The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 756 | Preaching Secrets That Actually Work: 90 Minutes of Strategy, Theology, and the Art of Preaching with Mark Clark and Carey Nieuwhof
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Sep 23, 2025 Mark Clark, founder of The Village Church and senior pastor at Bayside Church, joins Carey Nieuwhof to share transformative preaching tips. They dive into the art of storytelling, revealing how humor and structure can elevate a sermon. Mark discusses the importance of preparation, recognizing success through audience transformation, and crafting powerful intros with vulnerability. They also explore the ethical use of AI in sermon prep and the challenge of appealing to both churchgoers and the unchurched. Ideal insights for today’s communicators!
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Rehearse Out Loud
- Practice your sermon out loud repeatedly to build muscle and catch timing and jokes.
- If you're inexperienced, rehearse aloud for hours on Saturday and again before preaching on Sunday.
Use Story Humor, Not Jokes
- Use funny stories rather than jokes because stories land more reliably with audiences.
- Choose words and pauses intentionally to maximize comedic timing and audience connection.
Cupcakes, Dog, And A Sermon Pivot
- Mark tells a story about guarding cupcakes from his dog and his daughter calling it "setting him up for failure."
- He used that moment to pivot into humility and landing the gospel point.
