5 Questions on Preaching with Spencer Plumlee

Dr. Spencer Plumlee is Senior Pastor of Riverview Baptist Church in Osage Beach, MO where he has served since March 2013. He holds a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Spencer met his wife, Shelley, while in seminary. They now live Missouri with their three children.

Q1: How long does it typically take you to prepare a sermon?

A. 10-12 Hours.

Q2: What do you ultimately want a sermon to accomplish?

A. Explain, Illustrate and Apply the main point of the passage to people’s lives.

Q3: What are one or two big mistakes people often make in preaching?

A. No Application.  Some preachers assume that people can figure out on their own how to apply the text.  They cannot.  They need help.

Q4: How do you handle the gospel invitation and preach toward it?

A. I invite non-Christians to respond to the gospel every message, but it varies at what point in the sermon I do so.  Some passages lend them to this call to respond coming at the beginning while others function better with the response at the end.

Q5: What advice would you give to preachers doing pulpit supply?

• Find out how long the preacher you are filling for normal preaches and try to follow suit.
• Listen to a few message from the senior pastor you are filling in for to get an understanding of his style.
• Focus on reinforcing basics of the Gospel rather than tackling difficult issues that could be divisive.