It's not often that we hear the virtues of the small. Our culture teaches that bigger is better--and that includes church ministry and preaching, too. But what if rather than swinging for the fences, preachers focused on improving their sermons through small habits, practices, and exercises? What if smaller is better?
In a world where "small" isn't always celebrated, Jonathan T. Pennington provides Small Preaching, a short book of simple tips that can have revolutionary effects over time. Pennington offers preachers 25 words of wisdom that will help shape their preaching for the better.
SIT 2025 Recommended SIT textbook for Session C. Law and Gospel Preaching (Rev. Sam Wellumson)
This is a book about the preacher’s task and how to perform it written by a fellow practitioner of the craft. What would you say that craft is? What is it that you do for a living, Pastor?
You get paid to tell people what to think.
You tell people what to think while they lie on their death beds. You tell them what to think about God and eternity. You tell jilted wives what to think when their husbands run off. You tell failures what to think about their future. You tell the melancholy what to think about being sad. Folks pile into a building once a week and sit on uncomfortable benches so they can listen to you tell them what to think for 15 minutes. And they put money in a bucket for the privilege.
This is a craft worthy of your best efforts. It is a matter of life and death. It's what you were called and ordained to do.
SIT 2025 Recommended SIT textbook for Session C. Law and Gospel Preaching (Rev. Sam Wellumson)
