Welcome to my new page—How Shall They Hear?

This blog is devoted to a practical approach to systematic expository preaching (SEP). It will discuss all aspects of preaching, with the busy pastor in mind.

I’m convinced that most of pastors graduate from seminary determined to be sound biblical preachers. As someone who has been on both sides of the lectern, I believe that the seminary classroom is invaluable to the preacher. We’ve studied exegesis, hermeneutics, and homiletics. We immersed ourselves in theology and biblical studies. We have even survived the gut wrenching experience of having our preaching critiqued in the classroom.

Armed with knowledge and confidence, we accept our first church and begin shepherding. But, somewhere along the way, the grind of daily ministry erodes our dedication to the heavy lifting required to rightly divide the Word of truth. My goal is to remind and rejuvenate you, my readers, and myself. We will discuss the basics of sermon preparation, but with an eye toward the reality of the pastorate.

My plan for this page is to address the steps of sermon preparation one post at a time. Naturally, I will be explaining my own approach to preaching. The details of my method have varied since I began pastoring in November 2004, but my overarching strategy has not. I preach through books and extended sections of the Bible. If you are not a practitioner of SEP, then my hope is that this blog will convince you to give it a try. If you already use this method, then I pray you are encouraged.