Buku Topical Preaching in a Complex World – Sam Chan

  Be Equipped to Prepare and Deliver Engaging, Biblical, and Effective Topical Sermons

Sooner  or later, every preacher will come upon a situation where they need to  preach a topical sermon. Yet few are taught to preach topically. Even  preachers who are gifted in expositing the Scriptures may struggle to  deliver a topical sermon that is engaging, culturally relevant, and true  to the biblical text. Worse, many pastors worry these messages  undermine confidence in the Bible or its authority, leading to a  human-centered rather than a God-focused sermon. But that doesn’t have  to be the case.

In Topical Preaching in a Complex World,  Sam Chan and Malcolm Gill answer these objections and chart a path for  how preachers can deliver faithful and effective topical messages.  First, they address the biblical, theological, and cultural reasons  pastors should add topical sermons to their preaching repertoire. Then,  they introduce a straightforward, four-fold approach for preaching a  topical message and answer important questions like these:

• How do you approach a topic with the proper interpretative lens?
• How can you speak to two or more audiences with the same sermon?
• What should you consider theologically, culturally, and pastorally in your preparation?
• How do you trace the topic back to Christ?
• How can you better connect with your audience?

Best  of all, they help readers craft a message that says something people  truly need (and want) to hear! Filled with wit, humor, and wisdom from  decades of preaching, this book will equip preachers, pastors, ministry  leaders, and students to preach relevant, biblical, and engaging topical  sermons.

Author Sam Chan says, “Just  over a decade ago, I was asked by an organization to speak at their  end-of-year dinner. They wanted me to address the topic of being a  Christian single, but I had no idea how to prepare and deliver a topical  talk. When the night arrived, I preached an old three-point expository  sermon and merely changed the ending to include some application on  singleness. At best, I got some polite comments afterwards. At worst,  people’s looks indicated that my biblical talk had little relevance for  them. They could not have been less fooled by my disingenuous  workaround.

I went home vowing  never to repeat that poor performance. I felt like the unfaithful  servant who had not adequately used what talents had been given to him.  As a result, I have dedicated the last decade of my preaching ministry  to overcoming and mastering the art of topical preaching. This book is a  product of that journey.”