Rising above foyer feedback

This podcast was recorded at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s 2017 Annual Meeting and focuses on the the art of sermon preparation and evaluations. Do simple platitudes on the way out of the church door really affirm pastors in their calling to shepherd their congregations? How detrimental can a critical response be to a pastor’s heart? Jim Shaddix explores ways pastors can receive truly valuable feedback on their sermons so they can grow in their preaching and more effectively disciple church members. Shaddix expounds on subjects like being intentional in getting feedback, putting together sermon evaluation teams, finding and equipping objective people, fostering a good attitude and using helpful tools.

Here is an excerpt from this podcast:

This podcast was recorded at the Disciple-making conference breakout session training and focuses on the role of apologetics in discipleship. The early church faced extreme persecution and held no political power, yet it grew exponentially. Today’s church in America, however, with its extreme political power and little persecution, is dying. What’s more, while nearly three-fourths of Americans identify as Christians, countless numbers of them can’t give an answer for what they believe. Why is this the case? The answer is found in 1 Peter 3:15 — apologetics. Many church leaders have stopped teaching the “why” behind the “what” of Christianity. Eric Simmons covers the role of apologetics in discipleship, including practical insights for equipping believers to defend their faith in an ever-changing culture.

by Jim Shaddox  /  Professor of Preaching  / Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary