Ramesh Richard. Preparing Evangelistic Sermons. Baker Books. 2005.

How do you prepare and preach an effective evangelistic sermon? Pastors, youth leaders, elders, deacons, and Bible Study leaders need to know how to prepare an effective sermon for reaching various types of people for Christ. This book presents a seven-step method.

The book is divided into four parts. The first part lays the foundation. Here the reader learns about the inner calling of the evangelist that is based on a spiritual compulsion to share the good news. They also learn about an “outer calling” based on Biblical conviction. Every potential evangelist needs to be sure they in the correct frame of mind to evangelize and that they are doing it for the correct reasons.

Part two provides both a theological framework for evangelism and a definition of what makes evangelistic preaching different from other styles of preaching. This section is very interesting. I understand better why God called both preachers and evangelists to do His work on earth.

Parts three and four teach the reader the “hows” of preparing effective evangelistic sermons. First, you are taught how to effectively integrate scripture into your preaching. Obviously, you need to use scripture as the focal point of your message. Then Richard provides information on text-driven preaching, topical-driven preaching and audience-driven preaching. The remainder of the book teaches you how to effectively integrate illustrations into your preaching so the audience totally understands the message you are presenting.

I was surprised when the author devoted an entire chapter to how to give an invitation to accept Christ after a sermon. This has been done automatically in most churches I have belonged to during my life span. He states that the evangelistic invitation has six functions: 1) it summarizes the immediately preceding sermon. 2) The hearer has an opportunity to respond to what he has heard. Obviously, it should challenge the hearer to accept Christ as their Savior. 3) No conditions for salvation or concealment of the cost of following Jesus should be apparent. 4) The minister is asking the hearers to accept the what the Lord Jesus has done for them. 5) They are encouraged to respond to the Holy Spirit’s inner urgings. 6) It is the “birth event” that the HS will remind them of this day as being the one where they were declared “not guilty” by Jesus Christ.

Recommendation

This book clearly is written for the pastor or evangelist. It was not intended for the general congregation member. However, any person needing to present an evangelistic sermon to a group of teenagers, college students, or adults will find it useful. While I don’t always agree with the author’s theology (couldn’t determine if he was Armenia or Calvinistic in beliefs), I believe it is worthwhile reading for those in church leadership.

Copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2005-2009