The Unhelpful Solitude of Preaching - getting creative

How can we emerge from our seclusion and practise the art of preaching in community? We can get creative! In Preaching and Preachers, D Martyn Lloyd-Jones recommends that preachers practise extempore preaching. This can be done in pairs or in a group. Each preacher is given an ‘unseen’ text to preach on briefly without much preparation time. Extempore preaching in a group creates the opportunity for dynamic and immediate reflection together. Agreeing with a preacher in another church to preach the same series concurrently is also a helpful learning tool. With such an arrangement, we can learn from the other’s sermons and also, perhaps, do some pulpit sharing, thus giving us time to reflect on a sermon and preach it again. In addition, if we can share the preaching load in our own church, this will be a great step forward. Reflection takes time, so preaching less and reflecting more with others and by oneself will be beneficial.