Organizing (Outlining) the Sermon III
The purpose of the sermon often dictates the sermon’s
organizational structure. While each outline should have
three main sections – introduction, body, and conclusion –
there is a wide variation of structural approaches. For
example, an architect may emphasize either function (what
the building does) or form (what the building looks like).
Either structure may have the same square footage and the
same number of floors, but the end results are strikingly
different. As with buildings, two sermons on the same text
may vary immensely depending on the structural approach
chosen.
For example, a deductive approach may be used to appeal to
the mind. A deductive structure begins with a biblical
principle from which it moves to the hearers’ needs. The
thesis is stated in the introduction; the points in the
body prove it to be true; the conclusion calls for action
based upon the truth established. The sermon is logical and
linear in the development of the thesis.
On the other hand, an inductive approach may be used to
appeal more to the hearers’ experience. An inductive
structure begins with the hearers’ experience and moves to
the text or logical truth. The thesis is stated in the
conclusion. It has been compared to a good mystery novel –
who did it is revealed in the last chapter. The inductive
approach is valuable when preaching to unbelievers who do
not accept the authority of scripture. The sermon begins
with their experiences, establishes principles based upon
those experiences that they admit to be true, and then
takes them to a text that invokes the same principle. To
deny the truth of the text they must deny the admitted
truth of their own experience.
Proper structural organization does not happen accidentally
– it is the most demanding aspect of sermon preparation.
But it is also the most rewarding. Working through the
process has benefits for both the pulpit and the pew that
make the sermon more powerful. If it refines the
relationship between the points in the preacher’s mind,
will it not do the same in the hearers’ minds? If it
enables the preacher to view the sermon as a whole and
provide a sense of unity, can it do less for the hearers?
If it crystallizes the sermon’s points so that they are
presented to the hearers in the proper sequence, will they
not be more easily remembered?
A preacher’s failure to communicate with his hearers may
result from several things (e.g., poor diction, poor
grammar, poor delivery). Thus, while proper organization
does not guarantee good communication, poor organization
guarantees failure (no matter what a captive, polite
audience may say at the door, and no matter what “spit and
polish” a preacher may bring to the pulpit). The preacher
who wants to feel better about himself, his sermons, and
his hearers, and who wants to help his hearers drink from
the Living Water, will take time to properly organize his
sermons.