JWC - Southfield
Ministerial Staff Resource Page
Find recent PowerPoints, Handouts, Teachings, and other resources that may be helpful in your ministry.
The Altar Call
Click Here to review the teaching on the Altar Call
Qualifications for a Preacher
Click Here to review of the Qualifications & Rules for Preachers, from the A.M.E. Zion Book of Disicpline
What We Believe: Articles of Religion
Click Here to review the 24 core beliefs of the A.M.E. Zion Church that every preacher should be familiar with.
Exegetical Process
Click Here to see the Powerpoint.
Click Here for an example of a filled out Exegesis Process
Step 1
•Select a Text
•Reconsider where the text begins and ends
•Establish a reliable translation of the text
•Assess what you bring to the text
Due: Dec. 12, 2022
Step 5
•Check the text in the commentaries (at least 2)
Due: Feb. 13, 2023
Step 2
•Read the text for basic understanding
•Are there words I need to research?
•What do I understand? What do I not understand?
•What pops out at you? Where is the tension in the text?
•Place the Text in Larger Context
•Is this pericope part of a bigger story?
•What is happening before and after this text?
Due: Dec. 12, 2022
Step 6
-
Write a one-sentence responses to each of the following question. The skill with which you craft these three statements will determine, in large part, the communicability and accessibility of your sermon. In one sentence each, write the
1. The Sermon Claim
2. The Sermon Focus
3. The Sermon Function
-
Write one-page explication of your focus and function that articulates how you intend to shape the sermon. How will the sermon clearly communicate what the sermons wants to say and the response to which the sermon invites the community?
Due: March 13, 2023
Step 3
•Listen Attentively to the Text
•Ask critical questions
•Identify inconsistencies in the text
•Write a paraphrase
•Stand in the shoes of the biblical character
•Look for details that appear unusual or out of place, conflict
•Locate Center gravity
•What questions does the text answer?
Due: Jan. 9, 2022
Step 7
-
Write the Sermon:
-
Describe the time of the church year during which you expect to preach a sermon from this text:
-
Describe a congregation with whom you expect to preach this text:
-
Due: April 10, 2023
Step 4
•Explore the text historically
•What is the history in the text and the history of the text?
•What is the genre of the text
•Explore the text theologically
•Discern what theological claims are present in the text regarding God-in-relation-to-humanity
Due: Feb. 13, 2023
Preaching Book List
Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching by Frank A. Thomas
The Certain Sound of the Trumpet: Crafting a Sermon of Authority by Samuel D. Proctor
The Certain Sound of the Trumpet: Crafting a Sermon of Authority by Samuel D. Proctor
I Believe I'll Testify: The Art of African American Preaching by Cleophus J. LaRue
Celebration & Experience in Preaching by Henry H. Mitchell
Illustrations Unlimited: A Topical Collection of Hundreds of Stories, Quotations, & Humor by James S. Hewitt (Editor)
Other Book Resources
The Black Church in the African American Experience by C. Eric Lincoln & Lawrence H. Mamiya
African American Christian Worship by Melva Wilson Costen
Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit by Henri Nouwen
Can a Sistah Get a Little Help by Teresa L. Fry-Brown
Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans by Albert J. Raboteau
A Black Theology of Liberation by James H. Cone
Online Resources
-
Online Bible Dictionary & Scholarly Articles
-
Greek/Hebrew Bible
-
Spiritual Gifts Inventory
-
Story Illustrations Online
Wesley Masterclass Handout Resources
3
Emotional & Spiritual Support for Ministers
Review the handout on Emotional and Spiritual Support for Ministers with Rev. Alesia Hillsman-Terrell. Review the importance of care of the minister before pouring out to others.
4
Planning & Organizing for Ministers
Keep sharp and on top of things, by learning skills from Rev. Kenya James on Planning and Organizing.