5. The Rabbit Trail Wanderer Spontaneity can be spiritual, but constant tangents are distracting. While an intrusive thought might seem interesting to you, if it doesn’t serve the main text, it is clutter. A confused mind does not take action; it just checks out.
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The Fix: Be ruthless in your editing. Ask yourself, “Does this story/fact/joke directly support the main idea?” If not, cut it.
6. The Information Overload Trying to say everything creates a situation where nothing gets heard. A sermon is not a commentary dump. When you try to pack every historical detail, Greek root, and cross-reference into 30 minutes, the congregation leaves feeling full but malnourished.
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The Fix: Stick to one “Big Idea.” Let every illustration and point drive that single nail deeper, rather than trying to build the whole house in one sitting.
RELATED: 5 Ways to Ruin a Sermon
The Relevance Gap
Finally, we lose people when we fail to answer the silent question hanging in the air: “So what?”
7. The Hero of Your Own Stories If every personal illustration features you as the winner, the spiritual giant, or the one who had the right answer, you create distance. People relate to struggles, not perfection. Vulnerability builds a bridge; perfectionism builds a wall.
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The Fix: Share your failures more than your victories. Let Jesus be the hero of the story, not you.
8. All History, No Application It is possible to preach a biblically accurate sermon that is entirely unhelpful. Explaining what happened to the Jebusites is important, but if you don’t connect it to what is happening in the lives of your people on Monday morning, you have missed the mark.
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The Fix: Dedicate the final 30% of your sermon specifically to application. Give people a concrete “do” or “be” for the coming week.
9. Ignoring the Clock Going significantly overtime is a breach of trust. It signals that you do not value your people’s time or the children’s ministry workers who are waiting. It suggests that your lack of preparation is more important than their schedule.
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The Fix: If you are allotted 30 minutes, preach for 28. Leave them wanting more, not looking at the exit.
10. Neglecting the Gospel Turn Perhaps the most dangerous habit is preaching moralism without empowerment. Telling people to “do better” without pointing them to the finished work of Christ leads to despair.
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The Fix: Ensure every sermon, regardless of the text, eventually finds its way to the Cross.
Improving Your Pulpit Presence
Refining our delivery isn’t about performance; it is about stewardship. We want to remove any obstacle that hinders the reception of God’s Word. By addressing these common sermon habits, we honor the text and the people entrusted to our care.
This week, choose just one of the habits listed above to focus on. Ask a trusted elder or spouse to give you specific feedback on that single area after the service. Small adjustments can lead to a massive increase in engagement.
