what your listeners see on the screens in the room while you're preaching can make a big impact on your sermon.

It's important to be intentional about your slides, how they're designed, and what they display.

In this episode, we'll explore some best-practices and some things to avoid in your sermon slides.

One of the most neglected aspects of the sermon prep process is also one of the most important: rehearsing.

By "rehearsing" I don't mean memorizing like the lines of a script. Rather, you want to rehearse so that you fully internalize and understand the message BEFORE you preach it.

Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a rookie, in this episode I'm going to make the case for why every preacher should rehearse and give you steps on how to do it.

One of the things I've discovered over the years is the power of a good preaching team.

What is a preaching team? If you're not familiar with this idea, it can seem more complicated than it is.

A preaching team is simply a group of trusted people that you select to help you formulate your sermon at different points of your message preparation process.

Utilizing your preaching team is a vital part of the sermon prep process, and in this episode we will dive into exactly how to form a team and best use it when you write your sermons.

Just as important as outlining is in the sermon prep process, so too is building out that outline with the right content.

A skeleton with no muscles and skin is not very useful. An outline by itself is left lacking as well.

This is why in this episode we will spend some time looking at how to build out the content in your sermon specifically around your bottom line and points.

Outlining is a crucial part of the sermon prep process.

Just like a body needs a skeleton, a sermon needs an outline to provide a framework for the message.

In this episode, we will dive into the most effective way to outline your message every single time.

Every sermon should be rooted and grounded in Scripture.

This means that the way you study the Bible for a sermon is important to get right.

In this episode, we will dive into a simple, systematic approach to studying the Bible for a sermon that will serve you well as you prepare your sermons.

There's a lot packed in this one! I can't wait to see what you do with it!

Sermon prep can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be! The key is to have a good process where you know exactly what steps to take along the way.

In today's podcast, we're starting a new series on sermon prep where we'll be walking through the ten essential steps of a good sermon prep checklist.

We begin with determining our topic, title and hook.

I was a youth pastor for several years and I still believe this to be true: If you can communicate clearly with teenagers and children, you can communicate with anyone.

Kids and students only pay attention if you have something worth listening to. And by the way, this is actually the case with adults too - it's just that adults are more subtle about ignoring you.

So whether or not you speak to students on a regular basis, knowing how to communicate truths to them is vital.

This is why I'm so excited to have Kyle Smith on the podcast this week. He's been in student ministry for nearly two decades and has a lot to say about how to speak to students effectively and what leads to life-change in students.

I know you're going to enjoy this one! Be sure to let me know what you think of today's episode.