Friday-Outline: Conclusion
By completing the tasks described in the previous articles you will be ready to move on to the full development of the manuscript (if you use one), or to put the final introductory and concluding touches on the outline (if you do not plan to use a manuscript), with some peace of mind on Saturday. But whichever way you go, the main contours of your sermon are now clearly visible. You have accomplished Friday’s main objective and reached the goal.
- Objective: Determine the purpose of the sermon and develop the main points of an outline that conveys the original thought.
- Goal (Mile-Marker 5): To have the purpose of the sermon written, along with a draft homiletical outline.
Depending on the time you have available, you can also add some other activities that can either strengthen your work on the outline or your presentation. I will mention two. The first one is aimed at perfecting your way of preparing the sermon structure itself. The second is aimed at giving the best visual support to your preaching so that the listener can have a more multi-sensory experience.
Additional Ideas
1. Perfect your use of the outlining tools in MS Word (or your favorite word processor). These tools offer me two particularly helpful advantages.
- The first is that it allows me to keep the bird’s eye view on one side of the screen, while on the other side I have the details in the form of an enlarged outline or full manuscript.
- The second is that it allows me to collapse the levels of the outline at will so that I can see the logical relationships clearly. At certain times, it is useful for me to see only the following:
- Introduction
- Point 1 (Supported by…)
- Subpoint 1
- Subpoint 2
- Subpoint 3
- Etc.
- (Leading to…)
- Point 2 (Supported by…)
- Subpoint 1
- Subpoint 2
- Etc.
- (Followed by…)
- Point 3 (Supported by…)
- Subpoint 1
- Subpoint 2
- Subpoint 3
- Etc.
- (Ending with…)
- Conclusion
Obviously, this outline is merely illustrative. But the idea of using such a tool is to help you see – clearly! – the logical structure of your sermon. And one of the best pieces of advice I ever received at a seminar was this: “Structure lends clarity.” It lends clarity to you, in structuring your sermon, to better perceive whether what you are arguing really makes the sense you think it does. It also lends it to your listener, who has to grasp the sermon’s argument without the benefit of all the background study. Therefore, any effort you can make to improve the precision and transparency of the argument will be most welcome by your listeners.
In fact, I have found this idea so useful that it has become my default way of writing, not just the main points of my outline, but the entire manuscript. If someone were to read one of my sermon manuscripts they might be surprised to see that absolutely all of the content is in outline format, with up to 5 levels. Yes, a bit strange to read, perhaps, when you are used to normal paragraphs. However, when preparing it really helps me to see the logical connections: if one thing really follows from the other; if this subpoint is of the same structural importance as the other one that also comes in the same level of the outline, etc. Also, if you have already prepared the most important levels in the outline, it is simply a matter of following the same pattern in completing the rest of the manuscript content.
However, as with everything, everyone will have to decide what works best for them. (For example, for my taste, the outlining tool in an earlier version of WordPerfect, which I used before, was more intuitive than the one I use now in Word.) Nevertheless, in my opinion, the enormous advantages they offer are worth the effort to master their use.
2. Develop both your philosophy and your use of Microsoft PowerPoint (or your preferred presentation software).
Much will depend on the situation in which you find yourself, in terms of the technical resources available, but if you have the option of using a digital projector when preaching, using PowerPoint (or some similar presentation software) can go a long way toward fostering clarity among your listeners.
The best advice always offered in the use of a projector is that “less is more”. That is, the great danger is overloading the slides with too much content and small fonts. This overwhelms the listener and distracts from what is being said. It is better not to use anything at all! Also, preparing a PowerPoint with a lot of text or elaborate transitions takes up an inordinate amount of time.
However a controlled “minimalism” can be very good. For example:
- You could simply show the biblical text you are commenting on at any given time.
- You could show the biblical text with a few words or phrases underlined, so that people can quickly see what you are highlighting at a given moment.
- You could include the statements of the main points of the outline, so that people clearly understand where they are in the logical development of the passage at a given moment.
- You could include the summaries of the interpretations applied, so that they fully understand where that portion ends up.
- You could include any long quotations, since following the reading alone could be difficult for some.
- You could include the statement of the main idea to emphasize what they should take home with them.
These are just a few ideas. What matters is that you come up with a way to prepare a PowerPoint that really supports what you are saying with your voice without additional distractions.
Then there is the technical side of this issue. It is important to gain proficiency in handling PowerPoint so that you don’t waste time unnecessarily in the preparation of your PowerPoint. Some of this comes from spending a little time learning the software; some of it comes with experience. And if you are lucky enough to have someone you trust, perhaps you can pass your outline to them, and they will prepare the slides for you. For example, in my case, my wife Kathy always helps me with this. When my manuscript is properly finalized, I pass the file to her, and she prepares a great PowerPoint.
Note: We encourage you to look into Logos Bible Software’s new Sermon Builder tool and its coordination with their Faithlife’s presentation software, Proclaim, as a fully integrated system. At the writing of this article, neither had been fully developed.
Download: Quick Summary Guide: Friday-Outline