Diversifying Your Approach – Topical Preaching

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches.
I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon (Narrative Preaching)
PART 3 – From Specific to General – Inductive Preaching
PART 4 – A Way to Train Your People – Expository Preaching

If you have read many of my posts, I doubt you will find what I’m about to say surprising.

I really enjoy preaching.

I love the act of preaching. I love helping others learn about preaching. I even discovered how much I enjoy writing about preaching. I read books on preaching. I attend conferences on preaching. I have had a blast discussing preaching on various podcasts. It is safe to say I am really into preaching.

But, do you want to know something I have learned? Not everyone is as excited about preaching as I am.

For some reason, no podcasts based around the topics of fantasy sports, traveling, day trading, or fitness have reached out to have me as a guest to discuss the topic of preaching.

Because – try to follow me here – not everyone is as interested in preaching as I am.

I know. I don’t get it either.

I tell you this because I’m confident you can understand.

Perhaps your “thing” is classic cars or duck hunting. Maybe you love to discuss anime or 18th-century Russian literature. I am confident you know what it is like to find enjoyment in a topic that others find to be uninteresting or even boring.

I am also confident you know what it feels like to listen to someone who is super passionate about a topic that you have no interest in. Your politeness will carry you so far. Your love for the person will help you endure further. However, at some point, you look for a way out of the conversation or breathe a sigh of relief when they run out of steam.

AVOIDING THE DISCONNECT

Now consider this…how many sermons have you listened to where you felt the same way? I am talking about sermons where the preacher, even if passionate and theologically accurate, was simply speaking about things you had no interest in.

Yes, there is a place to discuss the nuanced difference between the dative and vocative cases in Koine Greek and how they influence our understanding of a passage in light of Johannian theology.Yes, there is a place to discuss four different theories about the identity of the Nephilim in Genesis 6.No, the role of a preacher is not to just provide Sunday morning entertainment with a bit of Jesus thrown in for good measure.

However, as I discuss in Simple Preaching Prep, it is imperative for the preacher to ask the hard question of “Why Does This Matter?” Otherwise, you answer questions that no one is asking. This, in turn, leads to messages that, no matter how much information is contained within, feel irrelevant to the listener.

One method to avoid this disconnect is by using the approach of topical preaching.

TOPICAL PREACHING

Topical preaching is exactly what it sounds like, preaching focused on a particular topic. But I don’t just mean any topic. The motivation for preaching a topical sermon would be generated from real-life issues and pain points that your people are dealing with. The point of the message, then, is to identify what the Bible has to say about the particular subject at hand.

As with previous approaches, I feel it important to point out that done properly, topical preaching is still Biblical preaching. Some have branded topical preaching with a negative connotation because of its overuse or misuse. However, I will stand by the assertion that topical preaching has its place in the life of the church and the approach of the preacher.

HOW IT WORKS

So, how does one put together a topical sermon? While entire books have been written on that topic, here is how you can approach such a task.

Identify the “what” and the “why”.

One need only glance at the Bible to know that there is a LOT in there. Thus, you cannot expect to fully cover any given topic in 30 or even 60 minutes.

Let’s imagine for a moment you are preaching on the topic of grief. This is the “what.” However, it is important to narrow down such a broad topic and identify why you are speaking about this topic. Is your attempt to:

Help believers navigate the loss of a loved one?Discuss the grief that arises when the reality of life does not meet what we expected?Address the question of why bad things happen in our fallen world?

Once you clarify your why, that helps clarify what facet of the topic you want to focus on. That is not to say the other topics should not be addressed, but perhaps not in this message.

Start narrow, go wide.

This is a recommendation I would offer to any novice or experienced preacher. Even if you are taking a topical approach, find a singular passage to use as your starting point. Use this starting passage like the hub of a wheel. Ground your message there then, as needed, you can branch into other statements of Scripture about this same topic.

Clarify the “what now?”

Let’s return to the earlier example of a message on grief. What does a widow mourning the loss of her husband of over forty years do with this information? Should she feel guilty because she is still heartbroken a month, six months, or a year after his death?

Remember that a big reason behind your topical approach is to answer questions and deal with the real-life issues of your congregation. Make sure to help your people draw conclusions that will help them navigate the Christ-honoring life they are trying to live.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Before I leave the subject of topical preaching, I want to offer a word of warning. As stated above, I believe topical preaching can be a great tool in the toolbox for any preacher. However, a steady diet of topical preaching can lead to some unintended consequences.

You can end up chasing a certain audience response.

I once heard a well-known mega-church preacher say he had to be careful not to preach about forgiveness all the time. He began to recognize that every time he spoke about forgiveness, people would be lining up after service to tell him what a great message it was. Why? We all have someone we need to forgive.

Yet, since topical preaching often aims to address felt needs, the after-service result can potentially leave the preacher feeling as though they are having a greater impact.

This can be addicting.

To be fair, this has more to do with the attitude and internal disposition of the preacher than the approach of topical preaching itself. And, to be clear, I’m not against the pat on the shoulder and feeling that I’ve made an impact in someone’s life. I appreciate that as much as anyone.

However, if you are not careful, the motivation of a sermon can be to generate a certain audience response rather than communicating God’s Word to God’s people.

You can fail to teach your people how to read Scripture.

I’ve already said multiple times that topical preaching is still Biblical preaching. Yet if the week-in-week-out experience your people have is topical in nature, where are they being taught how to read the Bible for themselves? How are they growing in their understanding of the teachings of Jesus or the story of the early church in Acts?

Yes, if they have a certain question topical preaching can help them have perspective about how to deduce the answer. However, they may be lacking in the understanding of how to interact with God’s Word on a day-to-day basis.

CONCLUSION

Topical preaching can serve as a great approach for helping connect with the needs of your congregation. However, I would encourage any preacher to think of this like you might think of fast food. Yes, it can provide some sustenance. Yes, it can be a nice change of pace, a convenient approach, or really be appropriate for a particular instance. However, a steady diet of it is not the best for anyone.