After preaching for almost 40 years, I still write a manuscript for every sermon. I get the fact that not everyone is sold on writing out a manuscript for their messages. Some find it an onerous task. Others fear it will make their messages seem canned or scripted, killing Spirit-led spontaneity.
So why spend time and energy to actually write out a manuscript for your message? Let me offer seven reasons why I’m still writing manuscripts after all these years.
1. Manuscripts can give your thinking greater clarity
Writing is an exercise in clear thinking. That’s because writing your thoughts out fully causes you to think them out carefully. You spot gaps in your logic. You see whether or not your flow-of-thought is really flowing. You get a better sense of how you are doing in explaining, illustrating, or applying the text.
2. Manuscripts can make your points more proportionate
As you write your manuscript, you become aware of which parts of the sermon are getting the most time (and which parts are getting the least). You will be better able to allocate your preaching minutes in the right areas of the message.
3. Manuscripts can help your duration be more definite
You will come to know the correlation between pages and minutes. For example, I have discovered that five pages of manuscript equals thirty-five minutes of preaching. So if I have a five-page sermon manuscript, I can be pretty sure how long the message will last. This helps me stay within the time parameters I’m given when preaching.
4. Manuscripts can help your wording be more varied and colourful
When you write out what you will say, you are able to avoid overusing your natural expressions. You will also be reminded to select vivid, memorable words or phrases. You’ll be able to craft some sentences so they sparkle and are more memorable.
5. Manuscripts can make your presentation more confident
Having written out your entire sermon, you’ll know where you are headed throughout the entire sermonic journey. Knowing where you are going reduces anxiety and stress.
6. Manuscripts can help your sermons become more internalized
I don’t believe we should read our sermon manuscripts. In fact, I rarely take my manuscript to the pulpit when I preach. I only bring an oversized sticky-note (more on that in my next post). But the process of writing out my manuscript helps me get more familiar with what I’m going to say. I find it easier to internalize (not memorize) the manuscript since I’ve laboured to write it. In short, manuscripting your sermon can help free you from your manuscript.
7. Manuscripts provide a resource for small group leaders and others listeners
Does your church have small groups that discuss the sermon? If so, you can send the group leaders a copy of your manuscript to remind them of what they’ve heard. This will help them as they prepare to lead the discussion. I’ve also been able to share my manuscript with people in the church who aren’t as fluent in English. They are able to read the manuscript and better follow the flow of the message.
For all these reasons, I’ve chosen on make manuscripting my messages a regular part of my sermon preparation. In my next post, I’ll explain more of how the process of manuscripting works out in practice. In the third (and final) post in this mini-series, I’ll talk about how to get free from your manuscript when you are speaking.
Rick and Linda Reed 