Review of Preacher's Sourcebook

O. S. Hawkins, the editor of the Preacher’s Sourcebook, has done a fair job of putting together a library of sermons and teaching lessons that young or inexperienced pastors can use to get by. I enjoyed using the resource to prepare a recent sermon on Psalm 100, though I felt guilty doing so.

Speaking on a purely pragmatic sense, the book did it’s job. I tested it on a Sunday where I had been given little time to prepare as a hospital chapel I volunteer for needed someone in a pinch. Knowing I wanted to write a review on this book, I took the bait. After searching for only an hour or so, I found the sermon I wanted to use as a test. I figured that a review wouldn’t be as fruitful to my readers if I hadn’t fully tested out the book.

The “test” went fine. I tweaked a sermon from the book to fit my context and it was certainly passable. I wish I had the recording, but something tells me I wouldn’t really be able to use it, as the book holds the copyright to my sermon, not me since I didn’t write it. That is something to keep in mind if you ever use the sourcebook as your base material. I do think that the material for weddings and such would be particularly useful, as they aren't things a pastor does every day.

Overall, I say it sufficed to complete the job, but I wouldn’t use it more than I have to. I would feel guilty for using it too much. Having said that, I expect I’ll be taking it on the ship with me in the future for use if a chaplain isn’t available. It does, after all, have a lot of good resources.