David W. Swanson

Pastor and Author

Preparing a sermon with Post-it notes

One of the upsides, I’ve been told, of not (yet) having been to seminary is that I’ve been forced to find my own ways to prepare a sermon.  Most of the time I’m OK with this, but occasionally I wonder, “Is there a right way to do this?”  I have enough education and preaching mentors to keep me honest, but I imagine there are a few tricks seminarys teach that would be helpful.

Are post-it notes one of those tricks?

Sermon text: Matthew 21:28-21:14

This was the wall above my desk this afternoon.  The sermon was done, but the flow didn’t seem particularly natural or helpful so I made a storyboard with the major pieces of the sermon.  After rearranging them a few times I landed on a clearer and more natural flow.

Any other preachers/teachers/speakers find this a helpful method? You’ll have to ask someone from New Community Covenant Church tomorrow whether or not this was effective us of Post-it notes.

David Swanson

3 responses to “Preparing a sermon with Post-it notes”

  1. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Perhaps this has nothing to do with your post, though I believe it does. Not about method for the sermon prep exactly but measuring its effectiveness. Paul Schrer, relaying John Jowett, said, “What you are after, says Jowett, is not that folk say at the end of it all, ‘What an excellent sermon!’ That is a measured failure. You are there to have them say, when it is over, ‘What a great God!’ It is something for men not to have been in your presence but in His” (For We Have This Treasure, pg. 200). If post-its get the listeners to encounter and respond to a great God, then, stick them to every bulletin and chair while you’re at it! Preach it tomorrow.

    Reply
    1. Josh S Avatar
      Josh S

      What a great perspective! Thank you, Michael, for reminding me (as a congregant) what my focus ought to be on Sunday morning.

      Reply
  2. stanford Avatar
    stanford

    I knew a pastor who did his whole prep with post it notes…on the dash of his truck. He would write down fragments, thoughts, illustrations as soon as he thought of them and line them up in a row along the top…then throughout the week he would organized them into columns as major units/for flow.

    I think I use ppt the same way. If a talk has enough images/quotes, the ppt works as a message story board.

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