The title suggests that there is such a thing as a perfect sermon. I believe that perfection is like beauty, that is, in the eyes of the beholder. You may think that a sermon was perfect but half your congregation were falling asleep. On the other hand you might consider that the sermon you gave was not that good and yet members of your congregation came up and thanked you. So perfection is what we obviously strive for. We will be looking at how you can write a sermon that inspires your congregation. I will outline 3 steps when planning your sermon that will keep your congregation interested.
Know your audience
This seems such a simple consideration but you will be surprised by the number of people who forget that. Who are your congregation? Where are they from? What do they have in common? Do you know of anything that divides them? The sermon you deliver to a congregation in a small town church will be different to that of an inner city church. The pressures are different, it is still the Word of God but your audience will differ. Know your audience.
Find that passage from the Bible
Obvious that most sermons use the Bible as the guide? But it should again relate back to your audience. Does it show direction, solve a problem, stimulates thoughts, gives support and guidance. With the personal touch you are part of the congregation sharing their joys being there in times of sadness and hardship. I have heard said that humor can be very useful in a sermon. I’m not saying not to use humor; however caution is advised when it comes to using funny stories. Remember what might be sweet for someone could be sour for someone else. Humor is always a matter of opinion so be careful with it. You don’t want to upset your parishioners. It may be something that happened to you that you find funny, great, but treat humor with respect and don’t overplay it.
Keep it short
This cannot be stressed enough. 15 minutes is long enough. If you an evangelist then you may have to speak for 2 hours and your skill level in public speaking will need to be developed. This is just a sermon at a local church with members of the community coming together to Praise God. A wise minister once said that if you can’t get your point across in 10 minutes then the point, whatever it is, is lost.
There will be other tips to writing the perfect sermon but for now remember these points.
• Know your audience
• Use a passage from the Bible that will stimulate emotion.
• Keep it short
Sermon World
