Recently, I heard about a seminary student who took a preaching course and turned in his first persuasive sermon assignment. His professor returned it with a grade of "D". Concerned and perplexed, the student asked, "Why the low grade?" "The title," said the professor. "You know how to write and deliver a good sermon. But, you title is dry and uninteresting."

The professor pressed on, "Even your sermon title should be so alluring that when people ride past the church on a bus and see your title on the marquee, they will be irresistibly compelled to come hear you." The student left and returned a day later with the revised manuscript. Proudly, he placed it on the professor's desk. In bold print the new title read, "There's a Bomb on Your Bus."

Persuading people in preaching is not always easy. It may be especially difficult for ministers because it is ad-versarial. Ministers, thank the Lord, are usually more concerned with reconciling hearts and lives than taking sides in arguments. But when ministers are called to persuade, how should they do it best?

For five years before entering ministry I practiced as a trial attorney. Over the years, I noticed that ministers are often better speakers than lawyers. But, lawyers have one key motivation for truly persuading their listeners that ministers do not -- at the end of attorneys' court room speeches they either win or lose. Based on how well attorneys argue, their clients are often immediately imprisoned or released; they gain windfall profits, or lose every thing they ever worked for; clients either revel in or suffer the consequences of their attorney's performance.

For these reasons, it is instructive for us as ministers to consider vividly, "What if someone's life, freedom, or entire life savings were at stake, based upon the form and content of my sermon? If these things were true, how would my preaching change?"

Certainly, God is the one at work in the hearts of listeners. Yet, God is also the one who implores preachers to use their best skills, talents, and scholarship in preaching, (2 Tim. 2:15). God cares about what and how preachers preach, (Isaiah 61:1-2). A client's freedom or finances may not be on the line at the end of every sermon. But, people's hearts, behavior, and spiritual lives are often immediately influenced by a persuasive sermon.

The following basic tools are taught by law schools and used by experienced trial and appellate attorneys to persuade in oral argument. These will be fundamental to most ministers. But ask yourself, "Do I exercise these each week in preaching?" Especially when preaching to convince, consider creating a brief check list of these key ingredients for persuasion. I have found them enormously transferable from the court room to the pulpit.

1. Don't bite off more than you can spit out. More is not better when it comes to persuasive preaching. There is a brute power in simplicity and brevity. A sermon about a controversial issue that effectively explains one idea in three ways is almost always more persuasive than a sermon that clouds the mind with 20 ideas. Educated listeners may hear numerous points but, they will more likely be swayed by one or two solid arguments with clearly drawn conclusions. Whether your church's sermons are traditionally 15 minutes or 45, nourish your listeners' hearts and souls with memorable, meaningful material, by serving it in satisfying, digestible helpings.