How does a team prepare a sermon, one to be preached by nine different speakers, in English and Spanish, at New Life Community Church's nine sites around Chicago? Brian Lowery was invited to sit in during their group sermon preparation to see how it's done.

After spending time in prayer, the pastors at New Life Community Church huddle around a table on this Monday to pull together next Sunday's message. The table is covered with Bibles, pens, notepads, laptops, and—no less important—mugs of coffee (the less caffeine-dependent clutch bottled water).

Here I watch 16 individuals with 16 different personalities and backgrounds do their best to shape one sermon that will be preached in nine locations to nine different congregations.

I can't help but wonder if this task is impossible for a group. I rarely agree with myself when putting together a sermon—let alone with 15 others! I struggle to keep just one audience in mind; I don't know how I could handle eight ...