Editorial draft for review. “From the guide” sections are Parker's words; “Working it out,” examples and worksheets are editorial.
Guide sections: One-Page Sermon Template; Final Word to Preachers
Read
Read “From the guide” first, out loud if you can. Then read “Working it out.”
From the guide
One-page sermon template
Text:
Big idea:
Why this matters now:
Point 1:
Scripture:
Illustration:
Application:
Point 2:
Scripture:
Illustration:
Application:
Point 3:
Scripture:
Illustration:
Application:
Invitation:
Landing:
Final word to preachers
Love people more than the pulpit and you will always have something to say.
Study yourself full.
Think yourself clear.
Pray yourself hot.
Let yourself go.
Preach the Gospel.
Trust the Spirit.
Serve the people.
Give God the glory.
Working it out
One page. The template is a summary of the work you have done, not a replacement for it. If the sermon will not fit on one page, something still needs to be cut.
“Why this matters now.” This is the one line on the template you have not written yet. Name a real question or pressure your listeners are carrying this month.
Four lines, four stages. “Study yourself full” is installments 3 and 4. “Think yourself clear” is 5 through 7. “Pray yourself hot” is 11. “Let yourself go” is what all the preparation is for: on the day, trust the work and preach. (Parker heard these four lines from T.D. Jakes. This records where he heard them, not who first said them.)
Love people more than the pulpit. A preacher who loves preaching runs out of things to say. A preacher who loves people does not.
Worked example (fictional, process only)
A preacher finished the template and saw his “why this matters now” line was vague. He rewrote it to name a real question his listeners carry, preached the whole sermon out loud once from the page, and set his next goal: shorter, clearer transitions.
Discuss
- Could someone else follow your one-page plan?
- Where do you see love for people in this sermon?
- Which of the four lines (full, clear, hot, go) is weakest for you?
- What has changed in you since orientation, and what is your next growth goal?
Mentor: say what growth you have seen since orientation, with one specific example.
Practice
Fill in the one-page template with one point row for each movement your passage has, and mark unused optional rows “not needed.” Keep it to one page without shrinking the type until it is hard to read. Preach the finished sermon out loud from it, start to finish. Review it with your mentor and write your next growth goal.
Worksheet
Copy onto paper or download below; nothing is saved here.
- Text
- Big idea
- Why this matters now
- Point 1 — Scripture / illustration / application
- Point 2 — Scripture / illustration / application
- Point 3 — Scripture / illustration / application (if needed)
- Invitation
- Landing
- Next growth goal
Review
Artifact: Completed one-page template and next growth goal.
Complete when: Every applicable section is complete (unused optional rows marked “not needed”), it fits on one readable page, the sermon has been preached out loud from the page, and your mentor has agreed your next growth goal.
- Every applicable section complete; unused optional rows marked “not needed.”
- Fits on one readable page.
- Preached out loud from the page.
- Next growth goal agreed with mentor.
Mentor feedback
Bring the work you made, not just your answers. Show one place where the passage shaped a decision. Name one strength, choose one useful improvement, and check the revision together.
- Name one real strength in the work.
- Name one priority improvement, based on evidence in the work.
- Revise, then recheck against the review list.
Blank sermon template
Just the template, separate from this lesson. Choose how many points your passage has; nothing you choose is saved.