Course Overview

Sermon Construction and Presentation (4 credits)

Instructors: Dr. Bruce Ballast and Dr. Gabriela Tijerina-Pike

CLA Student Volunteer Teacher Assistant: Ed Becher (email: clavolunteersermonconstruction@christianleaders.net)

Contributors:

Communication analysts—Andrew Bryant and Karen Friedman.
Articles, Blogs, Outlines—Eric McKiddie, Daniel Akin, and John Broadus.
Preachers—George Whitefield, Dwight L. Moody, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Voddie Baucham, Billy Graham, David Feddes, Bob Bouwer, Steve Elzinga, Henry Reyenga, Max Lucado, Crawford Loritts, Bruce Ballast, John Piper, Francis Chan, and John Ortberg.

Note: Before this class, it is recommended (not required) to take COM 101 - Introduction to Communication and BIB 420 - Hermeneutics and Exegesis (3 credits). 

Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16)
We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. (2 Corinthians 4:5)
Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (1 Timothy 4:13)
Preach the Word. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Overview: This course builds upon the basics of communication, explores various elements of preparing and preaching sermons, discusses various models of preaching, and presents a wide-ranging sample of preachers for learning and critical evaluation.

Course Outcomes:

1. Pursue preaching as a Scripture-based, Christ-centered proclamation of God’s message for people today.
2. Grasp and apply elements of preparation and crafting of sermon content.
3. Grasp and apply elements of nonverbal communication in preaching.
4. Sample a variety of preachers from the past and present.
5. Develop an individual preaching style that fits one’s own personality and abilities.

Disclaimer: The CL Ministries Statement of Faith guides our teaching and practice in our courses. This course will include some perspectives that do not necessarily reflect our Statement of Faith. You will see how different leaders construct and deliver the message. Some of the preachers you study will promote their style as the "biblical" style. You will prayerfully come to your own conclusions with help from your mentor. We also use some material from the web that is not from pastors or church leaders, but we include such material because we deem it helpful to advance your communication style and effectiveness.

Assignments:

1. View all online lectures and read all articles on each topic. Active engagement with course materials prior to attempting the quiz is required for each unit. If a resource is provided in multiple formats, simply choose whichever format best supports your learning. CLI’s system tracks your viewing history to determine meaningful engagement. Make sure you are logged into your student account when viewing or downloading the materials.

2. Take the online quiz for each unit. You will have 45 minutes to answer 15 multiple-choice questions for each quiz. Each quiz covers the readings and video lectures for that unit. Once a quiz has started, you must finish it, and you cannot retake it. 

3. Sermons: Students will construct two sermons that they will present to their mentor or someone in your church for evaluation or comment. The first sermon will be two pages single-spaced (1,100-1,300 words; worth 40 points). The second sermon will be four pages single-spaced (2,200-2,500 words) worth 75 points.

4. Final paper: Your final paper will highlight the important things you learned in this class. Don't just hastily write this paper during unit 12. Instead, make a few notes for each unit of things that impressed you in your studies in that unit that will strengthen your preaching. In unit 12, take all your notes from the first 11 units, select the most valuable ones, and put together a paper summarizing key lessons you've learned and action steps you plan to take. (800-1,000). The paper is worth 50 points.

5. At the end of the course, you will be invited to complete a brief Course Feedback Survey. Your feedback helps CLI evaluate the course and identify opportunities for improvement.

 *The course has a total of 300 points: 135 points for the nine quizzes and 165 points for the two sermons and the final paper.

Grading Scale

A  93-100%   A- 90-92%   B+ 87-89%   B  83-86%   B- 80-82%   C+ 77-79%   C  73-76%   C- 70-72%   D+ 67-69%   D  63-66%   D- 60-62%   F  0-59%

 Students' final grade is based on the average of all required quizzes and assignments. Each graded activity is weighted equally unless otherwise stated. The single lowest quiz score will be excluded from the overall grade.

 Your average for the course must be at least 60%. Otherwise, you will fail the class and will receive no credit.

 Deadline

You have 180 days to finish the course. If you have not received a final grade for the course before your enrollment ends, you will be automatically unenrolled, you will receive an “Administrative Withdrawal” for the course on your transcript, and all coursework will be removed. You will have to start over and take the class again to receive credit.

 To avoid potential administrative delays or additional fees, please complete all assignments at least three weeks before your enrollment end date.

 If you believe you qualify for a two-week extension, as outlined in our Catalog policies, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@christianleaders.net as soon as possible, ideally at least three weeks before your enrollment end date.

 Preaching Blog: We recently launched a preaching blog by Bruce Ballast. You may find those articles and videos helpful as an extra resource during this course and after you finish the course. CLICK HERE to visit the preaching blog.