31 - Step 5 - Preparation - The Introduction

The Preaching Matters Podcast

Although the sermon introduction is obviously presented first in delivery, it should not be prepared until after the body of the sermon has been completed. Until the preacher has a sermon body, he has nothing to introduce. This does not mean the preacher should avoid all thoughts about the introduction until this point in the preparation. It simply means the formal preparation of the introduction is best done after the body of the sermon is finished.
From a practical point of view, the introduction is usually the most important part of the sermon. If we fail to capture the hearer at this point, the sermon as a whole, in all likelihood, will fail.
An introduction has five basic functions:
1. It must arouse interest.
2. It must inform the audience of the subject.
3. It shows the hearers their need to listen to the development of this particular subject
(personal relevance).
4. It should promote the respect of the audience toward the speaker (ethos).
5. It should give some indication as to how the sermon is going to be developed.
Although sermon introductions vary considerably, they do share some basic characteristics:

They should not exceed about 10 to 15 percent of the total speaking time. This means the introduction to a 25-minute sermon should not exceed 3 1/2 minutes. A lengthy introduction discourages listeners, for they interpret this to mean that the sermon itself will be unusually long.

The very first sentence (the approach sentence) should point in the direction of the

sermon subject but not necessarily in a “religious” sense. Introductions beginning with a story should still be prefaced with a suitable approach sentence, for this gives the hearer a frame of reference. This sentence should attract the hearer, arousing curiosity as to what will follow.

The introduction should progress from the general subject to the specific theme.

From the theme, it should move to a brief encounter with the biblical context. Following this, the transitional paragraph (consisting of the proposition, the propositional interrogative [if used], and the transitional sentence) should be stated.

Numerous materials and rhetorical methods can be used in sermon introductions. The ideas mentioned in the section on illustrations (Step 9 of the Keyword method) may also be applied

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