HOW TO EVALUATE A SERMON

Here are some ideas to help listeners evaluate sermons we hear when we attend church. Preachers seldom get much concrete feedback from hearers. Perhaps people think it unnecessary or impolite. Some may feel they lack any criteria to judge a sermon.

Here are some items to help the hearers evaluate the preacher’s offerings:

Did the preacher have a point to the sermon? Did you get it and understand it? What was it?

Did the Biblical material used help make the point or obscure it?

Did you a have a “take away” from the sermon. Were you moved to an action?

Did the sermon touch you emotionally?

Did the sermon stimulate your thinking?

Jesus was a master storyteller. Did you hear a story? Was it connected to the point the preacher was making?

Did the sermon relate the gospel of Jesus or the teaching of the Bible to your personal, social, political, psychological or religious life?

What did you not like about the sermon. Example?

What did you particularly like about the sermon? Example?

If there is no time to give thoughtful feedback after the service, perhaps an email or regular mail letter would help focus your thoughts. Preachers can learn from what hearers think and feel about sermons. Sermons can best improve when preachers know how their words are heard and understood.