Page 129 - Homiletics I Student Textbook

Study Section 18: Using Various Aids in Your Sermon

18.1 Connect

There is no one set method a preacher must employ to communicate information to the
learner and to ensure that learning is happening. Have you heard the saying, “Variety is the
spice of life?” That is true, especially for the sake of those who sit on the receiving end of a
sermon. You will find that your congregation will respond to your teaching style if you use
several methods.

“The mind can only receive what the seat can endure.”

Here is a saying that is so true: “The mind can only receive what the seat can endure.”
Sitting an hour listening to someone drone on using a lecture method (as most pastors do)
will result in very little learning. Use methods that consider the amount of time the
congregation can concentrate. That amount of time is shorter than you think.

We already learned about attention spans of students. You must always factor that
knowledge into your sermon plan.

This means if you create a lecture for 50 minutes, not only will the retention be about 10%, but after
around 30 minutes most of the congregation will shut down to almost zero percent retention. An
effective preacher will incorporate several methods within a sermon that will take attention spans into
account. Mixing methods resets the attention span on a new mental clock the moment the preacher
makes the shift.

18.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to take what has been taught and apply it to creating a couple of
sermons based on assigned passages.

18.3 Use Audio Visual Aids

The word “audio” means that a person hears something to reinforce an idea. It includes such
things as music, narration, sound bites, and of course, what the speaker is saying. The word
“video” means the person sees something to help them visualize a concept. The two tools can
be used separately. For example, you could have a series of pictures that illustrate what you are
teaching. Large pictures showing Lazarus coming out of the tomb may be used to impact the
minds of children. You could play a story on a CD that is being read or narrated as a point of
interest and reinforcement.

But tying an audio and visual presentation together you increase the overall impact on the audience and
thereby increase the probability that they will recall the information you are presenting. Also, audio and

128