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Lay preaching seminar

Heralds of God’s Word

Training men and women to carry the King’s message

Sessions that follow the Lay Preachers’ Course chapter by chapter — from the importance of public speaking and the speaking voice, through preparing a sermon, choosing and interpreting a text, organizing and classifying sermons, the topical, textual and expository forms, gathering materials, introductions and conclusions, preaching the sermon, and the appendices on persuasion, credibility, illustration and the preacher’s voice. Every session quotes the course book with page numbers, and the full book is attached below to read.

Sessions
25
Questions
250
Quiz questions
250
How to use this seminar. Each session stands on its own for a weekly class of about an hour: read the synopsis, open the key texts together, work the discussion questions, and close with the quiz. The practical assignments in the application questions are meant to be carried into the pulpit.
Read the course bookLay Preachers’ Course — Dynamic Sermon Design & DeliveryThe full 143-page training course from the General Conference Sabbath School & Personal Ministries department, readable page by page and free to download.→

The sessions

  1. 01Introduction: The Importance of Public SpeakingThe voice as a gift for the gospel commission10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  2. 02Developing the Speaking VoiceThe physical mechanics and discipline of a trained voice10 questions · 10 quiz · 2 key passages
  3. 03How to Prepare a SermonThe shape and purpose of a well-built sermon10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  4. 04How to Select a ThemeChoosing the single controlling idea of a sermon10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  5. 05How to Choose and Interpret a TextGrounding the sermon honestly in Scripture10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  6. 06How to Organize a SermonWhy organisation turns materials into a sermon10 questions · 10 quiz · 4 key passages
  7. 07How Sermons are ClassifiedTopical, textual, and expository preaching10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  8. 08How to Assess a SermonA checklist for evaluating preaching10 questions · 10 quiz · 3 key passages
  9. 09How to Construct a Topical SermonFive ways to build topical divisions10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  10. 10How to Construct a Textual SermonBuilding divisions by analysis and synthesis10 questions · 10 quiz · 7 key passages
  11. 11How to Construct an Expository SermonVarieties, elaboration, and stages of expository preaching10 questions · 10 quiz · 10 key passages
  12. 12How to Gather and Use MaterialsExplanation, argument, illustration, application, and filing10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  13. 13How to Prepare an Introduction and a ConclusionSmall parts, vital results10 questions · 10 quiz · 2 key passages
  14. 14How to Preach a SermonNine practical steps for the pulpit10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  15. 15Making Preaching PersuasiveThe elements that move a sermon toward a verdict10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  16. 16How Sermon Delivery Affects CredibilityWhat the body communicates before a word lands10 questions · 10 quiz · 0 key passages
  17. 17Figures of Speech and Rhetorical DevicesReading the Bible's non-literal language rightly10 questions · 10 quiz · 4 key passages
  18. 18Getting the Gold from the TextKeeping the sermon anchored in Scripture10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  19. 19Clearly: Preaching People Can FollowNapoleon's rule for messengers, applied to the pulpit10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  20. 20Five Bird-dogging Questions for Biblical ExpositionA method for mining a text for a wealth of preaching material10 questions · 10 quiz · 3 key passages
  21. 21Illustrating with Integrity and SensitivitySeven questions to keep sermon illustrations honest and effective10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  22. 22The Dress of ThoughtCultivating a clear, direct and vivid sermon style10 questions · 10 quiz · 4 key passages
  23. 23Effective IntroductionsWhat strong sermon openings actually do10 questions · 10 quiz · 1 key passages
  24. 24Satisfying ConclusionsEnding a sermon so it reaches the will, not just the mind10 questions · 10 quiz · 2 key passages
  25. 25No Voice, No Preach!Protecting and strengthening the preacher's vocal instrument10 questions · 10 quiz · 0 key passages