For The Pastor

A Resource Site For Pastors

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  • A Caution Against The Argumentative Sermon

    Something I noticed in my own preaching years ago was my tendency to argue through the sermon. What I mean is, I would write the sermon in such a way that instead of making a point, I would win a point, at least in my mind. It’s a small distinction, but an important one. To…

    Derek Sweatman

    March 13, 2023
    Preaching
  • Ash Wednesday Homily

    The following homily was given this morning at our Ash Wednesday service. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 The best movie of 1995 was “Tommy Boy”, starring Chris Farley and David Spade. It’s the story of Callahan Auto, a family-owned car parts distributer that was on the brink of foreclosure, due in no small part to the growing…

    Derek Sweatman

    February 22, 2023
    Preaching, Reflections
  • Wind Tunnel

    Ministry can be like stacking paper cups in a wind tunnel, and you keep doing it because you were called to stack paper cups in a wind tunnel.

    Derek Sweatman

    November 9, 2022
    Uncategorized
  • The Gospel Wall

    Homiletically, there are two paths you can go by: law, then gospel, then more law, or law, then gospel, and nothing more. The first path is common, easy, and well-worn. The reasons are many, one being that we’re not yet comfortable with the space that grace brings, so we feel the urgency to fill that…

    Derek Sweatman

    September 27, 2022
    Preaching
  • Church As A Lazy River: A Short

    The church is like a lazy river. There are two things here: First, people can step away from the church for a while, and like the river that runs around the water park, the church keeps moving. This can be hard at times, and even sad, watching people exit the flow of parish life. Second,…

    Derek Sweatman

    September 19, 2022
    The Local Church
  • The Pastoral Impulse To Save The Church

    I don’t remember thinking that much about the future of the church in America when I started out in pastoral work, but lately I have started to wonder. Not in a defeatist kind of way, but with a genuine curiosity about what’s going on. What we know: Attendance and engagement are down Confidence in the…

    Derek Sweatman

    August 8, 2022
    Leadership, The Local Church
  • Sermon Stuff, Part 2: You Probably Don’t Need That Quotation

    Back in the 90s, Leadership Journal published a book titled Quotes & Idea Starters for Preaching & Teaching, and it was a must-have. Filled with a cataloged list of sayings from well-known people, past and present, it was a go-to resource for filling those empty spaces in a sermon. “Oh look, Alexander Graham Bell said…

    Derek Sweatman

    July 1, 2022
    Preaching
  • Sermon Stuff, Part 1: The Sermon Is Sometimes

    Back there in seminary school, as Jim Morrison once said, we were taught to write and craft sermons across a variety of styles and layouts. The push from the homiletics department was towards texture and difference, and towards a courage to practice a number of sermonic formats. Part of this had to do with finding…

    Derek Sweatman

    June 27, 2022
    Preaching
  • Torn And Frayed: A Devotional For The Third Week In Lent

    Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. – Exodus 3:1 When we pick up the story of Moses here in Exodus chapter 3, he’s been on the run for some time. Born a Hebrew child…

    Derek Sweatman

    March 23, 2022
    Reflections
  • Lord, Have Mercy. A Devotional For The Second Week In Lent.

    How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you are not willing.– Jesus, Luke 13:34 Jesus spoke these words as a lament over the spiritual and religious confusion that had overtaken so many in Jerusalem. When we dig further into the story, we…

    Derek Sweatman

    March 16, 2022
    Reflections
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