PREACHING
A guidebook for beginners
By Allan Chapple
The Latimer Trust. 167 pages. £7.50
ISBN 978 1 906 327 149
This book is, primarily, a very readable and practical introduction to expository preaching. It comes from the pen of an experienced preacher who desires to encourage others to give themselves to this vital ministry.
Throughout the book there is a rich vein of quotations from other sources that helps the reader to engage with the particular topic under discussion.
Total immersion
Allan Chapple encourages preachers to immerse themselves in the Bible passage they are studying and ask themselves ‘What?’ and ‘So what?’ What does the passage teach and what implications does it have for me and for those to whom I preach.
According to the author, the preacher’s aim should be to prepare a sermon that passes the PEST test: it should be Plain, Engaging, Structured and Targeted. The process of preaching will include discovering, digesting, designing, defining and delivering. The beginning and ending of the sermon are given careful attention. There is a timely reminder that a sermon is ‘delivered’, not simply when spoken but when it is heard and applied!
I warmly commend this book, but believe the benefits will be even greater if preachers read and discuss it together, preferably with a couple of experienced preachers in the group. The group may find the author’s preparation stage too prescriptive and may disagree with him on minor issues such as what we do with our hands when we preach! That apart, I am convinced that the reading and study of this book will be immensely beneficial, not just for the preacher but to the hearers as well!
