Illustrating Well: Preaching Sermons that Connect
Communicate well by illustrating well
Preachers face all kinds of obstacles on Sunday mornings. A sermon that employs interesting and appropriate illustrations can help break through barriers and convey truth in a fresh way. In Illustrating Well, Jim L. Wilson provides pastors with the tools to effectively use sermon illustrations to help them communicate the Bible’s teachings. To reach the hearts and minds of their congregations, preachers must do more than explain the truth; they must demonstrate how the truth relates to real life. Every sermon should be theologically rich and thoroughly biblical, but a good illustration can take what might be an abstract concept and turn it into a concrete reality for the listener.
In Illustrating Well, preachers will discover what makes for a compelling illustration as well as the benefits and potential pitfalls of particular types of illustrations.
Praise for Illustrating Well
Dr. Wilson is an impactful preacher and first-rate professor who leverages these strengths in his latest gift to preachers, Illustrating Well. This book provided me with theological confidence and practical skill to communicate God’s word with greater clarity and passion!
—Zach Edwards, Senior Pastor of Trinity Southern Baptist Church, Fresno, California
Motivated by a love for God's Word and the importance of preaching transformational sermons, Jim Wilson provides a fresh look at sermon illustrations and then helps the preacher craft them. Whether the preacher is writing his first sermon or his 500th, Illustrating Well will give him tools to effectively preach the Bible and see changed lives as people come to see God's Truth in clear, easy to understand ways.
—Bryan Catherman, Pastor, Redeeming Life Church, Bountiful, Utah
If you are looking for maximum impact in your preaching, Illustrating Well is the tool you need to get there. Dr. Wilson gives communicators a fresh look at delivering God’s Word with clarity and effectiveness. I highly recommend every pastor have this resource readily available to them.
—Josh Saefkow, Senior Pastor, Flat Creek Baptist Church, Fayetteville, GA
- Foreword by Jeff Iorg
- Introduction
- Using Sermon Illustrations Effectively
- Four Metaphors for Sermon Illustrations
- Four Characteristics of Effective Sermon Illustrations
- Illustration Location and Sermon Structure
- Using a Variety of Illustration Types Well
- Personal Illustrations
- Fresh Illustrations
- Biblical Illustrations
- Hypothetical and Historical Illustrations
- Classic Illustrations, Fictional Illustrations, and Object Lessons
- Four Encouraging Words
- Title: Illustrating Well: Preaching Sermons that Connect
- Author: Jim L. Wilson
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2022
- Page Count: 184
- Format: Logos Digital, Paperback
- Trim Size: 5x8
- ISBN: 9781683595892
Jim L. Wilson is director of the doctor of ministry program, professor of leadership formation at Gateway Seminary, and author of Pastoral Ministry in the Real World.