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Internet
Helps for Grace-Filled
Preachers |
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Reviews by Susan
McCarthy, Student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
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FREE ELCA-related sites:
Website
run by ELCA Pastor,
Dr. Mark Vitalis Hoffman. Dr. Vitalis
Hoffman is currently serving the ELCA as
Assistant Professor of New Testament
at LTSG.
This
connection is a page on the LTSG website and
is run by Dr. Richard
Carlson, an ELCA pastor who is also
serving LTSG by teaching in the Biblical Studies department. He and Dr. Vitalis Hoffman are the Greek-gurus!
Other FREE Sites:
“Welcome to a virtual study desk for students, teachers
and preachers. Click on a date to find direct links to a wide variety of contemporary and historical resources for study
& liturgy for each lectionary week and pericope,
or check out the Scripture Index
to locate links to study
resources relating to specific passages. Artwork indexed by Biblical theme
can be found in the Art Concordance. And check out the Movie Concordance for
lists of movies indexed by spiritual theme. May the peace of Christ be with you, and may your study be prayer.” – Jenee
Woodward. This is an ecumenical site with reciprocal links from many ELCA
churches and their partners in faith. Donations are accepted
both from individuals and church organizations.
One of the most widely used and popular sermon sites on the web.
This is an ecumenical sermon site. Pastors from around the world contribute to the content to share
God’s Word with us. You can search by Biblical text, topic, audience age,
contributor, key word, category, or
even denomination! Also has a pay version allowing
greater access, and a free version with greater access if you become a contributor.
This
site is run by Baptist minister, Rick Warren. The site offers support and tips
for all church pastors world-wide. One of the options
is to read some of Pastor Rick’s sermons. The site has easy-to-follow links and
is very clear about its mission.
I
am putting this site also under the “For Cost Sites.” The site offers some
great stuff for free: a lectionary, discussion on the texts for the week from Desperate Preacher users, a few
sermons, calls to worship, prayers and other ministry supports. BUT, to use the site’s database for sermons,
it’ll cost you $29.95 for 12 months. To use the Sermon Builder it will cost you
$39.95 for 12 months. Sponsored by Cokesbury, who has affiliations with the United Methodist Tradition.
http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermon.html
This site links to the United Church of Canada and is
run by one of the
Offers
free sermon illustrations indexed on the site by topic. Contributors and
website staff are affiliated with the
United Methodist Tradition. Is in connection with eSermons,
a subscription service for sermon writing.
United Methodist site providing extensive
ecumenical information on sermons, sermon writing, Biblical study and worship resources. A MUST-SEE for lots
and lots of useful information from many traditions!
A both FREE and paid site depending on your level of use.
Used by all denominations, but conversation mostly occurs between members of the same denomination for things
like sermon text discussion and other topics. Public meetings are available to
all. Truly a
communication tool, not just a sermon resource site.
http://www.sermons-stories.co.uk
Free
sermon and devotional resources from the Church
of England.
For Cost Sites:
See
www.desperatepreacher.org under
the “FREE” sites for more details. Site costs from $29.95 - $39.95 per year.
Search sermon database by topic, title,
lection, or scripture. Sermons are ecumenical in nature and are contributed it
by members. Sponsored
by Cokesbury, who has affiliations with the United Methodist Tradition.
This
site is sponsored by several pastors of the United
Methodist Church for $59.95 per year, plus more if you want to include things like dramas and children’s sermons.
This site, however, provides you with a whole sermon, not just assistance in
writing your own.
Sermon
Notes Online is a subscription based service offering sermons, illustrations
and additional preaching resources to pastors each
month. Cost is $9.95 per month, or $99.95 per year. Features a great deal of
sermons by Ed Young Jr., pastor of Fellowship Church
in Grapevine,
Going
out of business! This site won’t be available after June 2003, but you can
purchase a CD with all previously-published sermons
and sermon helps.
This
site is set up like a real shopping mall and offers sermons, sermon help and
illustrations for between $49.95 and $69.95 a year.
Has, however, a good number of free samples from past years based on the
Revised Common Lectionary, and both the Episcopal
and Catholic versions of the lectionary. Denominational affiliation is not
mentioned regarding the sermons.
$59.95 per year for regularly-delivered sermons. Other services for lower costs, down to $5.00 to have one sermon
emailed to you. Site offers
some free samples. The samples and other users’ comments lead one to believe
that these sermons offer advice for
what needs to change in our lives.
Subscribe
for $35/year for email subscription or visit the on-line store. Currently featuring funeral sermons. Provides
weekly FREE sermon illustrations,
with other individual purchases possible. According to site, it follows
New Revised Common Lectionary,
but a good bit of their user-base is from denominations and other independent
church bodies who do not follow a lectionary
series.
This
site provides true stories and illustrations as well as exegesis for Biblical
texts. Site is provided by Richard Donovan, a former
Homiletics Officer for the US Army Chaplaincy, and has extensive training in preaching
from several traditions including Baptist
and Lutheran.
Offers a $4.95/month subscription ““for those who have too much
integrity to preach someone else’s sermon.” A discussion group is available on the net, but
doesn’t look like it gets much use.
From ChristianityToday. Sermons available for $4.95
each, or subscription at $49.95/year. Offers online advice on
how to use other people’s sermons
with integrity. Also offers free samples and some other goodies. ChristianityToday
was founded by Billy Graham.
Homiletic Resource Center & Homiletic
Resources Site
A great site for a bundle of resources. The site is run by a
Roman Catholic deacon. Though
subscriptions cost $39.95, Deacon Sil will entertain requests for waiving this for
those under financial hardship (such as students?). The site also offers to be
free if you contribute 12 or more
homilies per year to the general homily bank and reduced if you contribute some
but not as many as 12.
A humorous site with not-so-serious sermon preparation material,
but lots of free usable jokes, illustrations and stories for sermon prep.
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If you find any sites you would
like to submit for listing on this page, please feel free to send them to me
here: smccarthy@ltsg.edu
“Googling”
your Biblical Text might give you other useful exegetical results! Try that
here: Google Search
Engine
God Bless you in your preaching
efforts!