Simple Preaching Prep: A guide to finish your first sermon and flourish beyond

by Mark Messmore

PREACHING IS HARD, BUT WHAT IF YOUR SERMON DEVELOPMENT PROCESS COULD BE...EASIER?
Preaching is challenging in lots of ways. But what happens when this sacred task falls to someone with little or no experience? What resources exist to help faithful, but untrained servants in congregations around the world preach from God’s Word?

Simple Preaching Prep is written to provide a straightforward, customizable sermon development model for preachers who are new or perhaps just looking for a new approach. In Simple Preaching Prep, author and pastor Mark Messmore demonstrates how to:

Interview the Text
Narrow the Focus
State the Main Idea
Include Supporting Material
Deliver the Message
Evaluate the Result

While preaching is hard, Simple Preaching Prep aims to help you finish your first sermon and flourish beyond.

83 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

Mark has been in full-time located ministry since 2006. He holds degrees from Kentucky Christian University and Campbellsville University. Mark is passionate about helping others truly grasp and apply God's Word through preaching and teaching. Mark is the author of Simple Preaching Prep, a resource designed to help bridge the pastor-shortage gap and help aspiring preachers finish their first sermon and flourish beyond.

Mark married his college-sweetheart, Kara, in 2002. They have two boys and two dogs filling their home with energy and activity.

Reviews

[Literary Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book Simple Preaching Prep: A guide to finish your first sermon and flourish beyond, Mark Messmore addresses special ways one can preach to ensure that the message they are trying to convey hits home. Mark Messmore writes about the different methodologies you can use and how you can deliver your message with ease. Readers will realize that by going through and reading the simple preaching prep model that the author has demonstrated in the book, they will become an even better preacher than they were before. The prep model involves interviewing the text, narrowing the focus, stating the main idea, including supporting material, delivering the message, and evaluating the result.

I like this book because the content inside is not only great for preachers, but it also works for public speakers in general. Mark Messmore talks about being a great speaker, how to build your oratory skills and how to address different audiences. He gives a step by step guide for people that have never preached, and encourages both new and established preachers. I like how engaging the author is and how pleasant he sounds. Mark Messmore conveys his message in a welcoming and warm manner. As a reader, you feel at ease reading his book and getting to understand what it takes to be the best preacher or speaker.

What makes reading Simple Preaching Prep: A guide to finish your first sermon and flourish beyond pleasurable and interesting is the bible stories that the author uses as examples. Mark Messmore adds bible scriptures and discusses at length some bible stories. He also includes light moments when expounding on the topics and stories, something that encourages one to keep reading. I loved the biblical references in the book. By reading Mark Messmore’s book, one gets a better insight of the bible and God. The author does a fantastic job of simplifying complex ideas so that reader has a better, more comprehensive, understanding of the material.

One of the many lessons I learned in the book includes how to be in sync with your audience and how to capture their full attention. When talking about various audiences, the author is engaging and cordial. Once you read this book, you will reduce your social anxiety by a good fraction and you will gain confidence and be ready to offer your first sermon. This is an effective guidebook for Christian leaders that provides pragmatic advice to help make you a better preacher.

[Kristine L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinking this book isn't your thing? Not into pulpit supply or parsing Greek verbs? Hold on a sec. Cuz this book may surprise you.

While Simple Preaching Prep is geared toward Jesus followers, its principles and practical advice will help anyone looking to sharpen their presentation skills, organize their thoughts, and connect with their audience, be that in a church, business, club, discussion group, classroom, or other context.

Defining preaching as “Communicating truth through personality,” the author packs a lot into 66 short pages. Peppered with pithy observations, illustrations, personal examples and real life applications, this simple “how to” guide offers clear, easy to follow advice for smart presentation preparation in any context.

Initial preparation includes:

Beginning “from a place of questions and curiosity.”
Comparing multiple Bible translations to help identify important words, phrases, and ideas.
Using paper and pen to boost the use of both logic and creativity. Reading the text out loud.
Asking questions about the text, like Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? Make observations.

The author provides examples and graphics on how to do all of the above. Each chapter concludes with a Put it Into Practice section to remind and reinforce material covered previously. There’s also a section on considering Why this message is important? and What do I want the audience to do with it? Also ways to help make an idea “stick.” Preparing the material and preparing you.

Lots more. Like:

“Pirate-ninjas of the world, unite!” You’ll get that if you read the book.

I've read boatloads of resources on this and related topics over the years. Simple Preaching Prep is one of the best. No gimmicks. No dog and pony shows. No smoke and mirrors. Just straight-forward, practical, down-to-earth advice presented in an easy to follow, step-by-step format that will benefit both novice and seasoned preachers and anyone who wants to improve their presentation skills. I'd grab a copy now 'fize you.

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple preaching prep is a nonfiction self-help book written for those who wish to perfect preaching or want the recourses to help train and become one. The book is short but compact. It is helpful for those who like to read explicit material and enables you to finish your first sermon without reading too much.
The author describes and presents a model for preachers new to the approach and allows the reader to be informed by providing step-by-step measures. I enjoyed how organized the work was.

The literature is also written in a way that anyone can understand and learn from, which is an advantage when it comes to self-help books.

I recommend this book to nonfiction readers and those who wish to learn how to deliver a message.

[Payton Monbleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book! It was a really easy to read guide for beginners and a great reminder for experts. Would highly recommend reading this as a pastor!