There’s not a single right way to deliver sermons—some use an outline, some use a manuscript, and some use a few notes or maybe none at all. What works best for us depends on our personalities, styles, audiences, and topics.
From my experience, though, I seem to connect better when I don’t have notes, or at least only minimal ones. My best sermons are the ones I’ve studied, thought, and written so much that I know the material and don’t need notes to guide my progression through the sermon.
Usually I take nothing into the pulpit with me except my Bible and maybe a post-it note that I stick on the page of the text I’m preaching. If I have more than that, I find myself looking down too much and losing my connection with the audience.
Having said that, some of my favorite preachers use manuscripts that they depend on heavily, but for some reason I haven’t been able to develop that ability.
What about you? What works best for you?
If you’re interested in thinking more about note-less preaching, here are a few good links to consider:
Preaching Without Notes: A New Habit to Transform Your Sermons
Preaching Effectively Without Notes
Some (Free) Practical Advice on How to Preach Better Sermons (this article also contains several links to articles about preaching without notes)
If you don’t use notes, how do you make sure you don’t forget something important? If you use notes, how extensive are they? How do you maintain eye contact with your hearers?
Have you tried manuscript preaching? Did it work well for you?
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