The Craft of Sermon Writing

Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer: This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to sell this Guide to anyone. Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author has made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this Guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it's likely that they won't be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement in the use of these terms. Copyright 2011 Bright Dawn Institute for American Buddhism and Andrew (Jiyo) Agacki. All rights reserved worldwide.

If we take nothing from the experience of Sermonizing, we are merely exercising our egos. If the audience gets nothing from the experience, we are wasting their time. If Im not nervous, it means that I dont care, and if I dont care, I dont deserve the honor of speaking in the pulpit. The keys to a good Sermon involve several final factors: Freshness Engaging Coherent Challenging Within the (an) allotted time

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Time ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 Audience/Occasion .................................................................................................................................. 7 Theme ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Structure ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Opening ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Body .................................................................................................................................................. 10 Closing ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Process .................................................................................................................................................. 11 1-Creating a Sketch .......................................................................................................................... 11 A-Creating a Sermon Outline.............................................................................................................. 11 B-Other Sketching Tools ..................................................................................................................... 12 2-Drafting your Sermon ..................................................................................................................... 13 Deliverance ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Feedback ............................................................................................................................................... 16 File ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 Related Word Definitions....................................................................................................................... 18 SERMON ............................................................................................................................................ 18 HOMILY ............................................................................................................................................. 19 PREACH ............................................................................................................................................. 20

Introduction
Ive been sermonizing for over 20 years and, though the ideas Ill present are just as applicable to any kind of speaking engagement, Ill keep my focus on Sermonizing. At one point in a discussion of what I did at speaking engagements, I mentioned that, I sermonize. I thought I had created a new word, but alas, I hadnt. It seems that the word has existed for quite some time: (from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sermonizing) sermonize verb \ s r-m - n z\ sermonized sermonizing Definition of SERMONIZE intransitive verb 1: to compose or deliver a sermon 2: to speak didactically or dogmatically transitive verb : to preach to or on at length sermonizer noun Examples of SERMONIZE 1. She's a teacher who can talk to her students about serious subjects without sermonizing. 2. <did not believe that it was the president's place to sermonize, especially to other world leaders> First Known Use of SERMONIZE 1635 Related to SERMONIZE Synonyms: preach I include the definition for a reason: dont automatically assume you are saying something for the first time! Chances are, its been said before. The trick is to make it appear that what you are saying is being said for the first time (something Ill call Freshness). (related definitions are included

File
I was an early advocate of Data Warehousing, the concept of backing up data to an off-site location on a daily basis. Still Ive given a LOT of Sermons over the past 20+ years, and Ive lost the vast majority of them! As I reflect on it, thats not such a bad thing (impermanence, the acceptance thereof, and lets face it, most of them were crap), but still, by and large, it would be nice to have them! It would be nice to refer back to them to see what I could have done better (memory is such a fickle thing), or to develop some of the salient ideas I presented (so amateurishly). It wasnt that I didnt back them up . I did. Its just that they were in forms no longer supported, or they were lost in one of several computer crashes, or they were just printed on paper (the permanent medium) and destroyed in a sewer backup. Nowadays, there are all kinds of online resources to store your data (like Skydrive), and theres always an external hard drive to back up to (I now own a terabyte external hard drive). The point here: backup/store your Sermons to a media independent of your computer!!! Technology has advanced exponentially since I started sermonizing. I now store my Sermons in a Word document designed as a Book; complete with a cover and Table of Contents. It will be a great resource to refer back to (I have no problem with using ideas from previous Sermons and developing them for different purposes to fit a current engagement). Youll not suffer the embarrassment of repeating yourself from a previous engagement at a particular site.

Related Word Definitions).

Ive organized the text in a manner that, at first, may seem confusing. Be assured, however, there are things to do before your pen hits the paper (or your fingers hit the keys):

Time
Always ask how much time you are allotted! Every church/synagogue/mosque I speak to generally request a sermon 20 minutes long. Most studies Ive read generally agree that thats the limit of an adults attention span, anyway. When told, Take all the time you need, or theyre noncommittal, keep to the 20 minute rule. If you are speaking to children, the attention span is, of course, much less .... Which leads us to:

Audience/Occasion
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE If you are not familiar with the type of audience you will be speaking to, ask. Ask for their expectations, and a copy of their Order Of Service (hereafter referred to as OOS), or Program, if applicable. Protocol will differ between churches, and definitely between churches, synagogues, mosques and lecture halls. Sometimes you will need a Reading separate from the Sermon. Obviously, speaking to children is a whole lot different than speaking to adults. Many times you will be asked to speak not only to adults but, separately, to children. You will then have to prepare two separate sermons. Again, ask the general age(s) of the children you will be addressing, and be sure to ask what they (the adults) generally do with the children. I remember, when asking what the church members normally did with the children, I was told, We read a story from a book. That would be nice . normally . but I wanted to engage the children with me. So I talked/asked about grandparents, great-grandparents . and history. I then talked about history as so many people ago. As an example: talking about when Jesus was alive, you can say, Two-thousand and eleven years ago. That seems so far in the past, so distant. But, taking the generally (genealogical) accepted definition of a generation as thirty years, then it can be said that, Jesus lived just 67 generations, or people, ago. The children understood that right away . It was something they could visualize without a lot of complicated mumbo-jumbo. I was deeply touched when, talking with everyone after the Sermon, a little girl ran up to me and proudly showed me a necklace she, Got from my grandma, and adding, Oh! Thanks for reminding me of my grandma she was neat! I rarely do such tweaking; and never to the OOS. An OOS is a wonderful thing to have well before beginning the task of writing your Sermon, and notice I havent even begun to address that actual process! Its the roadmap they use for their services, and theres no reason for you to change it just because YOU are speaking. Tweak and change anything in what you, yourself have to say or do, but leave it at that. Changing protocol/procedure merely creates confusion, and makes everyone uncomfortable. Research what ideas, viewpoints and actions (yes, actions) may be uncomfortable or, worse, offensive. It may be inappropriate for you to wear a yarmulke, even in a synagogue, no matter your intent. There may be different rules of conduct for males and females. You may be asked to participate in a ceremony that makes you uncomfortable. Praying, genuflecting, washing statues are a few things you may have to come to an agreement on. Dont be afraid to decline the honor though, theyll understand. Remember, however, that you might miss an opportunity of experiencing what they experience, and you might be able to incorporate it in your own practice. Yes, I Sermonize in the strictest definition of the word, but I also accept the experience of where I am speaking, and I respect my audience.
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Theme
Theme is the subject of your Sermon, it is what dominates and controls what you will be saying. Rarely will you be given a Sermon theme, and thats okay. Youll have the freedom to talk about anything you want, be it a current passion, or event. Many times, though, it might be harder than just being given one. If youre anything like me theres so much to say about so many things! If you are given a theme (topic), thats okay, too. It saves you the problem of what to talk about. Be careful though, in either case. Always offer a theme for your Sermon as soon as possible . if not sooner. It saves you the headache later . and you can always work out the details later. As you communicate with your liaison (and always communicate with them on a regular basis it makes a more comfortable experience for all concerned), youll probably find that another speaker has (or will) speak on the same subject. Respect the other. Pick something else that you and your liaison will be happy with. By the way, a few times, a week or two before the engagement (and after Ive written most if not all my Sermon) I receive an e-mail or phone call, Oh, gee, Im sorry, but I just remembered/found out that our theme for the month is .. Be prepared for that. Youre only human and so are they. Whether you can choose, or are given, a Theme, there are some things to remember to make your life easier and improve your Sermon before you even start: y y y y Keep it specific Keep it relevant Keep it interesting Keep from repeating

Keeping your theme specific leads to a more cohesive Sermon, gives it a nice direction. Think of it as a single tree that you can add your proofs and embellishments on to. Remember: you have twenty minutes to talk. But also remember, you only have twenty minutes to talk! Keeping your theme relevant is probably the most important element in the Sermon crafting process. Having the most profound and intriguing Theme without relevancy to your audience will only make for a most boring morning/afternoon/evening for them. Always bear in mind that you want to be called back for another engagement(s). Boredom and irrelevancy will be counterproductive, even if you have no desire to ever speak there again. Keeping your Sermon interesting will engage your audience, keep their attention. Your Theme should be interesting to you first. Some Themes will automatically be interesting to everyone; such entities exist as buzzwords and cultural events. I feel it as a certain static at a particular time. As I write this paper, politics/ethics/compassion seems to be an overriding Theme. All kinds of specificallity can be teased out of that!
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Keep from repeating a Theme already (or to be) presented at your contracted site. Perhaps you can offer a different, maybe even a better, viewpoint . just dont attempt it. Set your ego aside. On a personal note: I never repeat a Sermon, preferring to write a new one for every engagement. Call me what you like (Ive probably been called that and worse by other ministers). That just makes it an easy money engagement, to my mind, and makes me feel uncomfortable. Besides, Im not in the business just to make all the money I can, the easiest way I can; Im in it not only to share my viewpoint, Im also in it to learn. There are lots of new ideas out there; new ways to do Sermons; things to improve upon. Stay open to all of that; it will only make you a better person, if nothing else.

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Structure
Most good writing, I was told, has a structure. A good Sermon is no exception. By providing your Sermon with a Beginning (Opening), a Middle (Body), and an End (Closing), you will lay the foundations for a successful Sermon. Think of it as designing a simple building: without the proper supporting structures, your building (sermon) will collapse.

Opening
The first thirty seconds of your Sermon are probably the most critical. In that first thirty seconds you need to grab the attention of the audience and engage their interest in what you have to say. You can do that in a number of ways: raise a thought-provoking question, make an interesting or controversial statement, or recite a relevant quotation or even recount a joke. The Reading can be a good first attention grabber, but the Sermon needs one, too. Once you have won the attention of the audience, your Sermon should move seamlessly to the middle (Body) of your Sermon.

Body
The body of your Sermon will always be the largest part of your Sermon. At this point your audience will have been introduced to you and the subject of your Sermon (as set out in your Opening) and will (hopefully) be ready to hear your arguments, your thoughts or even your ramblings on the subject of your Sermon. The best way to set out the body of your Sermon is by formulating a series of Points that you would like to raise. In the context of your Sermon, a "Point" could be an opinion, statement, fact, supposition or a quote. The points should be organized so that related points follow one another and each point builds upon the previous one. This will also give the Sermon a more logical progression, and make the job of the listener an easier one. Don't try to overwhelm your audience with countless points. It is better to make a small number of points well than to have too many points, none of which are made satisfactorily.

Closing
Like your Opening, the Closing of your Sermon must contain some of your strongest material. You should view the closing of your Sermon as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to: y Summarize the main points of your Sermon y Provide some further food for thought for your listeners y Leave your audience with positive memories of your Sermon

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Process
1-Creating a Sketch
I like to use the term sketch to describe the first attempts at writing a Sermon. The term conveys the sense of what we do at the very beginning of the process. Its not the whole picture of the Sermon, its just a light sketch of where I think I want to go.

A-Creating a Sermon Outline

Outlining is a popular pre-draft technique, and I always recommend it for first-timers to try. I dont do it as often anymore, but there are times I need to fall back on it; to organize my thoughts, test my logic or argument flow. And, I must admit, I rarely have a good enough idea just what I want to talk about until Im further into the Process (more on that later). I can easily fall into the technique, once I get started though: having been a Business Systems Analyst for 26 years, Data Flow Diagrams, Boolean operators, Symbols, Ed Yourdon, et al, spill out over the page. Sorry, its just too engrained. Theres really no need to be so elaborate. An Outline is a hierarchical representation of the content of your Sermon. Think of it as one of those 3-dimensional home planners (nothing so complicated as a blueprint) where you can move the pieces around to different spots until youre satisfied. I do all of my work on my laptop, Years ago (decades, actually) I even wrote a little utility to extract footnotes embedded in the text and reconstruct them at the bottom of the page; even to reformatting the text to allow for room for the footnote. Which brings up a pet peeve of mine . Always footnote your sources! Youll be amazed how many people will ask for a copy of your Sermon! I always chuckle when someone comments, Wow! You actually footnote your Sermons! Uh, yeah! If I respect anothers opinion, I respect their opinion! It is not the purpose of this text to teach the Correct way to do an outline. If you dont know, look it up. If you dont know, I only hope it was you having forgotten or not paying attention in class. Pity our educational system if they dont teach it anymore! Theres no shame in looking up forgotten things . I do that a LOT. Suffice it to say that your Outline should always start with: y Opening y Body y Closing Then start to split each section down into finer sections. That was easy. It gets a little trickier though. The next step is try to flesh out some additional points, using the notes you have about the occasion, the theme, the subject and other information you have gathered from people relevant to the Sermon (family, friends and colleagues of the subject of the Sermon, other Sermonmakers etc.).
y

Opening (not much detail here, keep it short)

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o o o y

Greeting Some opening banter to get everyone comfortable Opening Statement (Attention Grabber)

Body (bulk of the Sermon) o Question (Who/What/Why/When) Opening Statement, or I propose to show, or Once upon a time , or any device to begin to define and/or support your Opening Sentence (Ive often used a device I call Taking a Walk, or On a Journey you can stop at all kinds of interesting places along the way) o Point  Detail/illustration/proof o Point  Detail/illustration/proof o Point [] (all following one to the next to an inevitable Conclusion  Detail/illustration/proof Closing o Repeat Opening Statement o Summarize Points o Conclusion o Thank you (ALWAYS end with it. Including it in the beginning is fine, but Ive found that it often sounds too insincere or needy).

B-Other Sketching Tools

Dont limit yourself to just outlining, though. Try different ways of starting and organizing your Sermon until you find one that works for you. If Im totally in the dark on where to begin, I tend to write a poem. Sometimes one (or a few) Haiku do the trick. Sometimes I use like a particular form of poetry to set what I want the mood of the Sermon to be. Many times I just lay it all out in Stream-of-Conscious verse, to see where my minds at (That can be an excellent therapeutic technique, by-the-by). Its not a crime to borrow from any of your previous Sermons, just be sure you arent repeating yourself at a site youve spoken to before. ALWAYS cite your source if a statement/point is not TOTALLY yours! Nothing complicated, a simple, My esteemed colleague, As written in, will do. If you respect someone elses words, respect them with an acknowledgment! NEVER just start writing your Sermon without organizing your thoughts first! Ive done that, of course . but only after days, weeks, or months of deliberation in my mind. ALWAYS allow plenty of time to prepare your Sermon. It may only take 20 minutes to deliver, but it can be a wonderful experience, or a total down-in-flames; disaster. The better written and prepared you are, the better your success.
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2-Drafting your Sermon Drafting is the technique of taking that mere sketch of a Sermon, now that youre certain its what you want to say (and how), and actually getting down to writing your Sermon! Be prepared, you will be doing a LOT of rewritings (drafts). Please note that a draft is just that, a first-cut at your Sermon. Your first draft of a Sermon should never, ever be the final draft. Start by detailing every line of that sketch with real words. Its not important to start at the Opening, just expand each line as it comes to you. I do that so I dont forget how I was thinking of saying it. Keep doing that until youre done. Then start to read what youve written from the beginning. Read, rewrite, reread, rewrite until youre satisfied that it is exactly WHAT you want to say and HOW. Then, please check spelling, grammar and syntax! Maybe Im just Old School, but its a pet peeve of mine. Youll look (and sound) the better for it. Avoid clichs, slang, and obscenity. Unless your quoting directly, such devices are unnecessary, or at worst, offensive. If Im ever unsure of using a particular word or phrase, asking how necessary it is will always points me in the right direction. Also remember to ask the appropriateness of a questionable term. Always assume that children will be present. It wont affect what you say if theyre not there; it will affect the moment if you assume otherwise. Avoid racist remarks. If you think of something racist as funny, sorry, you need help! Enough said on the matter. Avoid demeaning comments about anything. No matter how logically proofed and concluded, it will only lead to trouble. Avoid endorsing a political candidate from the pulpit. Religious organizations can lose their taxexempt status if you do . You need not be a member of the organization to cause that disaster. Pick salient sound bites (that may show a candidate or politician in a favorable light indirectly) to support a point, just dont openly endorse or promote them! After all of these issues have been addressed and now that weve arrived at this satisfied point, were almost done. Ive written some pretty good five minute Sermons at this point. Dont forget that you only have 20 minutes to deliver a Sermon that will at once be: y Fresh y Engaging y Coherent y Challenging
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y Within the allotted time And that it needs to take a whole 20 minutes to deliver! NOW is the time, when all other criteria are met, to time your Sermon. Reread your Sermon, add (or subtract) until its (pretty much) 20 minutes long. Pay close attention to how you will Deliver your Sermon! Read your Sermon from beginning to end while timing yourself. Once you are sure that the text of your Sermon will be (naturally) delivered by you within the allotted time, its time to prepare the document for printing: Decide on a font that is easy for you to read. Do not keep your eye glued to the text of your Sermon at the Pulpit (keep eye contact with the audience) Notice that, as Ive written this text, Ive used some unconventional font and styles. I offer no apologize . Its applicable to Sermons. Use Bold, Italics, and Underlining as you will, to help you remember the deliverance of your Sermon. My speaking style lends itself to 8 to 10 pages of 12 point New Times Roman Font For the Speaking Version printout, use a font size that is easily readable while youre at the Pulpit. My Sermons run 22 to 24 pages in a speaking font (whatever is comfortable to your eyes). Some speakers will leave the bottom third of their printed page blank. Its up to you. I dont. The theory is that it keeps eye contact (or fakes the illusion). Surely youve noticed I liberally use , italics, and BOLD font (and combinations) seemingly randomly throughout this text. I write my Sermons that way to clue me into where I want to pause, or for degrees of emphasis. o . to indicate a pause, groups of for longer pauses o Italics represent a mild emphasis o BOLD for a stronger emphasis o BOLD Italics is for a major emphasis As I have put this text together, I have envisioned it not as a text at all, but as a one-onone conversation with you, my dear reader. When all is said and done, isnt it just that, anyway? Why not put the actual directions in the text? Dont! Ive heard too many speakers actually read some of their blocking without even knowing it! It also tends to distract from the flow of your speaking pattern.

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Deliverance
Delivering a Sermon should involve some theatrics. Ive acted a bit over the years, true, but some lessons can be incorporated into the Sermon Delivery to improve its Deliverance. Just dont overdo it to the point of silliness. Sermons can be funny, but never silly! Gesture, gesture, gesture! Practice, practice, practice! Gestures should seem natural! I guess Id rather see no gestures than see gestures that look like they were written into the Sermon (make fist and move it out into the audience here). Itll look terribly stilted and amateurish if you dont practice. Compare John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. Throw away your political convictions, JFK was professional, a natural. Just dont stand there move! Stiffness in your stature will make the best sermon just as stiff! I put a hand in my pocket when Im gesturing sometimes. Its okay if its a natural movement, just dont stand with your hands in your pockets! Usually, its due to nervousness (dont know what to do with your hands). Dont hug the pulpit. ALWAYS do a sound check, whether you have a stationary mike, or they pin one on your lapel. You need to know how youll sound. You need to be heard, but too much is irritating, and the screech of feedback is highly irritating and painful. Speak at a comfortable speed, and make sure you enunciate! Consonants are most important. Youll probably be nervous. Nervousness tends to speed up our speaking. Make conscious efforts to slow down if you notice yourself going too fast. Even after all these years of sermonizing, I still get nervous, terribly nervous before I get to the pulpit. Once I get up to the pulpit and see my audience, Im on, you know? I am an actor after all. A good friend, when I told him my fear before I speak (my hands actually shake), said that I maybe, Needed to see a psychiatrist. I know he said that with the best of intentions, but I told him that he misunderstood what I was saying. Its wonderful to know that Im still nervous after all these years, I responded, If Im not nervous, it means that I dont care, and if I dont care, I dont deserve the honor of speaking in the pulpit.

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Feedback
I have the distinct honor of my wife in the audience whenever I deliver a sermon. Shes my worst critic, and I love her the dearer for it. If nothing else, shell confirm what I noticed or felt. I experiment with technique occasionally and shell tell how effective it was. Without such unbiased critique, how can you hope to improve? Years ago, I went to a performance of 1776; Ross Martin (of TVs Wild, Wild West) was John Adams. What a performance! He was phenomenal! Afterwards, I took my date to an establishment just down the road and, to my delight and surprise, he was sitting alone at the bar! I couldnt resist. Walking up to him, I blathered on a bit how much I enjoyed his performance, how moved I was at his singing voice. Excuse me, he said rather sternly, Never, EVER disturb an actor and apologize when you like a performance!. We usually only hear how bad we were! Thank you, my good man! After asking if wed mind his presence at our table, we closed the place down. That wonderful conversation stays with me still . we need feedback, (positive and negative)! I liken it to hearing your recorded voice, or seeing yourself on a video: you cant believe that thats you! Its not how you perceive or see yourself internally! You need that other to really see yourself! At my home church, The First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, everybody retires to the Common Room for our ritual communion (coffee), after the Sermon. There, everyone offers feedback. No other venue I speak to waits to give me feedback, Every other venue will immediately comment, question and opinionate on my Sermon as soon as I utter my constant closing words, Domo Arigato (Japanese, Thank you very much). And I love the immediate exchange! That is where the opportunities are ripe for learning! Remember what I said before: If we take nothing from the experience, we are merely exercising our egos. If the audience gets nothing from the experience, we are wasting our time.

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File
I was an early advocate of Data Warehousing, the concept of backing up data to an off-site location on a daily basis. Still Ive given a LOT of Sermons over the past 20+ years, and Ive lost the vast majority of them! As I reflect on it, thats not such a bad thing (impermanence, the acceptance thereof, and lets face it, most of them were crap), but still, by and large, it would be nice to have them! It would be nice to refer back to them to see what I could have done better (memory is such a fickle thing), or to develop some of the salient ideas I presented (so amateurishly). It wasnt that I didnt back them up . I did. Its just that they were in forms no longer supported, or they were lost in one of several computer crashes, or they were just printed on paper (the permanent medium) and destroyed in a sewer backup. Nowadays, there are all kinds of online resources to store your data (like Skydrive), and theres always an external hard drive to back up to (I now own a terabyte external hard drive). The point here: backup/store your Sermons to a media independent of your computer!!! Technology has advanced exponentially since I started sermonizing. I now store my Sermons in a Word document designed as a Book; complete with a cover and Table of Contents. It will be a great resource to refer back to (I have no problem with using ideas from previous Sermons and developing them for different purposes to fit a current engagement). Youll not suffer the embarrassment of repeating yourself from a previous engagement at a particular site.

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Related Word Definitions

(from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sermonizing)

SERMON
1. 2. 3. 4. sermon (noun) Sermon on the Mount action sermon (noun) lay sermon

sermon noun \ s r-m n\ Definition of SERMON 1: a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a clergyman as a part of a worship service 2: a speech on conduct or duty sermonic adjective Examples of SERMON 1. He preached a sermon on the importance of kindness. 2. Dad gave me a sermon yesterday about doing my homework. Origin of SERMON Middle English, from Anglo-French sermun, from Medieval Latin sermon-, sermo, from Latin, speech, conversation, from serere to link together First Known Use: 13th century Related to SERMON Synonyms: homily

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HOMILY
noun \ h-m -l \ plural homilies Definition of HOMILY 1: a usually short sermon 2: a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme 3: an inspirational catchphrase; also : platitude Examples of HOMILY 1. The priest gave a brief homily on forgiveness. 2. We had to listen to another one of his homilies about the value of public service. 3. a politician with a fondness for homily Origin of HOMILY Middle English omelie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin homilia, from Late Greek, from Greek, conversation, discourse, from homilein to consort with, address, from homilos crowd, assembly; akin to Greek homos same First Known Use: 14th century

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PREACH
verb \ pr ch\ Definition of PREACH intransitive verb 1: to deliver a sermon 2: to urge acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action; specifically : to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner transitive verb 1: to set forth in a sermon <preach the gospel> 2: to advocate earnestly <preached revolution> 3: to deliver (as a sermon) publicly 4: to bring, put, or affect by preaching <preached the church out of debt American Guide Series: Virginia> preacher noun preachingly adverb Origin of PREACH Middle English prechen, from Anglo-French precher, from Late Latin praedicare, from Latin, to proclaim, make known, from prae- pre- + dicare to proclaim First Known Use: 13th century Related to PREACH Synonyms: sermonize

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