The 5 Styles of Preachers—Which Are You?

If you wanted to write the great American novel, you’d probably read a lot of Hemmingway or Twain. If you wanted to be a great painter, you’d study the masterpieces of Rembrandt or Picasso.

And if you want to be a great preacher, it’s no different: you’ll study the masters.

As I continue to grow in my preaching ability, I have made a habit of listening to a wide variety of preachers. And I’ve noticed something. Although every preacher is different, each one tends to fit into one of five “preaching styles.”

We are all called to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). The message should never change. But we all communicate the unchanging truth of Scripture through the filter of our personality.

Preaching, as Philips Brookes famously said, is “truth mediated through personality.” This is why five preachers could all preach the same truth from the same text, and each sermon is different. The message is the same, but the personality is not.

God’s Word always takes priority over your style. But understanding your preaching style will help you see how your God-given personality influences the way you communicate His Word. And when you know your style, you can leverage your strengths, and avoid potential pitfalls.

1. The Motivator

“God has a better plan for your life!” 

The motivator is the preacher whose primary goal is to push their audience’s faith into action. They move from one point to another on stage with excitement, arms pumping, hands waving, reenacting every moment of a story. They love illustrations that tug on your heart and spur you to action.

After listening to the motivator, you are ready to charge the gates of Hell with a water pistol.

The common theme of the motivator is life change through Christ.

God has a better plan for your life. So keep going. Keep growing. Stop sinning. Don’t give up. Have faith. God will use you to change the world! The motivator points believers to the hope of the gospel, focusing on how God is at work within them to transform them into the image of His son.

The motivator has the innate ability to inspire their audience to action. They sincerely aim to follow James 1:22 in being “doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

The danger of the motivator is that they can easily fall into preaching a works-based righteousness. If so, people will begin to think that their standing before God is based more on what they do for God, not what God has already done for them.

If you are a motivator, use your contagious enthusiasm to inspire others. But make sure that you are leaning on the power of the gospel to motivate instead of an emotional frenzy to manipulate.

2. The Scholar

“Think about this with me.” 

The scholar is a bookworm at heart. They love reading the classics and searching the wisdom of the intellectual giants of Christendom so that they might share their discoveries with the world.

They place a high emphasis on the amount of study they do to prepare a message. If not for other obligations, they could get lost in studying Scripture for days. Logos is their best friend.

The common theme of the scholar is the reason for faith in Christ.

Scholars present an intellectual approach to faith. Their sermons are well thought, organized, and logical. Skeptics of Christianity will find their messages intriguing, as their doubts and objections are acknowledged and answered.

The weakness of the scholar is the flip-side of their strength. If they are not careful, their message can become so intellectual that they leave the average person behind.

Scholars, use your intellect and thirst for knowledge to give others a taste of the depth of God’s Word, so we hunger for more. But don’t dive so deep into the details that you distract your audience in the facts and lose focus on the main point. You do not have to share everything you learn. Stay focused on what matters most.

3. The Evangelist

“Jesus is knocking at the door to your heart.”

The room is packed. The fiery preacher gives an impassioned gospel plea. The band comes out and plays a powerful song, and people are called to make a decision. “Come to the altar and give your life to Jesus!”

The evangelist ends every sermon with an altar call. Nothing excites them more than seeing people come to faith in Christ. Every sermon is a gospel presentation.

They are not afraid to talk about sin or hell. After all, their sermon may be the last warning someone listening ever gets. A staple of the evangelist is stories of life transformation. They love sharing the testimonies of people whose lives have been radically changed by Christ.

The common theme of the evangelist is winning people for Christ.

Their passion and dedication to evangelism often leads to people coming to faith in Jesus. And their churches often grow as more and more people are added to their number. However, all of this can come at a high cost.

The evangelist’s passion for evangelism may distract them from discipling new believers. If left unchecked, their churches can fill with baby Christians who are never discipled to grow in spiritual maturity. They must be careful to emphasize spiritual growth as much as conversion.

So if you are an evangelist preacher, use your evangelistic enthusiasm to reach as many as you can with the gospel. And build a team around you that works to ensure you’re fulfilling the Great Commission in making disciples, not just converts.

4. The Hipster

“I saw this Tweet the other day.”

The hipster is always up to date on current events and cultural trends. They love movies, music, social media, and the latest technology. They may even fit the stereotype of the pastor with a meticulously groomed beard who wears skinny jeans, and lumberjack shirts.

Their sermon series often play on a hit movie title or the hottest new app. But don’t let their trendy clothes or sermon titles fool you. They take incarnational ministry seriously.

Like Jesus, who left Heaven and became God in flesh, they want to live among the people. And like Jesus, who used agricultural illustrations to communicate His message to an agricultural society, they use the technology and trends of the modern world to point people to Christ.

They are motivated by a deep desire to reach a culture that finds Christianity irrelevant. Knowing and engaging in the culture of the city where they live is all part of their ministry and sermon preparation.

The common theme of the hipster is the relevance of Christ.

The hipster is gifted in applying God’s Word in a remarkably relevant message. Many people from an unchurched background or who have walked away from a traditional church will find their approach refreshing.

But, to their peril, the hipster can fall into the trap of focusing too much on being culturally relevant. This happens when their message comes more from culture than the Bible.

If you are a hipster preacher, always start your sermon preparation with God’s Word. Then, use your strength of taking timeless biblical truths and apply them to modern culture. If you focus on culture first, you will be tempted to twist the Bible to say what you want it to say, not what it actually says.

5. The Counselor

“We are all broken. There are no perfect people here.”

The counselor has a heart for broken people. Their sermons will touch on some of the deepest troubles of the human condition, such as depression, anxiety, addiction, suffering, and divorce.

They also love to preach preventative topical sermons, like how to find your purpose, strengthening your marriage, or raising spiritually healthy kids. Listening to the counselor preach makes you want to sigh in relief that you are not alone in your struggles.

The common theme of the counselor is the healing found in Christ.

The counselor sees the church as a hospital for the sick. Sin is the disease, and the cure is Christ. No matter what you have done or what has been done to you, there is forgiveness and healing at the cross.

The strength of the counselor is their heart for the broken. Many people are hurting and need the message of love, hope, and healing that the counselor offers.

But the weakness of the counselor is that they can focus too much on God’s grace for sinners, and neglect His commands for righteous living. They can drift into teaching antinomianism—becoming too soft on sin and failing to communicate that Christ calls us and empowers us to a better way of life.

Counselors need to ensure that they balance talk of pain and suffering with hope. Address the issue, but don’t dwell on the problem. Spend the majority of your sermon talking about the solution found in Christ and the higher standard of righteousness that he calls us to. Also, when appropriate, try to keep a healthy sense of humor about our issues.

What style preacher are you?

Maybe one of these perfectly describes your style. Maybe you are a mixture of a few.

If you don’t know which you are, just ask. Your congregation or your spouse will know right away.

They key is to know your style so you can leverage your strengths and—most importantly—avoid your pitfalls.

In short:

• Motivators – Never preach works without grace.
• Philosophers – Don’t get so lost in the details that we cannot follow.
• Evangelists – Make more than converts. Make disciples.
• Hipsters – Don’t distort Scripture for the sake of cultural relevance.
• Counselors – Identify the problem but focus on the solution.

We have seen far too many gifted preachers fall into these traps. Don’t allow your preaching style to derail the reason you preach—the edification of believers and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.