Sample sermon feedback

Now that you've read a sample sermon, use these categories to think about what you've read.

Faithfulness to the Word

From the very first post-resurrection sermon Jesus preached to Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus, Christian proclamation has always begun with the text of God’s Word. In this section, please think about how your Preaching Fellow connected with that Word.

Rate this sermon's faithfulness to the Word (with 10 as the best)

 Say something about how well this sermon responds to the Word. How clearly is it based on a passage of scripture? How well does it allow the Word to have its own integrity and voice?

 What new or interesting point does the sermon make about the passage?

 If you were to preach on this passage, would you choose the same parts to zero in on? Why or why not?

Structure and rhetoric

This is the category where you are called on to draw on all your old high school and college skills in composition. You don’t need to know the difference between adverbs and propositions. Just be a good listener. Think about the logical progression of the ideas presented.

Rate this sermon's overall structure and rhetoric (with 10 as the best)

 Please comment on the sermon’s structure. Could you follow the sermon? Did it follow a logical progression? Did it make sense?

 What would you say are the main points of the sermon? Were they adequate? Or was there too much information packed in for one sermon (that is, could this have been turned into two or three different sermons)?

 How appropriate was this sermon for this particular group of hearers?

Illustrations

One of the ways a preacher can bridge the chasm between the ancient world of a biblical passage and the world that pew-sitters live in is by using illustrations. Illustrations can come from scripture itself (see 2 Timothy 3:16 — “All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” NIV), from history, literature, and personal experience. Think about how the illustrations connected with the Word.

Rate this sermon's overall use of illustrations (with 10 as the best)

 What was the most helpful illustration? Why?

 Could the sermon have used more or fewer illustrations? How well did they support the passage of God’s Word or overshadow it?

 Was there any illustration that seemed inappropriate? If so, why?

Language

From the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the Word has been present. And John refers to Jesus himself as the Word made flesh. From the formless void in Genesis to the burning bush, from the singed lips of Isaiah to Jesus’ charge to the disciples to “go and tell,” God has been present in the Word. For the church’s public proclaimers, language is thus of utmost importance. Christ’s benefits need to be delivered without the package being damaged. Think about how your Preaching Fellow used language in this sermon.

Rate this sermon's overall use of language (with 10 as the best)

 How careful was the sermon with language? Was it pedestrian or interesting?

 How well did the language match the setting and the character of the sermon’s hearers? Too intellectual? Too casual?

 What was a turn of phrase that grabbed you in the sermon? Why?

Theology

You may not realize it, but you are a theologian every day of your life, as you seek to put your experience into some sort of framework and reconcile it with what you know about our relationship with God. Now you get to put this sermon into some theological boxes and see how it fits.

Rate this sermon's overall theology (with 10 as the best)

 Did this sermon touch you, work on you, grab hold of you? Or did it allow you enough distance to ignore God’s activity and get off the hook?

 How well did this sermon integrate both God’s judgment/demands in the Law and what God does in the person of Jesus Christ for those who are bound by sin?

 How well did this sermon integrate both God’s judgment and demands in the Law and what God does in the person of Jesus Christ for those who are bound by sin?

General

Rate this sermon as a whole (with 10 as the best)

 What other feedback and encouragement can you provide for your Preaching Fellow?