Everyone wants to hear–and some preach!–a good sermon. But what exactly is a good sermon? Certainly you know one when you hear one, but pinning down the details can be difficult: preaching is an interesting mixture of theology (what we’re saying) and rhetoric (how we say it). Yet when a sermon includes the following seven central elements, and when the Holy Spirit is present, something happens–the word comes alive and people come to faith.

In brief, a good sermon engages the biblical text, proclaims the gospel, connects God’s word to the lives of God’s people, is well organized and easy to understand, captures the imagination of the hearers, is delivered well, and orients people toward life in God’s world.