Need some help

[Honeymoon]

Hello everyone, a couple years ago I posted about knowing if you’re called to preach. Well since then just a few months ago I began preaching. I’ve only preached a couple of times(neither was very good). My problem is that I just can’t get over the fear of getting up and preaching, I just can’t seem to get past the anxiety. Just need some help because I just don’t know if I’m actually meant for this.

 

[sandman]

Hello everyone, a couple years ago I posted about knowing if you’re called to preach. Well since then just a few months ago I began preaching. I’ve only preached a couple of times(neither was very good). My problem is that I just can’t get over the fear of getting up and preaching, I just can’t seem to get past the anxiety. Just need some help because I just don’t know if I’m actually meant for this.

A few things

First and foremost is love. Love what you are doing and love why you are doing.

The motivation behind your preaching is to change lives. Loving people enough to give them the Words of Life. You are loving people into living because of what you are doing.

When you take that approach everything else will fall aside…. the fear of being in front of people, fear of not saying the right thing, fear of not doing a good job ….etc.

Love builds confidence and love will dispel fear…

1Jo 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Picture the group as your family …because they are your family

Know your material – Know what you are going to teach/preach on.

• Your opening should be something to grab their attention.
• The body should detail what you want to convey.
• The closing should succinctly reiterate high points and briefly encapsulate what the teaching was about.
• End your teaching when you have done those things ….don’t ramble on.

Remember most people’s attention span is about 20 minutes… after that people will start to drop off.

If you know your material… then only use a 3x5 note card(s) unless you are quoting something. If you write it out and try to follow a word for word teaching … it loses its vibrance and leaves no room for God to speak to you during your teaching. Sticky notes placed in spots where scripture is being referred to can be used also to guide you to your next passage.

Most times I just start out with a single sticky with whatever scripture I am using…. sometimes I use all the scripture ….but sometimes God has me going off in a completely different direction…… God knows the needs of the people in the group…. not me….and I am there to meet their needs….to leave them in a better place…. and as I said ….love them into living the Word of God.

What is am saying is…. be prepared but not rigidly structured.

And don’t give up …. My first teaching to a small group of about 15 people ….I played a tape which I had on standby. After that failure I had to learn ….and I would practice my teaching with an audience of stuffed animals. I think I practiced with the stuffed animals for about a month prior to each teaching, since I was teaching twice a week. Inanimate objects are great… they may not get saved …but the never fell asleep.

 

[Unqualified]

If you are called persist. There are scriptures about fear, believe them and overcome. You could take fearful thoughts captive as in 2Cor 10:3-5. It’s only been a couple times of course you are nervous. These are ways to help and pray. Have faith in your subject and pray for the HS to be speaking through you. Don’t put yourself down, you have room to grow. B positive. You can’t quit your calling. Where God calls He provides, strength, hope, love.
He wants you to succeed but if you quit you’ll never know the joy of it. If you quit you won’t grow in it, you won’t know your Bible better, you won’t be an encouragement to others. You can do this! Just keep trying.

 

[Honeymoon]

A few things

First and foremost is love. Love what you are doing and love why you are doing.

The motivation behind your preaching is to change lives. Loving people enough to give them the Words of Life. You are loving people into living because of what you are doing.

When you take that approach everything else will fall aside…. the fear of being in front of people, fear of not saying the right thing, fear of not doing a good job ….etc.

Love builds confidence and love will dispel fear…

1Jo 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Picture the group as your family …because they are your family

Know your material – Know what you are going to teach/preach on.

• Your opening should be something to grab their attention.
• The body should detail what you want to convey.
• The closing should succinctly reiterate high points and briefly encapsulate what the teaching was about.
• End your teaching when you have done those things ….don’t ramble on.

Remember most people’s attention span is about 20 minutes… after that people will start to drop off.

If you know your material… then only use a 3x5 note card(s) unless you are quoting something. If you write it out and try to follow a word for word teaching … it loses its vibrance and leaves no room for God to speak to you during your teaching. Sticky notes placed in spots where scripture is being referred to can be used also to guide you to your next passage.

Most times I just start out with a single sticky with whatever scripture I am using…. sometimes I use all the scripture ….but sometimes God has me going off in a completely different direction…… God knows the needs of the people in the group…. not me….and I am there to meet their needs….to leave them in a better place…. and as I said ….love them into living the Word of God.

What is am saying is…. be prepared but not rigidly structured.

And don’t give up …. My first teaching to a small group of about 15 people ….I played a tape which I had on standby. After that failure I had to learn ….and I would practice my teaching with an audience of stuffed animals. I think I practiced with the stuffed animals for about a month prior to each teaching, since I was teaching twice a week. Inanimate objects are great… they may not get saved …but the never fell asleep.

Thanks for your advice, I won’t lie I feel like I’m on the verge of giving up. I just don’t know if I can do it

 

[eleos1954]

Hello everyone, a couple years ago I posted about knowing if you’re called to preach. Well since then just a few months ago I began preaching. I’ve only preached a couple of times(neither was very good). My problem is that I just can’t get over the fear of getting up and preaching, I just can’t seem to get past the anxiety. Just need some help because I just don’t know if I’m actually meant for this.

well .... what is "preaching" .... it's sharing the gospel and that's always a good thing .... they only way to know is to continue doing it and see if you become more comfortable with it (speaking to large groups)

 

[sandman]

Thanks for your advice, I won’t lie I feel like I’m on the verge of giving up. I just don’t know if I can do it

You absolutely can do it…….and if the desire is there… you will do it ....and you will be great!

When I was in high school & college I could spontaneously get up in front of 100 people at a party or someplace like that and do jokes or some other kind of antics …I jumped out of cakes, I streaked, I was even a lead singer in a rock band for a few years…… no problem

But….. have me recite literature or something in front of a class…. my mind would go blank, and I could feel my face turning red like the rising tide…. And comments like “tomato face” didn’t help matters.

Some people are natural public speakers … I was not! …..but I had desire and love… and God worked with me….and He will certainly do the same for you. Since I am involved with home fellowships, I have run into many people who had similar drawbacks as myself … and with Love at the center and God’s help they all overcame the challenges…and you will also because you and God make a majority…

I should add one other thing …Develop you own style based on you …and your personality …Just be you and have fun..

 

[Paidiske]

The first time I was supposed to preach, I had a panic attack instead; so I do understand something of what that's like.

I've learned a few things that really helped.
1. Take the focus off me. This is not about how good I am, how eloquent, how charismatic or compelling (or not). This is about the people gathered, and what will be helpful, encouraging, (appropriately) challenging, and so on. As long as I focus on offering them something of God's goodness to them, rather than focussing on how I'm performing, that helps a lot.

2. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Now, fifteen or so years after I started preaching, I can trust my own experience enough to wander off script or make unprepared remarks, at least a bit, and not get lost. Early on, I needed the support and structure of a well-thought-through text. And yes, I look back at some of my early sermons sometimes and think they were pretty bad! But at least they were well-prepared for where I was at, at the time.

3. Know your own personality, and work with it. What I mean by that is, I've learned that I'm an introvert, I'm comfortable with small groups of people I know well. Some of my best preaching is done in more intimate settings, in a more conversational style. So there's no point beating myself up for not being someone pulling crowds into packed stadiums; rather, I know what I'm good at, I know what suits my mix of gifts and personality, and I can focus on doing that well, in a setting where that's needed. Not that I can't at least do something passably acceptable in a different style if needed; but no one is going to be equally good at everything. So give yourself permission to be yourself, and don't beat yourself up for not being someone else.

And it's okay if you're on a steep learning curve! People who've been preaching for decades are still honing their craft. If you can still count the number of sermons you've given on the fingers of one hand, you're just beginning, and you're doing well just by turning up. Keep going and you'll improve. Look for feedback from people you trust in the congregation, but also look for encouragement.

 

[Anthony Lanius]

Thanks for your advice, I won’t lie I feel like I’m on the verge of giving up. I just don’t know if I can do it

Please...never do that....If God called you, God will fully equip you to do what he's told you to do. It was hard for me the first year that I was preaching. I wasn't very good, but, one day, after many hours of prayer and study, the Lord opened the door for me to preach a sermon on a subject that I was acquainted with very well. It was a hard sermon to preach, but, the response I got was overwhelming. I, too, had thought about giving up and going back to doing other things with my life. You're in my prayers. God will help you find the right way to present his word!

 

[The Liturgist]

If one has the benefit of a rich liturgy, preaching becomes of secondary importance, because the appointed hymns, prayers and Scripture lessons do most of the work. I suspect this is why at Orthodox monasteries one does not normally hear a homily, except on Pascha, when all Eastern Orthodox read the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom, and the Copts read the Paschal Homily of St. Athanasius, both of which are so exquisite, easy to understand, theologically rich, emotionally moving, and concise, taking just a few minutes to read, that there is no point in trying to improve upon them.

I myself mainly try to repackage Patristic sermons or commentaries relevant to the appointed scripture lessons. These sermons and commentaries, which in some cases are only a century old but in other cases date back nearly 1800 years, are often very long, to fit them within the ten to fifteen minute maximum length I allow my sermons. I also try to follow the advice given to Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, memory eternal, that each sermon should make three points, no more and no less. This has a Trinitarian elegance to it, but if compressing some Patristic homilies to fit with ten to fifteen minutes requires setting aside the three point rule, then I will set it aside.

But I think having a structure, a pattern, a set of rules informed by the liturgy and the lectionary, ensures concise sermons which accomplish the main function of expounding upon the appointed scripture lessons in the lectionary and instructing the faithful in the moral and doctrinal principles of Christianity, in preparation to receive Baptism, Holy Communion or other sacred mysteries.

 

[BlueSky2023]

James 3:1-10 NASB
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
If you look across the street, if everyone is a teacher, who will be the listeners?

 

[Paidiske]

Sigh. That's really not a reason to discourage someone testing a vocation to preach.

 

[anetazo]

My advice. Plant seeds on Christian formats. It's producing fruit for God. James chapter 6, thiers lots of lost souls in the world. And those who lack knowledge of Gods word. You will be just as successful. You can help others on Christian formats, like this one.

 

[Christson 24]

Hello everyone, a couple years ago I posted about knowing if you’re called to preach. Well since then just a few months ago I began preaching. I’ve only preached a couple of times(neither was very good). My problem is that I just can’t get over the fear of getting up and preaching, I just can’t seem to get past the anxiety. Just need some help because I just don’t know if I’m actually meant for this.

You need the holy spirit to lead you,pray before you miniter and understand the topic you are about to preach on,but the main thing is been lead by the spirit and you will just see the the holy spirit will be leading you and you will be fill of joy in your heart,God is always happy to see poeple minitrying to unbelievers or counseling a Christian who is going astray.