David Murray, a preacher in the Reformed Church denomination, makes an observation I believe to be true: “…This age prefers to be spoken to personally and relationally. There is nothing more authentic than a man preaching eyeball to eyeball, heart to heart, without anything intervening” (How Sermons Work, EP Books: Darlington, England, 2011. p. 149). Murray does not seem to indicate (and I certainly do not) that one should rely on his gift of gab or speak without proper preparation.  Despite what we might think, such lack of study and preparation is glowingly transparent to all but the simplest and most ignorant listener. 

There seems to be a better connection built between a preacher and his listeners when the preacher communicates without being “chained” to his notes. But many preachers who contemplate such a task find the idea daunting. How can this be achieved, especially when the weekly demands of local work can be so pressing and time-consuming?  Consider the following suggestions that can help a preacher reach the goal of preaching without notes:

Time Management

There are countless ways good time management makes a preacher more effective.  If you will achieve the goal of preaching without notes, you must get started earlier in the week writing your sermons and utilize your time better to “work” the process of preaching without notes (see below).

Create A Process: 

Do your normal sermon research, preparation, and construction the same as you always have.  What will make this process much easier, though, is to write your sermon in full content, outline form.  If you write in manuscript form, sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph, you make this process much more difficult.

Develop your main points and subpoints thoroughly and logically.

Rather than be stream of consciousness, unorganized material, make sure you have a thesis which you develop thoroughly throughout the sermon.  For example, if you are preaching on the Importance Of Bible Class Teachers using Deuteronomy 4:1-9 as your text, you might find three points from the text: I. THE TEACHER’S MATERIAL IS VALUABLE (1-2), THE TEACHER’S MATERIAL IS TRANSFERABLE (5,9), and III. THE TEACHER’S MATERIAL IS TANGIBLE (2-9).  Developing the first point, Moses’ teaching led to their preservation (1), prized possession (1), and protection (3). This is true of the Bible class teacher’s work. You can continue to develop the whole lesson this way, developing each point and subpoint. 

Go over your sermon repeatedly. 

You may find that doing so out loud helps you hear your content and speed up the process of getting to where you can preach without notes.  The more you study your lesson and go over it out loud, the more it becomes a part of you.

Get a grasp of your material.

Don’t feel the need to memorize it word for word, but memorize each point, subpoint, and transition. Know where the illustrations, appeals, and persuasions fit within each point. 

“Let It Go”

Often, it is a spirit of perfectionism that keeps us bound to our notes. We want to say, verbatim, what we went to the trouble to study out and write down.  Perhaps we have a list we want to recite exactly as written or we feel the need to tell the illustration in the way written without the slightest variation. Whatever our hang ups in this regard, there is a certain peace that follows thorough preparation and which allows us to say, “I do not have to preach this entire sermon, word for word, in the way I wrote it.”

You will find that you will connect better with your listeners when you free yourself from your notes. You will find that you are communicating better as this natural rapport is built and maintained throughout. You will find that they will comprehend your sermon better as the result of this means of delivery.  Maybe you cannot preach every sermon this way, but the more you do the more you (and your listeners) will want you to do so.  Give it a try. I think you’ll come to embrace it.