Ten Essential Sermon Tips For Pastors
Ten Essential Sermon Tips For Pastors
…craft engaging and impactful sermons
Pastors: Discover My Ten Essential Sermon Tips to Elevate Your Preaching Game. Learn how to craft engaging and impactful sermons.
Crafting a sermon that captivates and resonates with your congregation is no small task. Every week, pastors are challenged to combine their biblical knowledge with relatable insights, all while infusing humor and personality in hopes of engaging their audience. If you're a pastor, this can be overwhelming. I know. I’ve been there hundreds of times!
Avoiding the Inevitable
As a result of this weekly mountain to climb, many pastors put off their sermon prep. It’s too daunting. There are so many other things that can occupy their time. Good things. But those “good things” often cause a pastor to cram on Saturday, pulling together their best shot or desperately searching the internet for an online sermon to borrow from.
But it doesn’t have to be that hard. To help you out – I've compiled a ten point cheat sheet to help you not only impact your members but cause them to invite someone to join them at church next week.
Your Sermon Prep Cheat Sheet - Ten Essential Tips
1. Grab Attention Immediately
Engage the Audience: You want to start your sermon with a captivating hook. Don’t waste your time by talking about the weather or offering lame jokes. Engage your audience from the start with a compelling question, a thought-provoking statement, an intriguing story, or a resonating quote. Craft your opening to link to the Bible text that you'll get to in a few minutes.
2. Address the Problem
Uncover the Heartache: Dedicate five to ten minutes to discuss the issue at hand, painting a vivid picture of the problem or topic’s significance. Highlight its relevance to your audience and focus on building tension, prompting them to want a solution. This tension will cause them to stay engaged and not drift off.
3. Transition to the Bible
Make the Shift: Once you’ve established the problem or topic, transition to the biblical text by emphasizing its direct relevance to the issue discussed. Use phrases like "Jesus addressed this very topic" or "Let's explore what the Bible says about this." You want to show people that the Bible is relevant to their daily concerns.
4. Focus on a Single Text
Aim for Memorability: Whenever possible, center your sermon around one core text or story. This approach makes it more likely that they'll carry its message with them and recall it in a time of need.
5. Break Down the Text Gradually
Slow Roll It: Instead of reading lengthy portions of text, share just enough to make your point. Simplify your language and avoid overwhelming your audience, especially those new to scripture. Do a thorough job of explaining what’s going on in the text. By introducing context, you help bridge the gap between the Bible and their lives.
6. USE Analogies and Personal Stories
Connect the Dots: Simplify complex concepts by offering relatable analogies or personal experiences. Recognize that not everyone has deep biblical knowledge, so be sure to point out connections between scripture and their daily lives.
7. Integrate Practical Application
Unlock the Wisdom: Don't just discuss problems; provide actionable solutions. Relate practical applications throughout your sermon, demonstrating how biblical teachings translate into tangible actions that can change lives.
8. Reinforce the Main Point
Seal the Deal: Develop a memorable phrase or sentence that reinforces your main message. This anchor will stick with your audience, reminding them of your sermon's central theme. It will remind you of it as well! Andy Stanley talks about this in his book, Communicating For A Change.
9. End Positively
Make Sure It’s Good News: Bring the sermon to a close on a positive note. You can do this! Imagine if we all did this! You don’t want people leaving church feeling beat up or weighed down. The “gospel” means “good news.” So make sure people hear GOOD news on Sunday.
10. Land the Plane
Aim for Impact: Avoid unnecessary repetition at the end of your sermon. Once you've landed your main points and message, wrap it up. Circling back and reiterating points only dilutes the power of your words and risks losing your audience's engagement.
Take The Next Step
If you’d like to see greater impact from your sermons, you might want to consider getting coached. I took that step, years ago, and it was a game changer. I asked a well known pastor to listen to my sermons and critique them for me.
Honestly, it was painful. I thought I was much better than he said I was! But he led one of the fastest growing churches in the USA and so I swallowed my pride and listened. I implemented his recommendations, many of them are on the list above, and it made a huge difference.
If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:31
That was 25 years ago. Since then, I started a church that grew from 20- to 600. I wish I could say it was all because of my preaching. But I know some of it was. People regularly told me that the sermon was “meant for them” and invited their friends. I’d love that to happen in your church. (Of course, I realize that God is the one who brings the increase. But there are natural factors that he uses to draw people.)
No Rock Stars Needed
Don't worry. You don't have to be a super charged motivational speaker, a comedian, or a rock star to preach sermons that make an impact. Making a few adjustments in your sermon prep can be all that it takes to start making the impact you've always wanted to have.
Sermon Coaching For You
Remember, improvement takes time and openness to growth. Even the most successful pastors continue refining their techniques. If you're ready to take your preaching to the next level, explore my coaching services by clicking the link below. You can book a free session to meet me and talk about how I might help you start preaching sermons that connect and cause people to come back… and bring a friend.
