The Sermon Handout: Uses, Abuses, Ideas, and Samples

I had great fun putting together an article and 10-page download dealing with sermon handouts. I posted it this afternoon in Proclaim Online on LifeWay.com

I attended a conference almost thirteen years ago where I learned the value and the method of a sermon handout. I still use a handout almost every time I preach, but lately I have some reservations:
  • Some who might take more detailed notes only fill in the blanks on my outline.
  • Many people have stopped bringing their Bibles to church.
  • I get in a rut with how I create these sermon handouts.

This past year I have been experimenting with some new ways of using this valuable teaching tool. I would like to share some of the methods and principles along with some sample handouts that I have used recently.

Read the article and get the free 5-page PDF download

Comments

Isaiah Kallman said…
At my old church in Michigan, the handout would typically have less than fifty words on the sheet. These words wouldn't be "fill in the blanks". They were just words. The key word of the point. Most of it was blank space for notes. And even though there were sometimes scripture references, the teaching made having a Bible necessary.

If you are concerned about people in your church actually reading their Bibles, my only suggestion is prayer. You're probably familiar with the word "rhema". Do you pray that the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to the scriptures through rhema?

That's my amateur suggestion.
March 29, 2008 at 8:49 AM
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