Deductive Movement-In deductive sermons, the preacher states forthrightly the major claim of the sermon near the beginning of the message. It is as if the preacher puts up a billboard at the front of the worship space saying, “Here is the point of today’s sermon.” The congregation thus knows the subject of the sermon (and, often, what the preacher thinks about it) from the opening moments of the sermon. The great virtue of deductive preaching is clarity. However, this approach does have some potential drawbacks. When the congregation knows the direction of the sermon and its major claim, the sermon loses the element of curiosity, even suspense, that often motivates people to follow a sermon. Furthermore, deductive forms are not always adequate to full-bodied experience in the world. Life, learning, and discovery are often less deductive than inductive. If the preacher announces an idea the congregation finds offensive, many listeners will not follow the sermon but will tune out, turn off, and may even seethe.
Arrangingthe Bodyofthe Deductive SermonAfter indicating the direction of the sermon, the preacher develops the major claim or the subject matter of the sermon so as to show how the main concern of the sermon relates specifically to the congregation. The development of the body of the message can take place in a number of different ways. I now briefly mention several. These examples are just that—examples. The preacher needs to choose or create a movement that will serve this part of the sermon.Preachers often associate deductive preaching with making “points.”^ While deductive sermons sometimes contain points, they need not necessarily do so, as indicated in several of the methods for developing deductive sermons below. Preaching that makes points can be an effective witness to the gospel. However, this style should not be a straitjacket into which the preacher binds every sermon; it does not fit every preacher, every listener, every congregation, every occasion, or every biblical text or topic. One needs to be able to preach in other modes for listeners who are not such linear thinkers, for occasions that are more prone to feeling and impression than to logical analysis, and for texts, doctrines, practices, and other topics that are diminished when they are explained in points. When preaching in this genre, the points must relate directly to the subject of the sermon, to one another, and to the congregation.
When Do You Preach Deductively?When would you turn to a deductive sermon? This approach is 1 suited to dealing with questions that are consciously in the minds and hearts of the community. The preacher correlates the questions with the sermon. Deductive preaching also lends itself to texts, topics, and circumstances that require quite a bit of information in the sermon, and about which pastor and pwple can think in a logicaLj and linear manner. 1 find that deductive preaching is especially useful in communities with a lot of persons who are new to Christian faith and who need basic orientation. Deductive sermons are excellent vehicles for preaching Christian doctrine and denominational beliefs. Most of the time, a minister would avoid ‘ deductive preaching when the sermon deals with a controversial matter. As already indicated, if the pastor begins the sermon by advocating a controversial thesis, the congregation may become hostile and cease to listen.This approach to sermons particularly fits preachers who are linear thinkers. Preachers who are intuitive and who are gifted in poetry, metaphor, and story will likely be more inclined toward inductive preaching. However, nearly every congregation occasionally benefits from a deductive sermon.