Art Of The Sermon

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Katie Z. Dawson - Lead Pastor, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Des Moines, IA) General Topic: Advent Introduction to Katie (2:09) Philosophy of preaching (3:54) Current events and preaching (4:54) Advent planning and preparation (7:03) Planning chronologically (9:19) Getting in the Advent spirit (11:07) Katie's ideal schedule (13:12) Opportunities and challenges of preaching advent (16:33) Keeping Advent fresh (18:05) All Earth is Waiting - Katie's new Advent book (19:30) Advent is about the future too (23:46) Most challenging communication experience (26:03) Easter or Christmas Eve (27:29) Impactful communicators (28:51) Recommended books and resources (29:36) How to follow Katie (31:17) Reaching out to our guest Salvage

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Carey Nieuwhof - Podcaster, Author, and Pastor of Connexus Church (Barrie, Ontario) General Topic: Preaching as Leadership Introduction to Carey (2:37) Philosophy of preaching (6:15) Passion for leadership (11:14) Communication and leadership (15:25) Preaching as an act of leadership (17:03) Selecting sermon topics (22:32) Sharing the pulpit with Andy Stanley (26:21) Listening to other preachers (28:31) Sermon preparation and follow-up (32:27) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (39:27) Easter or Christmas Eve (40:50) Impactful communicators (42:01) Recommended books and resources (44:59) How to follow Carey (46:52) Reaching out to our guest CareyNieuhwof.com @cnieuwhof (Twitter) @careynieuwhof (Instagram) @cnieuwhof

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Dalton Rushing - Senior Pastor, Decatur First United Methodist Church (Decatur, GA) General Topic: Preaching Through a Dry Season Introduction to Dalton (1:57) Dalton's podcast "On Church" (3:35) Philosophy of preaching (4:55) The dry season (7:36) Preaching hope when you struggle with it (11:20) Not dumping on your congregation (15:08) Season of questioning and doubt (17:39) Responding to brokenness in the world (21:42) Coming out of the dry season (24:09) Favorite preaching experiences (28:47) Easter or Christmas Eve (30:21) Impactful communicators (31:40) Recommended books and resources (34:29) How to follow Dalton (36:23) Reaching out to our guest DaltonRushing.com Dalton[dot]Rushing[at]ngumc[dot]net Next Episode arrive

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: A.J. Thomas, Founder and Director of the Joyful Giving Group General Topic: Money, Generosity, and Stewardship Introduction to A.J. (0:29) Philosophy of preaching (1:33) Talking about money (2:44) Disconnect between money and spirit (4:00) Discomfort when talking about money (5:12) Comfort when talking about money (7:51) Misconceptions about stewardship (9:37) Approaches to stewardship that hurt the cause (11:55) Misusing the spiritual side (13:55) A stewardship pep talk (15:36) A.J.'s unique take on pledges (17:27) Should the pastor know giving levels? (23:48) Joyful Giving Group (27:01) most challenging communication experience (25:24) Easter or Christmas Eve (29:00) Impactful communicators (30:10) Recommended books and resour

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Sophia Agtarap, Director of Communications for Vanderbilt Divinity School General Topic: Public Theology Introduction to Sophia (0:41) Philosophy of communication (2:24) Being the right person to speak (5:00) Relationship to public theology (6:27) Recent movements and activities (9:21) It can be scary (13:59) Why public theology (16:14) Role of lay people (23:07) Standing with and not just for (27:05) Favorite and challenging communication experiences (30:20) Easter or Christmas Eve (31:01) Impactful communicators (31:56) Recommended books and resources (32:32) How to follow Sophia (35:08) Reaching out to our guest @sophiakris (Twitter) SophiaKristina.com Next Episode arrives September 21, 2017! An interview with A.J. Thomas, Fo

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Justin Trapp, Founder of Ministry Pass, Co-Creator of Sermonary General Topic: Sermon Writing and Repurposing Introduction to Justin (0:34) Philosophy of communication (1:53) Justin's love for preachers (3:35) A picture of sermon preparation (5:46) Sermonary, a new sermon writing tool (8:01) Mechanical versus artistic (13:44) Repurposing sermon content (15:07) Most challenging preaching experience (23:43) Easter or Christmas Eve (24:32) Impactful communicators (24:45) Recommended books and resources (25:35) How to follow Justin (26:13) Reaching out to our guest @justintrapp (Twitter) Sermonary.co Next Episode arrives September 7, 2017! An interview with Sophia Agtarap, Director of Communications for Vanderbilt Divinity School Co

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Alisha Gordon, Writer and Executive For Spiritual Growth at United Methodist Women General Topic: Single Mothers and the Church Introduction to Alisha (1:30) United Methodist Women (2:15) Philosophy of preaching (4:48) Becoming a preacher (6:44) Single moms and the Church (10:17) Scripture and "the fatherless" (14:08) Finding common ground (16:56) Missed opportunities (20:49) Practical ideas for ministries (23:25) Intersectionality (25:30) Intersectionality resources (30:02) Pop culture recommendations (31:39) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (36:39) Easter or Christmas Eve (36:53) Impactful communicators (38:02) Recommended books and resources (39:45) How to follow Alisha (41:15) Reaching out to our guest @dstarwr

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Allen Stanton, Pastor at Merritt’s Chapel UMC (Chapel Hill, NC) General Topic: Ministry in Rural Communities Introduction to Allen (1:03) Philosophy of preaching (6:23) Connection to the rural church (10:59) Diversity in the rural church (13:16) Opportunities and challenges of ministry in rural communities (16:37) Fish-out-of-water experiences (18:58) Role of the rural church in the community (23:25) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (27:54) Easter or Christmas Eve (28:45) Impactful communicators (29:28) Recommended books and resources (30:28) How to follow Allen (31:12) Reaching out to our guest @atstanton (Twitter) MerrittsChapel.org Next Episode arrives August 3, 2017! An interview with Alisha Gordon, Writer

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! General Topic: Discernment and Pop Culture Sermon Illustrations Happy 4th of July! (0:41) Pulpit Fiction Podcast (2:04) Intro to the Minisode Topic (3:01) Step 1: Pray about it (4:21) Step 2: Don’t automatically reject something because it’s messy (4:56) Step 3: Let the stories of Scripture be your guide (5:47) Step 4: Use Philippians 4:8 as a test (6:32) Step 5: Just because it is messy or ambiguous doesn’t mean it’s profound (7:54) Step 6: Understand that the medium matters (9:08) Step 7: Be clear and intentional about why you want to reference something (10:09) Step 8: Are there other options? (11:07) Step 9: Context, context, context (12:04) Wrap up (13:00) Next Episode arrives July 20, 2017! An Interview with Rev. Allen Stanton, P

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Olu Brown, Founding and Lead Pastor at Impact Church (Atlanta, GA) General Topic: Ministry in a Big City Introduction to Olu (1:06) Philosophy of preaching (1:50) What brought Olu to Atlanta (2:30) Ministry in a big city (5:47) Preaching in a big city (7:35) Doing church differently (9:03) Making a big city feel smaller (12:13) Worship planning (13:45) Passionate introvert (16:48) Importance of sharing the pulpit (19:02) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (21:49) Easter or Christmas Eve (22:18) Impactful communicators (22:39) Importance of hard work (24:22) Recommended books and resources (26:24) How to follow Olu (27:57) Reaching out to our guest OluBrown.com (Olu's website) Next Episode arrives July 6, 2017! W

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Adam Hamilton, Founding and Lead Pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) General Topic: Purposeful Preaching Introduction to Adam (1:22) Philosophy of preaching (2:13) Church mission statements (3:30) How Adam's preaching has evolved (5:48) Categories of sermons (7:21) Adam's "travel" series (12:24) Young preachers (17:13) Handling distractions (19:43) Two approaches to preaching (25:13) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (28:39) Recommended resources (32:48) How to follow Adam (35:18) Reaching out to our guest AdamHamilton.org (Adam's Website) @RevAdamHamiltong (Twitter) @RevAdamHamiltong (Instagram) @PastorAdamHamiltong (Facebook) Next Episode arrives June 15, 2017! An Interview

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Chris Abel, Young Adult Pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) General Topic: Young Adult Ministry Introduction to Chris (1:30) Defining "young adult" (4:54) Millennials stereotype (8:12) Philosophy of preaching (10:01) Value of personal invitation (15:02) Where do churches fail? (17:33) Where do churches succeed? (21:15) Tension over worship style (26:13) Cool versus authentic (30:19) Burlap (36:33) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (37:43) Impactful communicators (39:25) Recommended books and resources (41:02) How to follow Chris (41:39) Reaching out to our guest ChristopherAbel.com (Chris's Website) @christopherabel (Twitter) @christopherabel (Facebook) @christopherabel (Inst

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Charley Reeb- Author, Pastor at Pasadena Community Church (St. Petersburg, FL) General Topic: That’ll Preach: 5 Simple Steps to Your Best Sermon Ever Introduction to Charley Reeb (0:42) Philosophy of preaching (2:39) Curse of Knowledge and Imposter Syndrome (4:51) Inspiration for “That’ll Preach” (5:48) Why we forget communication fundamentals (8:22) Charley’s passion for preaching (9:49) Balancing the call to preach with pastoral responsibilities (11:34) Preaching in a Biblically illiterate culture (13:27) Bold, passionate proclamation (15:16) Line between being bold and being authoritarian (21:52) Explosion of inspiration (23:34) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (26:43) Easter or Christmas Eve (28:13) Impact

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! General Topic: Guest Preaching Introduction to the mini-sode (0:10) 1. Guest Preachers Keep Your Voice Fresh (2:19) 2. Guest Preachers Keep Our Perspective Aligned (4:04) 3. Guest Preachers Reveal the Diversity of the Body of Christ (6:04) 4. Guest Preachers Can Help With Unfamiliar Topics (7:40) 5. Guest Preachers Can Help With Difficult Topics (9:00) 6. Effective Regular Guest Preachers Make You Look Good (10:42) 7. Guest Preachers May Actually Help Financially (11:53) 8. Be a Guest Preacher Yourself (13:53) Next Episode arrives May 4, 2017! An interview with Rev. Charley Reeb, Author and Senior Pastor of Pasadena Community Church (Saint Petersburg, FL) Connect with the Show I would love to hear what you think about the show—especial

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Jim Harnish, author and retired United Methodist pastor General Topic: Politics and Preaching Introduction to Jim Harnish (0:59) Thanks to Jim (2:26) Philosophy of preaching (3:19) Relationship of politics and preaching (4:48) Should we look for political parallels? (12:38) Sensitivity to how messages are received (15:51) Importance of personal relationships (19:38) Presenting all sides (21:44) Planting seeds of unity (25:55) Personal outlets and practices (29:24) Challenging preaching experiences (32:02) Impactful communicators (35:14) Recommended books and resources (37:40) How to follow Jim (39:57) Reaching out to our guest JimHarnish.org (Jim's blog) Next Episode arrives April 20, 2017! Connect with the Show I would love to hea

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Brad Montague, the creative mind behind Kid President General Topic: The power of love, joy, and creativity Introduction to Brad Montague (0:51) Brad's love for kids (2:25) Philosophy of communication (5:51) Source of Brad's hope and joy (9:13) Responding to life's challenges (13:05) Faith like a child (16:18) Smuggling hope (20:07) Kids' advice on being a better grown up (23:07) What's your Space Jam? (25:12) Challenging creative experience (32:11) Impactful communicators (35:09) Recommended books and resources (37:44) How to follow Brad (41:00) One more thing! Brad emailed me afterward and said he forgot to mention some friends of his who "help me see God in ways I often forget." Check out their current project on YouTube here: https:

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Kenny Jahng, Church Communications Expert General Topic: The Focus of Church Communications Introduction to Kenny Jahng (0:36) Philosophy of communication (2:10) The #1 question (3:06) Focus on the audience (4:39) Why solo pastors and small churches need social (7:21) Beginning strategy (8:28) Church Butler (14:02) What's next for digital and social ministry? (17:40) Challenging experience (20:13) Impactful communicators (21:00) Recommended books and resources (21:39) How to follow Kenny (22:21) Reaching out to our guest KennyJahng.com @KennyJahng (Twitter) Next Episode arrives March 16, 2017! An Interview with Brad Montague, the creative mind behind Kid President Connect with the Show I would love to hear what you think about the show—

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Brian Combs - Pastor at The Haywood Street Congregation (Asheville, NC) General Topic: Including Two-Way Conversation in Sermons Introduction to Brian Combs (0:44) Keeping the focus of the church (4:03) Conversational preaching (7:08) Evolution of Brian’s process (11:39) Brian’s sermon preparation (12:56) Giving everyone a chance to speak (15:17) Encountering tangents (19:00) Reactions in different contexts (22:17) Tips for trying this style (27:39) Challenging preaching experience (29:25) Impactful preacher (32:50) Recommended books and resources (34:22) How to follow Brian (36:20) Reaching out to our guest Haywood Street Congregation @HaywoodStreet (Twitter) Next Episode arrives March 2, 2017! An Interview with Kenny Jahng, churc

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Narcie Jeter – Lead Pastor, Point Hope UMC (Mt. Pleasant, SC) General Topic: Trusting in God while recovering from cancer surgery Introduction to Narcie Jeter (1:16) The power of meaningful conversation (4:25) Narcie's story begins (5:44) Diagnosed with brain tumor at age 30 (9:17) The second surgery (10:03) The power of memory (14:36) Wrestling with God and calling (19:38) Encouragement for others who are struggling (22:16) How Narcie is doing now (27:28) Most challenging preaching experience (29:16) Impactful communicators (30:24) Recommended resources (31:32) Connecting with Narcie (32:37) Reaching out to our guest @NarcieJeter (Twitter) @NarcieJeter (Facebook) Narcie's Blog Next Episode arrives February 16, 2017! An Interview w

Thanks for checking out this episode of Art of the Sermon! Be sure to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoy this episode, leave a review on our podcast’s page in the iTunes store. This will help others discover the show! Guest: Rev. Eric Huffman – Lead Pastor, The Story (Houston, TX) General Topic: Keeping Preaching Interesting Introduction to Eric Huffman (0:35) The Story in Houston (2:02) What do you mean by interesting? And why? (4:53) Communicating the Gospel (8:20) What makes some preaching boring (9:38) What interests preachers versus their congregations (12:31) Thoughts on "performance" (17:28) Humor in preaching (23:10) Favorite and challenging preaching experiences (26:24) Impactful communicators (30:29) Recommended resources (35:32) Connecting with Eric (38:17) Reaching out to our guest @EricTheStory (Twitter) @PastorEricHuffman (Instagram) @PastorEricHuffman (Facebook) Next Episode arrives February 2, 2017! An Interview with Rev. Narcie Jeter - Lead