Challenges of the Introduction

The Challenges of the Introduction

             In the preaching event our audience usually is a captive one. This means that it is unlikely that any one will get up and leave. This does not mean, however, that those listening are automatically interested or will be engaged in the message. Preachers must be willing and able to rise to the challenges an Introduction presents. Following are some of the purposes of the sermon introduction.

Gaining Attention/Interest

Experts in the arena of public speaking have said that a speaker has approximately 3 minutes to gain the attention or interest of the listeners. Duane Litfin noted that in most cases our audience will give us their attention at the outset.[1] If, however, the speaker cannot hold the listener’s interest in that short time period then the listener’s minds will take them on exotic vacations, transport them to their favorite happy place, or cause them to daydream about personal or professional ambitions. Therefore, our goal is to devise an introduction that will win the listeners’ undivided attention.

Calvin Miller observed that listeners are asking the preacher, “Why should I listen?” He argued that preachers should promise to provide their listeners with “usable information” in order to gain and hold their interest. For Miller, relevance is the real issue. He added, “Relevance precedes application. People only apply sermons that have clear meaning for their lives.”[2]  The point, obviously, is that a preacher must secure the interest of the listener by revealing, in the first few moments, the value (relevance) of the message. Bryan Chapell noted, “An introduction should present the listeners with an arresting thought that draws them away from apathy or competing interests and makes each person say, ‘Hey! I need to hear this.’”[3] This can be quite challenging but the determined preacher will strive to develop his skills in this regard.

Introduce the Biblical Text

As Vines and Shaddix noted, “If an expository sermon purposes to expose the truth of the text, then the introduction to that sermon should introduce the preaching passage to some degree.”[4] They also warned that textual overload can lead to boredom on the part of the listener. Therefore preachers would do well to be selective in setting up the text.[5] Hershael York and Bert Decker suggested that the placement of the text should be a function of the development of the sermon itself. They noted that such consideration is as important as the completed sermon.[6]

Obviously biblical exposition should involve the revealing of the selected text under consideration. I suggest reading the text as early in the introduction as possible. The star of the preaching event is indeed the biblical text from which the sermon is based. The preacher will want to waste little time introducing the star to the listeners.

Share the Proposition

            The proposition is the most important aspect of the preacher’s message. This is what he wants to see his listeners do as a result of hearing the message. It is in the introduction, therefore, that the preacher begins to reveal that intended purpose.

Somewhere in his introductory comments the preacher will state something along the lines of, “God had made it clear to His children that He expected uncompromising faithfulness to His standards. We, as His church family, should be no less committed to that standard of uncompromising faithfulness. Let’s think in terms of making a fresh and uncompromising commitment to obedience to God’s standards.” In stating it this way the preacher has highlighted the central idea of the text and simultaneously shared with his listeners what they are expected to do as a result of hearing the message.

Tony Guthrie, PhD.

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[1] Duane Litfin, Public Speaking: A Handbook for Christians, 2^nd edition, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992), 236.

[2] Calvin Miller, The Empowered Communicator: 7 Keys to Unlocking an Audience, (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994), 78-79.

[3] Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 229.

[4]Vines and Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit, 220.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Hershael W. York and Bert Decker, Preaching with Bold Assurance: A Solid and Enduring Approach to Engaging Exposition, (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003), 181.