“What do you think went well with Sunday’s sermon? What could have been better?”
This is how I begin every Sermon Application Team meeting.
Over the last five years, I’ve probably asked these questions a thousand times with a small group of both lay and staff leaders. This weekly gathering is one of the most productive venues for discipleship and developing leaders.
It gives me a window into the life of our church, enables me to identify future leaders, creates a unique teaching environment, connects me to lay and staff leaders, and (frankly) helps me preach better sermons.
I can’t imagine sermon preparation without it.
THE IDEA
Sermon Application Team wasn’t my idea. Like most of the creative things in ministry, it’s a combination of what I’ve seen others model. During a sabbatical, I attended the Weekender at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Mark Dever invited me to attend his Saturday Sermon Application Team meeting, and I marveled at the simplicity and impact of a small group of lay leaders studying the text together. I watched with wonder as they studied a passage, debated its meaning, and shared applications. The Weekender also featured a service review meeting on Sunday nights where
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