Helpful Hacks for Preaching from a Manuscript

I try to make different kinds of material distinct. I bold and double-underline the main points. I bold the main point of individual paragraphs. I make cross-references red. I make illustrations blue. I’m sure everyone who preaches from a manuscript does something like this. The biggest thing that has helped me not get lost in my manuscript is to keep my paragraphs short. It is easy to get lost in a long paragraph.

I find that a manuscript gives me freedom. Having thought out a sermon to the point of writing it out actually enables me not to be chained to it, yet I still end up saying most of what I wanted to say. There have been a few occasions when I had to preach when sick or had to preach with something heavy weighing on me, and I found that a manuscript helped me get through. On a recent occasion, I told a church member afterward, “That was rough.” He replied, “What do you mean? The message was a blessing.” Even though I was pretty sick and felt mentally discombobulated, God was good in using the manuscript to help me get through.

I don’t use manuscripts ( yet) but I’m not rigid in my thinking about these things. There are definitely advantages to having the whole thing in text.

The way my mind works, as much as I like to write, I wouldn’t be able to work from a manuscript live. At least I can’t imagine how that would work. I have a hard enough time reading my notes (which are quite minimal by the time I’m done).

But I do think it comes down to what makes you effective in connecting with the audience and conveying truth to them and keeping them engaged. … If it works, it works.