Preaching for Special Occasions – HOMI 635

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course is a study in the selection, preparation and delivery of sermons to meet the needs of the contemporary church family. Attention is given to the preaching of the special occasion sermons (i.e. Christmas, Easter, Weddings, Funerals, etc).

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Preaching for special occasions will take the student who has demonstrated a mastery of expository preaching and prepare them for the type of special occasion preaching that occurs in typical local church ministry settings. Students will learn how to exposit Biblical texts that directly relate to special occasions like weddings, funerals, holidays, and other unique events that occur while serving a local church. The course will equip the student to select an appropriate text for various special occasions, as well as prepare and deliver a tailored sermon manuscript for such occasions that is practically applied and gospel driven.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist Assignment

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 200 words. (CLOs: B, C)

Sermon Series Plan Assignments (3)

Each student will craft a 4–6-Sermon Series Plan for 3 different special occasions. The occasions will be a revival, a holiday series, and a family series using Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. (CLOs: B, D, E)

Sermon Manuscript Assignment

Each student will write a 15-page sermon manuscript for an expositional funeral service. This manuscript will utilize the appropriate formatting to demonstrate the various elements of the sermon. (CLOs: A, B, E)

Book Critique Assignments (2)

Each student will write a 700–1000-word book critique on the selected textbooks and will conform to current Turabian style for book reviews. All citations must be in-text parenthetical citations giving only the page number or locator information. (CLO: C)