Topical Preaching In A Complex World

Be Equipped to Prepare and Deliver Engaging Biblical and Effective Topical Sermons Sooner or later every preacher will come upon a situation where they need to preach a topical sermon. Yet few are taught to preach topically. Even preachers who are gifted in expositing the Scriptures may struggle to deliver a topical sermon that is engaging culturally relevant and true to the biblical text. Worse many pastors worry these messages undermine confidence in the Bible or its authority leading to a humancentered rather than a Godfocused sermon. But that doesnt have to be the case. In Topical Preaching in a Complex World Sam Chan and Malcolm Gill answer these objections and chart a path for how preachers can deliver faithful and effective topical messages. First they address the biblical theological and cultural reasons pastors should add topical sermons to their preaching repertoire. Then they introduce a straightforward fourfold approach for preaching a topical message and answer important questions like these How do you approach a topic with the proper interpretative lens How can you speak to two or more audiences with the same sermon What should you consider theologically culturally and pastorally in your preparation How do you trace the topic back to Christ How can you better connect with your audience Best of all they help readers craft a message that says something people truly need and want to hear Filled with wit humor and wisdom from decades of preaching this book will equip preachers pastors ministry leaders and students to preach relevant biblical and engaging topical sermons. Author Sam Chan says Just over a decade ago I was asked by an organization to speak at their endofyear dinner. They wanted me to address the topic of being a Christian single but I had no idea how to prepare and deliver a topical talk. When the night arrived I preached an old threepoint expository sermon and merely changed the ending to include some application on singleness. At best I got some polite comments afterwards. At worst peoples looks indicated that my biblical talk had little relevance for them. They could not have been less fooled by my disingenuous workaround. I went home vowing never to repeat that poor performance. I felt like the unfaithful servant who had not adequately used what talents had been given to him. As a result I have dedicated the last decade of my preaching ministry to overcoming and mastering the art of topical preaching. This book is a product of that journey.