Before You Preach This Sunday
Answer these questions:
- What question is this sermon answering? (Write it in one sentence.)
- Why does my congregation need this answer right now? (If you can’t answer this, postpone the sermon.)
- What’s the one thing I want them to remember on Monday morning? (Everything else is support for this.)
- What can I cut? (Be ruthless. If it doesn’t directly serve the main idea, it’s gone.)
- Have I preached this to myself first? (If it doesn’t convict you, it won’t convict them.)
If you can’t answer these questions clearly and quickly, you’re not ready to preach. Go back and do the hard work.
Your congregation will thank you for it—even if they’re only seven years old.
This article on boring preaching originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
