Last week I quoted thoughts about the opening words of your sermon from Dr. Lori Carrell’s new book. This week I have included a short section from what she wrote about your concluding words. I have yet to receive my early copy of Preaching That Matters, so I still can’t tell you how to order your own book.
Your last words, or conclusion, need just as much preaching preparation effort as the introduction. As we near the end of our mutual meaning making through a sermon communication experience, the shape should bring us to the spiritually transformative response goal. As we approach this destination, the language needs to be compelling, so listeners both feel and understand the spiritual direction you are providing. Unfortunately, pastors often wait until the last few minutes to engage in their very best preaching.
Perhaps as time gets short, preachers experience pressure that produces urgency, and their word choices become more compelling. Sometimes, I wonder, “Where has this preacher been during the rest of the sermon?”
In one case, after 35 minutes of explanation with little connection to listeners, a preacher provided the subject and response in such a compelling and thought-provoking way that I was jostled into attentiveness. In our follow-up conversation, this well-educated pastor explained, “I had so much passion for this passage. I didn’t want to get emotional, so I saved what I really wanted to say until the end.”
Other common concluding mistakes are:
- Continuing to preach during the closing prayer, with language that addresses listeners rather than God
- Announcing that you will be concluding soon, diminishing listener energy
- Briefly mentioning a possible application of the informative content
- Coming to a sudden, screeching halt, having realized that you are overtime and simply must stop
- Re-preaching the sermon, and calling it a review
- Prolonging the sermon, repeating already preached material while you figure out a way to finish because you did not plan or craft closing words during preparation
- Reviewing by repeating things you have already said quite clearly, word-for-word
- Adding new content or alluding to material you wished you could have included
- Using a delivery that does not sound like you are done (so you have to pray, admit “I’m done,” or cue the choir to indicate the sermon communication is complete)
- Omitting a connection to the focusing or framing words in the introduction, or to the subject or response goal
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
