Practice Lab

This is a safe environment to practice proclamation. No grading. No shaming. No solo building. Practice is short, supported, and always oriented toward growth.

🫶 Review Feedback Method

🧰 How to Prepare

Preparation is light but intentional. You are not expected to bring a finished sermon.

Bring these 5 things

  • Text unit (single passage)
  • One-sentence Big Idea
  • 2–4 movements (outline)
  • Where Jesus is clearest
  • One response invitation

What you don't need

  • No slides
  • No polish
  • No long illustrations
  • No performance energy
  • No pressure to be "good"
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🎯 Minimum Viable Sermon (8–10 minutes)

This keeps practice focused and repeatable.

1–2 min

Text + context + Big Idea

4–6 min

Walk through movements clearly

2 min

Jesus + response + closing prayer

Key Principle: If you go long, cut content—not clarity.
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👥 Practice Formats

Acts shows us that proclamation can be solo or shared. All three formats are valid:

Solo

Best for: First-time speakers or testing clarity on a specific passage.

One person delivers the entire message using the sermon spine.

Duo

Best for: Shared proclamation (Barnabas & Paul model).

Two speakers divide the message—one handles text/context, the other Jesus/response.

Trio

Best for: Complex passages or training multiple speakers.

Three voices split: Text → Jesus → Response. Each speaker has a clear role.

Remember: Shared speaking requires coordination. Meet beforehand to agree on transitions and handoffs.
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🤝 Ask the Team for Help

Use this before practice. Copy and paste into email, text, or WhatsApp.

PASSAGE: BIG IDEA: MOVEMENTS (2–4): WHERE I'M STUCK: WHAT I'M ASKING THE TEAM:

Why this matters: Asking for help before practice makes the practice itself better. The team can help you clarify your Big Idea, sharpen your movements, and identify where Jesus shines brightest.

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✅ Readiness Checklist

Before stepping into practice, confirm these basics are in place:

Core Truth: Faithfulness beats polish every time.
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🔄 The Complete Practice Cycle

Practice happens in three phases, each with a specific purpose:

🔹 Before Practice

  • Speaker shares outline
  • Team offers forming feedback
  • Speaker revises with help, not alone

🔹 During Practice

  • Speaker delivers (8–10 min)
  • Team listens for clarity
  • Team listens for Jesus-centeredness
  • Team listens for edification

🔹 After Practice

  • Team offers affirmation
  • Team asks one clarity question
  • Team offers one growth invitation
  • Team prays for the speaker
Key Principle: Practice is never isolated. Individuals may speak, but the team prepares, supports, and refines together. This is the Acts pattern—shared proclamation, communal discernment.
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🎉 After Practice: What Happens Next

Practice isn't the end—it's the beginning of formation. After delivering your message:

Team Affirms

They name what worked: clear Big Idea, strong Jesus moment, compelling response, etc.

Team Clarifies

They ask one question to help sharpen your thinking.

Team Forms

They offer one specific growth invitation for next time.

Then the team prays for you—asking the Spirit to continue forming you as a faithful proclaimer of Jesus.

"Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom." — Colossians 3:16
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🛡️ Cultural Guardrails

These boundaries protect the formation environment and keep it safe for growth:

What We Commit To

  • No one practices alone — team support is always present
  • Feedback begins with affirmation — we name what's working first
  • Growth is expected; perfection is not — we're all learning together
  • Humility, teachability, and love — marks of maturity

What We Refuse

  • No shaming, ranking, or comparison — this is formation, not competition
  • No "God told me" to shut down discernment — all speech is tested together
  • No solo-performer model — we reject individualistic approaches
  • No attention on the speaker — Jesus must remain central
Acts Reminder: Paul and Barnabas refused glory when people tried to worship them (Acts 14). We follow this pattern—always redirecting attention from ourselves to Christ.
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🎯 You're Ready!

You now have everything you need to participate in the formation pathway:

You Know:

  • The team charter and purpose
  • The 8-session curriculum
  • The sermon spine framework
  • The feedback culture
  • How to prepare and practice

Next Steps:

  • Join a formation cohort
  • Commit to the 8 sessions
  • Prepare with the team
  • Practice faithfully
  • Grow in Jesus-centered proclamation
Remember the goal: This isn't about creating performers—it's about forming Spirit-attentive, Scripture-shaped, communal witnesses. The pattern we see in Acts.