What is the difference between a sermon that is “text-centered” and one that is “text-driven”? Expository preaching is preaching that is text-centered but not necessarily text-driven. Preaching that is text-driven best exemplifies what expository preaching is about.
Text-Centered Sermon – The sermon is based on or derived from the text. Text-Driven Sermon – The sermon is based on or derived from the text and develops the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – The sermon focuses on the textual theme. Text-Driven Sermon – The sermon focuses on textual theme as textually developed.
Text-Centered Sermon – Has a point/points usually drawn from the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Has as many points as the text has and are always drawn from the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Textual secondary information may or may not be developed. Text-Driven Sermon – Textual secondary information developed in relation to main point(s).
Text-Centered Sermon – Sermon structure may be imposed on the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Sermon structure is borrowed from the structure of the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Application relates to or has some connection to the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Application is grounded in and flows directly from the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Creativity is generally unguided by the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Creativity is guided by the genre and clues in the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Tendency to pick short preaching texts. Text-Driven Sermon – Demands a natural paragraph/pericope/thought unit of text for preaching.
Text-Centered Sermon – May ignore or sideline the author’s intended meaning. Text-Driven Sermon – Surrenders to the author’s intended meaning.
Text-Centered Sermon – Context may be easily overlooked. Text-Driven Sermon – Context is key to sermon development.
Text-Centered Sermon – May not express the substance, structure, and spirit of the text Text-Driven Sermon – Expresses the substance, structure, and spirit of the text
Text-Centered Sermon – Application relates to or has some connection to the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Application is grounded in and flows directly from the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Creativity is generally unguided by the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Creativity is guided by the genre and clues in the text.
Text-Centered Sermon – Tendency to pick short preaching texts. Text-Driven Sermon – Demands a natural paragraph/pericope/thought unit of text for preaching.
Text-Centered Sermon – May ignore or sideline the author’s intended meaning. Text-Driven Sermon – Surrenders to the author’s intended meaning.
Text-Centered Sermon – Context may be easily overlooked. Text-Driven Sermon – Context is key to sermon development.
Text-Centered Sermon – May not express the substance, structure (semantic structure–i.e., the structure of meaning the text conveys) and spirit of the text. Text-Driven Sermon – Expresses the substance, structure (semantic structure), and spirit of the text.
For more on Text-Driven Preaching, check out www.preachingsource.com, the preaching website hosted by the School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary!