The Power of Preaching

I am grateful to net galley.com and Moody publishers for an advance review copy of this book. This book is a very short book about a very important subject. The book itself (without the appendices) will take maybe an hour to read but the wisdom and insight gleaned from it will be incredibly useful.

The book starts with a brief introduction and explanation of what expository preaching is and moves very helpfully through perhaps what we might call a sermon week. There are tips on organisation and tips on preparation of the material. What i found to be the most helpful chapter was the chapter on presentation, as someone who has been preaching for over 10 years it was good to come back and think over my sermons and see if there is one clear goal and idea that could be identified.

This book is very down to earth, very practical with lots of helpful tips and appendices, it would be great for someone staring out in the pastoral ministry wanting to know what expository preaching was all about and was good for someone like me who has been doing it for a good few years as a reminder not to go into auto pilot but to stop and think as we come to writing sermons. A helpful book all in all.

I've always enjoyed listening to Tony Evans, so I was interested in this book. It didn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

The Power of Preaching is a short but insightful book about preaching and I think would benefit both the student/beginner preacher and a more experienced one as a kind of refresher. It's the kind of book I can actually imagine being used in a seminary class or at a conference in a work group.

The book is split into two sections: the first covering Foundation, Organisation, Preparation and Presentation; and the second being Appendixes with examples of sermons outlines, content and structure and recommended resources. I guess if you are really stuck for sermon ideas you could always use one of these!

It's clear Evans is speaking from a wealth of experience and I particularly liked the idea of a flexible preaching calendar. I've never used one as I was involved as a more sporadic itinerant evangelist rather than a pastor preaching through a structured program but I can see how having a preaching calendar would benefit a travelling evangelist as well.

There are other more lengthy books on preaching but for me the strength of this one is actually its shorter size at 160 pages as it's less overwhelming for a busy pastor to read than a heavier tome. Although it's only a short part of the book I liked where Evans addresses what the preacher wears, that even how the preacher presents themselves can influence whether the congregation is more interested in the sermon or the clothes! I remember this lesson from theological college where a visiting preacher wore a bright white tie that reflected the sun and that's all anyone noticed!

The only bit I didn't like was that I have a thing about Christian pastors/writers who push their own books/publications as Evans does here (albeit briefly) but that's more a personal quibble. All in all I'd recommend this book as one anyone involved in preaching ministry should have on their bookshelf for quick reference. I'll post to Amazon and Goodreads and my own blog on publication.

Thanks to NetGalley/Moody Publisher for ARC.

The Power of Preaching is a brief tool laying the foundation for expository preaching and a guide for crafting sermons. Tony Evans offers a very accessible approach to the organization, preparation, and presentation of an expository sermon.
The strongest points in the book were the Organization and Preparation chapters. I think this book is a helpful little tool for those new to preaching or those considering an alternative approach to sermon preparation.
In speaking about Organization, Evans highlights how the seriousness of the task of preaching requires the preacher to have a plan to communicate and handle the Scriptures effectively. From the necessity of prayer to the helpfulness of a preaching calendar, Evans walks through an approach to the organization to increase the preacher's ability to communicate well.
In looking at preparation, Evans focuses much of his attention on putting in the work to rightly interpret and then communicate Scripture. In doing so, Evans offers a brief workshop in how exegesis and hermeneutics are to be applied in preparing a message.

Additionally, this book may be helpful in raising up the next generation of preachers. The book is accessible enough to be read by high school and undergraduate students. I would encourage pastors with young people who express a desire to preach to walk through this book with young people to help them understand what it looks like to rightly handle Scripture in the pulpit and in teaching.

**I received this book from Moody Publishers and NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.