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What happens when a preacher stops trying to control the sermon and starts trusting the structure the Spirit is building?

In this episode, Jonathan McClintock sits down with Pastor Joel Urshan who has spent decades navigating that exact question — a preacher who carries minimal notes to the pulpit, believes deeply in structure, and has spent years learning the difference between what is from him and what is from God.

The conversation covers far more ground than preaching mechanics. It moves into the theology of how a sermon gets built, what prayer actually looks like in the preparation process, and how the Holy Ghost shapes not just the content of a message but the order of it.

What this conversation covers:

Preaching without a manuscript — how a minimal-notes approach developed, what the family preaching heritage behind it looks like, why structure is still paramount even without notes, and why this approach isn't for everyone.

A two-to-three year season where the Spirit would not allow the notes to be written ahead of time — and what that unusual season taught about trust, structure, and the difference between a preacher's preparation and God's preparation.

The discipline of winnowing — one of the most honest moments in the conversation: the ongoing work of separating what is me from what is God in the sermon, and why that discernment is part of the preacher's calling.

Sunday versus conference preaching — how the weight and dynamics of the audience shape preparation differently, and why preaching to pastors and church leaders carries a distinct sense of responsibility.

A live walk-through of a Melchizedek sermon — one of the most practical and compelling portions of the episode. Using Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7, the guest walks through exactly how structure is created, how doctrine is woven in without losing the thread, and how the message lands on a single conclusion that most people have never articulated but recognize the moment they hear it:

You cannot have peace until you have righteousness. And you can only have righteousness in the name of Jesus Christ.

That sentence can be said in ten seconds. The structure of the sermon is what prepares the heart to receive it.