How to Write Better Sermons: A Practical Guide for Pastors

A 4-Part Series on Sermon Writing

Imagine what you would have thought on the first day of class if your professor told you that you would have to write an original theological paper every week that has to be accurate, accessible to virtually anyone, spiritually enriching, applicable to your audience's daily lives, AND present it to an audience—who also pay your salary.

You'd have to run hard to beat your classmates to the registrar to change courses.

But that's course is not far from what many pastors do every week—and not just for a single semester, either.

The purpose of this series is to take tips from the world of writing and offer them to pastors to make the process of sermon writing a little easier and to help preachers feel a little more confident as the clock ticks down to Sunday morning.

About the Author

William Rowley (MA, Talbot School of Theology; PhD, Philosophy, University of Rochester) is a veteran educator and editor: he spent seven years teaching undergraduates to think, speak, and write clearly at the University of Rochester, and works as a freelance editor for professional writers. His training spans philosophy, theology, and Biblical studies, which he brings to the content he creates and edits for The Pastor's Workshop — including this series. He is active in lay leadership at his local church and an occasional preacher.

His approach to writing is pragmatic rather than rules-based, informed by cognitive science and years of coaching students to write clearly and persuasively.

This Series