Not Returning Void: Effectively Teaching Homiletics Online

To be honest, I was skeptical … really skeptical.  My initial reaction was, “How can you teach homiletics online?”  This was my reaction when, while working on my Master of Divinity, I realized that my required preaching course would be offered online.  Other preaching courses that I would take would be offered in-seat because they were exegetical seminars.  The main course, however, would be online.  Skepticism abounded.

Now, this was not my first foray into online education.  During my Master of Divinity studies, I took several courses online (it was an early hybrid program).  Taking a textual or theology course online made sense.  Content-heavy courses seem to naturally lend themselves to the online environment.

But a practical application course like preaching?  To be fair, I had previously taken a conflict management course online, and it had been fantastic.  However, it was still primarily content-heavy.

By nature, a preaching course requires a few things, like sample sermon delivery and evaluating student sermons.  This was in the early days of Web 2.0, and YouTube was still in its infancy.  I could logically comprehend how content would be offered.  But how would sample sermons be offered?  And, most importantly, how would we be evaluated?

When I was in college and we went out to preach, we would tape record or film the sermon and then bring it to the professor’s office for evaluation.  This time, however, I was six hours from campus!  How was this going to be effective?

Objections to Teaching Preaching Online

The rest of the story was that the course was excellent.  The instructor had taken great care in planning out the course, both in nature of student work-flow and in his own work-flow.  He had really thought through the assignments, especially how to submit sermons for evaluation.

In those days, as mentioned above, uploading a sermon to the internet and submitting a link for review to an instructor, as simple as it sounds today, was light-years ahead of where (educational) technology was in 2005.  Tape cassettes were optimal, however, manuscripts with audience evaluations were also permitted.

There are probably three main objections to teaching preaching online.  The first objection deals with content.  How can we effectively teach someone about preaching online?  Well, and I say this with deep respect, it’s 2017.  Most computers have cameras built into them.  While this may mean that Big Brother is watching, it also means that I can sit in my office and record a brief lecture on sermon introductions for that week’s module.  It does not have to be studio quality (such as J. R. Miller’s excellent teaching videos); it simply needs to be you talking about preaching, sharing your passion with your students.

The second objection deals with evaluation.  How can we provide students with quality samples for them to evaluate, to help them see what good preaching looks like?  When I was in college and seminary, my professors maximized Baylor University’s “12 Most Effective Preachers” videotape collection.  Now, we have YouTube.  More on this below.  Along with that, the third objection deals with assessment.  How can students submit sermons for assessment?  And, related to that, what about the peer assessment?  Again, we have YouTube.  And, again, more on this below.

In short, if we are still raising objections to teaching preaching online, we have forgotten that technology is simply a tool and that online is simply a different venue for offering education.

Remember that Technology Is Just a Tool

Before starting on my doctorate, I enrolled in an online graduate program in conflict management.  I was sent a small flip camera as a thank-you for enrolling in the program.  I was not required to use the camera for the program.  It was simply a token of appreciation.  That was 2010.

Since then, I have used the camera to record hundreds of my own sermons (and a few of daughter’s musical performances).  The camera is nothing fancy and certainly not even small-market television quality.  However, as you can see from my Vimeo page, my personal sermons are posted each week.  I then upload that link to my church’s website and Facebook page.  My how far we have come from those mailing tape cassettes to professors!

Here’s the Point!

Teaching homiletics online is, essentially, no different than teaching it in-seat!  The only difference is the location of students.  Think about it for a moment.  In an online preaching course, we would still offer lecture material.  Only it would be a video or narrated PowerPoint.

But what about the engagement, you ask.  Well, that is where discussion boards and meeting tools come in handy.  We need to assess our students’ comprehension of reading and lecture material regarding of whether the course is taught live or online, right?  Current financial aid guidelines do mandate “meaningful weekly engagement” between students and instructors in online courses.  Discussion boards, where we respond to students, and meeting tools accomplish this requirement.

I check in regularly through the week, if only for a few minutes, and then really spend time on Friday responding to students.  Then I come back on Sunday and see how or if the conversations have progressed.  This is simply good online practice.

But What About the Sermons? 

The beauty of servers like YouTube and Vimeo is that we can find almost any kind of sermon.  It does take a little bit of effort to find sermons, however, they are there.

In my online courses, I require weekly sermon evaluation as part of the discussion board assignment.  I have generally found the Duke University Chapel page on YouTube to be especially helpful for finding high-quality sermons.  Provide the link and craft a couple of thoughtful evaluation questions, such as can the student discern the theme statement of the sermon or can the student track the preacher’s movement throughout the sermon, and you have the makings of a quality conversation.

At one seminary that I teach at, my chair challenged me to use my own sermons.  Knowing that I preach for a local congregation, he thought it would benefit the students to see my practicing my craft and allowing them to critique me.  At first, I was hesitant.  However, it has turned into a great exercise.  The students are seeing someone just like them, a preacher who must come up with something to say each week and not only on special occasions.  And, as a side note, it helps me gauge my own effectiveness as a preacher.

Regardless of the program that I teach in, there are a few requirements that I have for students.  First, sermons must be uploaded to either Vimeo (my preference) or YouTube by a certain date.  Then the sermon URL link and manuscript must be submitted for evaluation.  Since the online student misses out on the opportunity to have their sermon critiqued by their peers, I require that the sermon is presented to a live audience.  Aside from the “real world” situation of preaching before others, it also provides them with immediate feedback as to the quality and effectiveness of the sermon.

As I mentioned above, I took my first online preaching course over ten years ago.  It turned out to be a great learning experience, despite my initial concerns.  The professor intentionally planned out the course and executed it well.  His influence as an instructor continues to influence me today.  He taught me that careful planning, maximizing resources and keeping a flexible work plan for students will create a dynamic and effective learning environment.  Now, go and do likewise!

 

Photo Credit: “void*” by Micah Elizabeth Scott— CC by 2.0

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