Adam Hamilton on Effective Worship and Preaching

Worship is like a "Soul Food Cafe:"

• The discernment question for the congregation is "are we a 1 or 5 star restaurant? Are we serving a fresh, hot, tasty meal or warmed-over leftovers?"
• The reality is that a majoirity people do not expect to have an experience of God or have their lives changed in worship.

Ideas for Improving Worship:

• People must be "led" in worship.
• Effective worship requires intentional design and effort (half of the hymns are sung about God and half of the hymns are sung to God - which hymn do you need and when?).
• Five hours a week should be devoted to worship planning (theme, expectation, experience) and ten hours should be devoted to sermon preparation. Pastors need time to meditate on and research the sermon - guard this time at all costs.

The Aim of Preaching:

• The aim of preaching is to fulfill the mission of the church.
• You must discern the mission of the church in order to do direct your preaching (DUH).

The Three Components of Preaching That Connects:

• Preachers must teach people something they did not know before.
• Preachers must inspire people and touch the heart.
• Preachers must issue a call to action.

Two Basis Sermon Types:

• Movement from the BIBLE to EXEGESIS to APPLICATION to ILLUSTRATION.
• Movement from HUMAN CONDITION to EXEGETE to BIBLE to ILLUSTRATE.
• Adam alternates between these two patterns usually with the first pattern moving toward Christmas and Easter and the second pattern as a follow-up to Christmas and Easter.

Sermon Planning:

• Adam spends one week a year planning his sermons for the next two years.
• Adam asks his congregation before he leaves to plan his sermons this question: "Please tell me what sermon topics would help you grow?"

You can check out the video at this link: "Effective Worship and Preaching"