One of the keys to being an effective preacher and teacher of the Bible is being clear. Clarity allows listeners to know what you’re saying, why you’re saying it, and what you want them to do in light of what you’ve said.
This is precisely why Dr. Robert Rayburn, founding President of Covenant Theological Seminary, would always tell his seminary students, “Christ is the only King of your studies, but homiletics is the queen.” What we preach is of first importance, but how we preach isn’t far behind.
Erwin Lutzer once told me that an easy way preachers and teachers can bring more clarity to their messages is by using plural nouns for outline divisions. In other words, using a carefully selected keyword for your sermon divisions is far easier for listeners to follow. Using words like “things” and “points” as keywords are not nearly as memorable as words like “reasons” and “statements.” I can personally testify that making this minor change makes a major difference in communicating with clarity.
In his book, 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, Wayne McDill gives a list of 265 words preachers and teachers can use to communicate more clearly when creating their outlines:
- abuses
- accusations
- acts
- actions
- actualities
- admonitions
- advantages
- affairs
- affirmations
- agreements
- aims
- alternatives
- assertions
- angles
- answers
- applications
- approaches
- areas
- arguments
- articles
- attitudes
- attributes
- aspects
- aspirations
- assertions
- assumptions
- assurances
- attainments
- attitudes
- attributes
- barriers
- beginnings
- beliefs
- benefits
- burdens
- calls
- causes
- certainties
- challenges
- changes
- charges
- claims
- clues
- commands
- commitments
- comparisons
- compensations
- compromises
- compulsions
- conceptions
- concessions
- conclusions
- conditions
- consequences
- contrasts
- corrections
- credentials
- criteria
- criticisms
- customs
- dangers
- decisions
- declarations
- defenses
- deficiencies
- definitions
- degrees
- demands
- denials
- destinies
- details
- devices
- differences
- distinctions
- directions
- directives
- disciplines
- disclosures
- discoveries
- distinctives
- doctrines
- duties
- elements
- encouragements
- essentials
- estimates
- events
- evidences
- evils
- examples
- exchanges
- exclamations
- exhortations
- expectations
- experiences
- expressions
- facets
- factors
- facts
- failures
- faults
- favors
- fears
- features
- finalities
- forces
- functions
- fundamentals
- gains
- generalizations
- gifts
- goals
- graces
- groups
- guarantees
- habits
- handicaps
- hindrances
- hopes
- hungers
- ideals
- ideas
- illustrations
- imperatives
- implications
- impressions
- improvements
- impulses
- incentives
- incidents
- indictments
- inferences
- injunctions
- insights
- inspirations
- instances
- instruction
- instruments
- intimations
- invitations
- issues
- items
- joys
- judgments
- justifications
- keys
- kinds
- laws
- lessons
- levels
- liabilities
- limits
- lists
- losses
- loyalties
- manifestations
- marks
- means
- measures
- methods
- mistakes
- moments
- motives
- movements
- mysteries
- names
- necessities
- needs
- notions
- objections
- objectives
- observations
- obstacles
- occasions
- offers
- omissions
- opinions
- opportunities
- paradoxes
- particulars
- parts
- peculiarities
- penalties
- perils
- periods
- phases
- phrases
- pledges
- points
- possibilities
- practices
- premises
- prerogatives
- principles
- priorities
- probabilities
- problems
- processes
- promises
- promptings
- pronouncements
- proofs
- prophecies
- propositions
- provisions
- qualifications
- qualities
- questions
- realities
- realizations
- reasons
- reflections
- refusals
- remarks
- remedies
- reminders
- requirements
- reservations
- resources
- responses
- restraints
- results
- revelations
- rewards
- risks
- routes
- rules
- safeguards
- satisfactions
- secrets
- sins
- sources
- specifications
- statements
- steps
- stipulations
- successes
- suggestions
- superlatives
- suppositions
- surprises
- symptoms
- teachings
- tendencies
- testimonies
- tests
- thoughts
- threats
- topics
- totalities
- truths
- undertakings
- urges
- uses
- values
- views
- violations
- virtues
- voices
- warnings
- ways
- weaknesses
- wishes
- words
- wrongs