Holly, a 7-year-old in a church I pastored, turned to her mother in the middle of my sermon and said, “Mother, why does Doctor Joe think we need this information?”
Every preacher should have such a child listening to every sermon and giving such feedback.
Here’s what boring preaching does—without exception: it answers questions which no one is asking.
Whether your sermon is actually irrelevant or just seems irrelevant to your congregation is another matter. But if they’re checking their phones, stifling yawns, or avoiding eye contact with you after the service, the message is clear: you’re solving problems they don’t have.
The Airline Safety Principle
On an airline flight, passengers ignore the flight attendant as she explains how to use the seat cushion as a flotation device. They’ve heard it a hundred times. They’re scrolling Instagram.
But if, at 30,000 feet, the pilot announces the loss of an engine and that same attendant begins giving instructions, she will have the clear and undivided attention of every person on that plane.
What changed? Not the information. The urgency.
Your job as a pastor isn’t just to deliver truth. It’s to make your audience see that this truth matters right now—that their lives depend on it, that they’re bleeding out and don’t know it, that the building is on fire and they’re casually browsing the gift shop.
What Question Are You Answering?
Ask yourself that, pastor. Ask it repeatedly throughout your preparation. Ask it during your rehearsal preaching. Write it at the top of your sermon notes.
If you cannot answer this question in one sentence, you have a problem.
In Scripture, Jesus’ best preaching often came in response to questions:
- “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) — Result: the unforgettable story of the Good Samaritan
- “Why do you receive sinners and eat with them?” (Luke 15:1ff) — Result: the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son
- “Why do your disciples not fast?” (Matthew 9:14) — Result: new patches on old garments, new wine in old wineskins
Jesus didn’t deliver information dumps. He answered the questions His audience was actually wrestling with—sometimes the questions they didn’t even know they had.
