What Day of the Week do You Write Your Sermons?

[N. Eshelman]

I am wondering what day of the week those who preach do the bulk of their writing/outlining? Please then tell us what you do on each of these days as you prepare your message(s) for the Lord's Day....

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Satuday:

 

[ADKing]

Monday: Select passage boundaries and begin studying (though a much slower paced day, I usually do something)
Tuesday: Study
Wednesday Study
Thursday: write sermon 1 in the morning study in the afternoon
Friday: write sermon 2 sometime during the day
Saturday: make sure bulletins are printed, remaining administrative items to be ready for the Lord's Day are done and prepare catechism lesson for the Sabbath school hour

 

[KMK]

Being Bivo, I must do some studying/writing everyday or I won't be finished by Sunday.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I do exegesis/first read on Wednesday afternoon and do the actual writing Thursday.

 

[N. Eshelman]

 

[Ivan]

Everday.

 

[TomVols]

When in FT pastorates, here is my approach: I usually take Monday off by physical necessity (preaching twice on Sundays is very difficult on my bad back). Tuesday, I study the passages for my obligations for the week. That's my marathon study day. Usually, just me, the text, and a legal pad. I want to see what I see and know what I don't know. I usually spend 3 hours on each text. On Wednesday, I do some consultation in the commentaries and finish the Wed Bible study Wed afternoon. Thursday, I write a little for the Sun AM sermon and get a basic outline for the PM sermon. Friday, I tend to finish the AM sermon. Sat morning, I'll polish the AM sermon and try to dust away the PM sermon, but sometimes I will take an hour Sunday afternoon to do that if an emergency has occurred. Every day, I try to start by rereading the text and see if there's something I've missed. I try to spend about 24 hrs in study for sermons. The Sun Am gets more time because I want to choose my language more carefully, Sun PM gets the next most, and the Wed Bible study gets what's left. It's usually a 12-8-4 breakdown. However, sometimes a sermon will get less, maybe half what I list due to emergencies and the like. I should point out that I type a mss for the Sun AM, typed full outline for Sun PM, and some handwritten notes for Wed Bible study. However, if the sermon flow comes earlier, I start then. I can't stress enough to younger pastors: take one day early in the week and block it off for sermon study - the whole day. That way, you can at least get that spadework done if something arises during the week and not feel lost when two funerals come calling on Thursday and Friday.

When I've been bivo, like another poster said, I'm studying a little for each every night and on my lunch hour and on any downtime I get at the office (once in a blue moon). I'm finishing everything Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. I'm fortunate to give 5 hours to a study or sermon in this case. During one bivo pastorate, I only had one Sunday sermon and a Wed Bible study and I had a job as a caretaker where I had an enormous amount of time on Fridays and Saturdays, so I spent Tues-Thurs studying the daylights out of the passage for Sunday, and then on Friday and Saturday I could devote an enormous amount of time to the mss. I was also "on the clock" as a caretaker for someone after church on Sunday, so I would often complete my Wed Bible study that evening.

Years ago, I read one preacher describe how he works on 3 sermons per week, but he's preaching once per week and the passages get 3 weeks worth of study. In most of my pastorates, I would be working on 9 sermons at a time if I did that, and like it or not, we just don't have that much time available unless we want our children and wives to forget what we look like.

Hmmm......maybe my wife would think that's a good thing