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ERIC MCKIDDIE JULY 3, 2013 8 COMMENTS
How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without
Sounding Like Him
Learning from good preachers is a tricky business.
On the one hand, we are commanded to learn from other preachers.
Paul told Timothy, What you have heard from me in the presence of
many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach
others also (2 Tim. 2:2). None of us have an excuse for not learning
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others also (2 Tim. 2:2). None of us have an excuse for not learning
from the best. The training is free, and just a click away.
But on the other hand, God has created us all as natural born
imitators, in order that we imitate Jesus and become conformed to his image. But we imitate other people in many
ways, too, not least of them while learning from good preachers. It is natural to sound like preachers you like.
So when you listen to D.A. Carson, you must avoid picking up his mannerisms rather than his manner of preaching. You
cant start asking your congregation, Do do do do you see? You cant start referring to 1
st
Thessalonians as One
Thessalonians. You cant, especially if you are in urban or rural areas, start using the words twit and cheeky.
But there are three things you can do, which we will see in a moment.
But first.
Im talking about Carsons preaching not his lecturing
Perhaps you have only listened to Carsons biblical and theological lectures. Pattern your preaching style after Carsons
lecturing style and you will end up with a church full of seminary students. Or a church full of empty pews if youre
not near a seminary.
Carson lectures differently than he preaches, and you would do well to listen to his sermons and note the differences.
That said, here are three of the things Carson does well in his sermons that you should try to do, too with your voice
and your personality.
1. Master the fundamentals of preaching
Carson does the boring homiletical basics you learned in seminary, not because hes a seminary professor, but because
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Carson does the boring homiletical basics you learned in seminary, not because hes a seminary professor, but because
they are the essential to good preaching. When it comes to fundamentals, D.A. Carson is the Tim Duncan of preaching.
Carson crafts his main points carefully. He makes them parallel, often including a common key word. This unifies the
sermon, makes the main points memorable, and makes it easier for the congregation to follow from beginning to end.
He often repeats the main point word-for-word to make sure everyone got it.
Carson uses illustrations. Whether from personal experience, world history, science and math, and more, he brings the
text into todays world. You think that illustrations and exegetical sermons dont mix? You should hear what Carson
says about false antitheses. (If you need help with illustrations, heres just the thing.)
Carson does applicationa lot. Though he might save his heaviest applicational swings for the conclusion, he weaves
it into the interpretational sections, too. He does this by inserting a sentence here and there that shows the
significance of the verse for today. He also does this by interpreting in second person. Rather than speaking in the
past tense, he phrases the meaning of the text by saying you to the congregation.
If you think fundamentals are just for getting As in your seminary preaching class, think again. The best preachers
master the fundamentals, they dont get over them.
2. Follow the 90 to 13 ratio
The 90 to 13 ratio means this: preach at a level where 90% of what you say is intelligible to a 13 year old.
Two former colleagues of mine, who earned their M.Div. at Trinity, independently recounted to me that preaching tip
Carson told them. He said he aims 90% of what he says in his sermon to be understood by a junior high student. This
doesnt mean that he dumbs down his content, it means that he speaks in a less technical manner.
This may surprise you if all you listen to are Carsons lectures, but he does preach at this level.
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I used to be a junior high pastor, and one of my students told me that D.A. Carson was her favorite preacher. Part of
me wished it was me, but I couldnt blame her. While most junior highers wont even have a favorite preacher, it says
something that Carson could be a junior highers favorite preacher.
Can the 13 year olds in your church track with your sermons?
3. Prep hard for just one teaching responsibility per week
If you are the senior pastor of a small church, you probably teach and preach a lot. A message Sunday morning, and
perhaps another Sunday evening. A Bible study here and there, and a chapel once in a while. Two preps are probably
your absolute minimum, and three to five is more common.
Its not sustainable to devote a lot of time each of teaching responsibility, and still do counseling and lead meetings.
But if youre trying preach like D.A. Carson, devoting a lot time to each prep is exactly what youll be tempted to do.
But thats not how Carson rolls.
At about the 23 minute mark of this lecture on how to prepare a series of sermons on a biblical book, Carson shares
from his busy experience as a young pastor. He mentions there was no way he had time to prepare rigorously for his
four to five teaching responsibilities each week. But he always did for at least one. This kept his exegetical tools in
working order, which made his other preps stronger, even if he didnt devote as much time to them.
Obviously your Sunday morning sermon should get the most attention. But if you dont preach weekly, consider
scheduling this kind of exegetical exercise into your weekly routine. It will keep your tools sharp, and you will have a
lot prepared if and when you take a role where you preach every Sunday.
Dont be a homiletical copy cat
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Your congregation will immediately recognize when you are not being you. If they feel like you are acting, they will
not trust you. This means that if youre not careful you can undermine your pulpit ministry in your attempt to
improve it.
But if you can learn from the manner of a good preachers preaching, you will bless your congregation immensely.
They will not wonder who youve been listening to, they will simply notice you are getting better.
And 100% of churches enjoy it when their preachers get better.
(Image credit)
While We're On The Topic:
How to Preach Like Phil Ryken and Duane Litfin Without Sounding Like Them
How to Preach Like John Piper Without Sounding Like Him
How to Preach Like Tim Keller Without Sounding Like Him
How to Preach Like Mark Driscoll Without Sounding Like Him
5 Characteristics of Constantly Improving Preachers
FILED UNDER: PREACHING
TAGGED: DA CARSON, PREACH LIKE
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Comments
Steven says:
July 3, 2013 at 11:59 am
Thanks for your article! One of the points that I took to heart is that I realize that I cannot always prep hard
for everything. I listen to a good amount of preaching during the week (Platt, Chandler, Carson ect) and I
hear these differently, but well crafted sermons. This inspires me to prepare hard, but in honesty the time is usually
not there. Right now, I am in the roll of interim main preacher for my small church. This entails Sunday morning, night
and Wednesday night. Great reminder for all of us in the trenches to do our best, but realize we are only human.
Reply
Eric McKiddie says:
July 3, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Glad you are encouraged, Steven. Christ is strong in our weakness, and his grace is sufficient, even in
our lack of prep time!
Reply
Stephen Bean says:
July 4, 2013 at 1:16 pm
This is very helpful. It is difficult not to imitate him after listening to his lectures, but its hard to be a
credible preacher in Arkansas if you pronounce the word genre like Carson.
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Reply
Caleb Suko says:
July 18, 2013 at 4:30 am
I really like the 90/13 principle. I think there can be a temptation to do the opposite, however, I find that
when I preach for the younger audience I often get more positive feedback from those in the 30-60 yrs.
Honestly, it can be difficult to make Scripture and doctrine understandable and simple but well worth it in the long
run.
Reply
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Links I like | Blogging Theologically says:
July 5, 2013 at 5:00 am
[...] How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without Sounding Like Him [...]
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Saturday Shout-Outs: & Ministry Links | H.B. Charles Jr. says:
July 6, 2013 at 9:22 am
[...] Pastoralized: How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without Sounding Like Him [...]
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[...] Pastoralized: How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without Sounding Like Him [...]
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Monday Update #21 July 8, 2013 says:
July 8, 2013 at 12:03 pm
[...] to Preach Like D.A. Carson without Sounding Like Him by Eric [...]
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Ministry Monday | Three Passions says:
September 30, 2013 at 8:46 pm
[] How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without Sounding Like Him Pastoralized []
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