Some pastors assume preaching ability is fixed: you're either gifted or you're not. Wrong. Preaching is a craft, and craft improves with deliberate practice. Here are seven habits that will make you a measurably better communicator over time.
1. Listen to Yourself
Record your sermons and listen back — not to the content, but to the delivery. Where do you speed up? Where do you lose energy? Do you have filler words ("um," "you know," "and so")? Most preachers have never heard themselves preach.
2. Study Great Communicators
Watch how Tim Keller builds arguments, how Tony Evans uses illustrations, how Beth Moore creates emotional resonance. But don't copy their style — analyze their technique. What makes their sermons work structurally?
3. Read Widely Outside Theology
The best preachers are well-read humans. Read novels, history, science, biography. Your illustrations will be richer, your metaphors fresher, and your worldview broader. A preacher who only reads theology sounds like a preacher who only reads theology.
4. Seek Honest Feedback
Find 2-3 trusted people who will tell you the truth. Not "great sermon, pastor!" but "I lost you in the middle section" or "your conclusion didn't match your introduction." Growth requires honest mirrors.
Create a simple feedback form: "What was the main point? Where did you feel most engaged? Where did your mind wander?" Distribute to your feedback team monthly.
5. Practice Delivery, Not Just Content
Most pastors spend 95% of prep time on content and 5% on delivery. But delivery is half the impact. Practice out loud. Work on eye contact, pacing, silence. A mediocre sermon delivered powerfully outperforms a brilliant sermon read from notes.
6. Develop Your Own Voice
Stop trying to be someone else. Your congregation didn't call a Keller or a Piper — they called you. Your personality, your humor, your vulnerability — these are features, not bugs. Lean into what makes you uniquely you.
7. Invest in Tools That Free You Up
The most effective preachers aren't the ones who work the hardest — they're the ones who spend their time on the highest-impact activities. If AI can handle research in 15 minutes that used to take 4 hours, that's 4 hours you can invest in illustration crafting, delivery practice, and pastoral prayer.