Planning Your Preaching: PART 1 – Why it is Important

What are you preaching on this week? How about next month? What about three months from now?

These types of questions may seem unnecessary to some and even sacrilegious to others, but if you are someone that preaches/teaches regularly, planning ahead can immensely boost your preaching productivity. Allow me to illustrate…

Growing up, I remember times when my parents would decide to just “go for a drive.” As a child, I dreaded hearing that phrase. I knew that “going for a drive” meant I – not yet old enough to be left home by myself – would be held captive in the back seat of the car as they motored on discussing the passing scenery. There would be no particular destination in mind. There was also rarely an established duration of how long we may be gone. We had one objective in mind: go. Everything else would be improvised along the way. To them, this was a great way to spend an otherwise unscheduled afternoon. To me, it was a cruel and unusual exercise that made me wonder if somehow my parents were violating some tenet of the Geneva Convention.

As an “adult” (quotes intended), I understand the appeal of hopping in my truck with nowhere to be and no set destination. Yet while this practice can be a valuable exercise in clearing the mind, I find too many preachers operate in a similar way when it comes to their preaching.

Governed by the primacy of the urgent, too many operate week to week with little forethought or coherent connection. Some even take pride in their lack of preparation wearing as a badge of honor that everyone will find out on Sunday (often themselves included) what the sermon is about. Yet I have found that taking time to plan my preaching provides a variety of benefits:

You offer the Holy Spirit time to work in you, the preacher

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves consideration, “The Holy Spirit can work as much in the preparation as He does the presentation.” Some claim that planning or preparing ultimately lessens the spiritual impact of their preaching stating that the reliance falls to the preparation rather than the Spirit. However, this would indicate that the Holy Spirit was only able to be active in that window of time where you, the preacher, are on stage and communicating. The truth is, the Holy Spirit can be active at any point.

Furthermore, if you have preached more than a handful of sermons, it is likely you have run directly into a message that has impacted your heart and soul as much as anyone else who will hear it. This time allows you to speak more openly and honestly about how you are personally dealing with the issue at hand.

You offer time for your mind to work

In case you haven’t noticed, our brains are MARVELOUS creations. Right now your brain is interpreting the words on the page along with what you are hearing, feeling, smelling, and touching. Also, all this is happening while your brain tells your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe in and your stomach to continue digesting the burrito you had earlier. Our brains truly are incredible!

One element of how our brains work includes our subconscious – i.e. that part of your brain that is not fully aware of your actions and feelings. When you have a plan on where your preaching will go your subconscious will continue working on the topics ahead even without you actively focusing on it!

Imagine you have the next month of sermons planned out. That is not to say you have the messages fully written, but instead, you just know that the next four weeks look like this:

TopicTextMain IdeaParable of the SowerMatthew 13:1-8Not everyone will accept the message. Our job is to be spreading seeds.Parable of the WeedsMatthew 13:24-30Jesus will sort out the genuine from the imposters. Judgment.Parable of the Mustard SeedMatthew 13:31-32Kingdom can start small but will blossom greater than you can imagineParable of the Treasure/PearlMatthew 13:44-46This is what the Kingdom is worth.

 

Note that I just have a few parables, some texts, and a sentence or two about where I think this will be going. It is not a lot, but even this alone provides my subconscious with valuable time to work. Chances are good you would come across some observation during planting season about the sower or see some article about someone who found a valuable painting while cleaning out their attic. Trust me when I say the potential illustrations and application come much more easily when your mind can work on it in the background.

You alleviate some stress on your Monday (or Tuesday) morning

When I was in college I took on a weekend preaching ministry at a small church in West Virginia. I’m not exaggerating when I say the church was 100 miles from my apartment. My supportive wife would drive with me four hours round-trip to hear me preach for 20-25 minutes. During this time I still was NOT good at planning ahead, and often as I looked to the next Sunday I experienced some dread thinking, “What in the world am I going to preach on this week?”

I don’t know if you do the majority of your sermon prep on Monday, Tuesday, or when. However, I can state from experience how much easier it is to have decided in advance a topic or text that will be preached in the coming week.

You probably have objections…

I recognize you likely have some excuses reasons you would offer if you are someone who does not already plan out your sermons. However, I would encourage you to set aside the objections and give this practice a shot. You do not need to have a year planned out in advance, though it may be helpful. You do not need to have all the catchy branding elements and finite details for the messages and series ironed out. Yet I want to challenge you. Take an hour or two. Clear your schedule and do the work of thinking and praying through what may be best for your congregation. Then see how it can benefit your preparation and your preaching.