Preemptive Feedback

In my early days of preaching, I made some embarrassing mistakes. In one sermon I kept referring to immature Christians as "spiritual midgets." It's shocking to me now that I would say something so insensitive. During post-sermon feedback, my team asked me some questions:

"What if there had been real midgets there? Or, if someone is related to or knows a midget, how would that make them feel?"

I had been trying to create a vivid mental picture of stunted spiritual development, to frame a holy disgust at a lack of progress. But did I ever fail at my attempt! I kept thinking about how this issue would have been avoided. One way is getting feedback before the sermon is preached. The whole church suffers if one person alone prepares a sermon. Because of this, I started submitting myself to their preemptive feedback. While preparing a sermon recently, I received some preemptive feedback from one of our leaders. He had many positive things to say, but one big critique. He said I did a good job applying the gospel message to Christians, but he felt my application to unbelievers was weak.

He pointed out that I needed to make sure I drove home the truth that people are sinners in need of a Savior. I was initially surprised to hear this feedback, but after reviewing my recorded sermon, he was absolutely right. I had underplayed the gospel message itself, but hadn't realized it. I corrected it, and that Sunday, three people indicated their desire to follow Jesus for the first time.

For another sermon I had developed an epic list of 12 excuses Christians make to avoid giving in the offering. One of our leaders strongly urged me to cut the list down to six because it was just too overwhelming. This was difficult to receive because I was proud of the comprehensiveness of my list, and I wanted to leave no stone unturned. But the more I reviewed my list and this leader’s feedback, I became aware of the need to make changes. My list lacked grace and I wasn't trusting the Holy Spirit to do the forming. I allowed myself to be convinced by the feedback, and I shortened the list. That Sunday we had several first time givers.

I never stop being amazed by the benefits of teamwork.

One aspect of this process I love is getting to the point in the sermon where I incorporate a preemptive change. If possible, I will glance at the leader who was responsible and catch a smile.

I see a sense of godly pride in their eyes and I become more aware of how that moment dignifies them, and how it makes us closer as leaders. It increases our confidence in each other and our openness as a team.

Since incorporating preemptive feedback, I have become more aware of changes I need to make before I submit the sermon to others. I’m also able to produce sermon rough drafts quicker. If one of my points feels undeveloped rather than laboring over it, I am confident that the team will help me develop it further, or encourage me to nix it. I can safely say there have been no downsides to adopting this practice. This process removes a lot of stress and last-minute scrambling, which my wife and kids particularly appreciate. More than anything, it blesses God’s people more.

My sermon process

Here is my current sermon preparation process. I hope it is helpful and gives you a few ideas of your own.

On Tuesdays I go somewhere without Wi-Fi and work solely on my sermon. I am usually working on a sermon at least three weeks ahead of time. My goal on Tuesdays is to finish my sermon notes completely. At the end of the day, I preach the sermon out loud and record myself. I send the audio of my rough sermon and the notes to the leadership team. By doing this a few weeks in advance, it gives the leaders enough time to listen and email feedback to me without the stress of a quick turnaround.

I take a few hours on Wednesday mornings to work on my sermon for the upcoming Sunday. I review any feedback I have received and I make it my goal to apply as much as I can. If I disagree strongly enough with anything, I'll attempt to talk with that person to make sure I understand their input. I listen to my own recording and simultaneously follow along with my sermon notes. I then practice this new version without recording it, but I do time it. I don't usually do anything else with the sermon until Sunday morning.

I get up early on Sunday morning to go over my sermon again. I read over my notes and work hard at cutting things out. I do another full run through, and time myself. I try to highlight sections in my notes that I can sacrifice if time gets away from me. This helps me make better and faster decisions on stage.

At this point I have practiced my sermon three times, received and applied feedback from other leaders, and worked at getting the length down. This level of preparedness also helps me be less rigid and less tied to my notes, so I can still speak more from my heart, and follow the lead of the Spirit. Is the sermon perfect? No. But it's definitely better than it would have been if I did all of the preparation by myself. I have grown as a preacher thanks to my team and incorporating preemptive feedback.

Matt Sweetman is an author and pastor of Destination Church in Chicago, Illinois.