Do be arresting. Don't be sensational, but arresting. A preacher once read for his text Hazael's words to Elisha: "Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" He closed his Bible and began: "Dog or no dog, he did it." He then preached on the superiority of first thoughts over second thoughts in moral decisions. That opening sentence gave him his listeners, and he gave them a message.
Do choose a good title for your sermon.
Do use language that will make your hearers see. Be vivid. R. L. Stevenson said, "What he cannot vivify, he should omit." He was speaking of authors, but it is just as applicable to preachers.
Do be direct. Be gripping. Be convicting. Be convincing. At Pentecost men were going through a new and overwhelming experience. How do you explain it? "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel," said Peter.
Do pay particular attention to the exact words of the text. Don't guess.
Do search the Bible for explanations. Don't take men's theories.
Do "let us stop where revelation stops; and not pretend to move one inch beyond."
Do read constantly, and your homiletic waters will not run dry.
Do avoid hackneyed anecdotes and outworn, quotations.
Do spend time on your choice of hymns, especially the last one, which should fit your theme and the appeal.
Do close your sermon with a carefully thought out appeal.
Do keep to the time of the meetings. Begin on time and close on time. Avoid long services.
Do maintain dignity, order, and reverence in all services. The Lord's house is to be kept clean and attractive, both within and without. Never should old posters or charts be kept on display.
Do preach from the platform.
Do arrange your seating for the size of the congregation. Get the people close together. They will listen better and sing better.
Do keep your room or hall tidy, even if it means tidying it yourself. Also keep the pulpit clean and tidy, inside and out.
Do dress with care for your duties. Dress neatly and have hands and fingernails clean.
Do visit the physically and spiritually sick, and also the interested.
Do shake hands at the door at the close of the service.
Do keep a list, with dates, of every subject you present in public and at the homes of the people.
Do at all times be loyal to the cause and fit in with the plans of your conference organization.—Lay Preacher's Handbook, North England Conference.
Don't's for Preachers
Don't stand rigid. Be easy. Remember that movements and gestures which call attention to themselves, distract and must be avoided.
Don't lean over the desk and direct your speech downward. Your effect upon the audience is weakened at once. Face them. Look at them.
Don't arrive at the church late.
Don't sit on the platform until the time comes to begin the service.
Don't shout out certain words and sentences and thump the desk because you have seen other preachers do so at some time. Remember their circumstances and their personalities.
Don't watch the clock while someone is speaking.
Don't indulge in loose statements or sweeping generalities, exaggerations, or distortions.
Don't confuse obscurity with profundity. Lucidity is not necessarily shallow.
Don't take for granted an avid interest on the part of the audience. It is your responsibility to awaken their interest.
Don't judge the success of the service by the flattery of some person who seldom exercises his or her mind, and always thanks any speaker in the same words.
Don't make calls for consecration a habit. Congregations soon reach a saturation point and cease to be affected.—Lay Preacher's Handbook, North England Conference.
