Even above informational or inspirational, I like the adjective transformational when talking about bible sermons. For me, the bottom line regarding preaching is changed lives. Our sermonic goal is to enable people to be more Christ-like.
Message-making certainly involves conveying information that is factual, interesting and vital. And if that isn’t done in an inspirational manner, it probably won’t engage the hearers. Unfortunately, however, I have listened to any number of informational and inspirational Sunday sermons that were missing the transformational factor.
Here is a second question that needs to be answered early on in the sermon-preparation process. The first question is “What is my subject?” Question two is “What is my desired response?” Re-said, what is it I want my listeners to do? Or, what life change is the Holy.
I would guesstimate that with 90% of the church sermons I have heard, no clear response was stated. In fact, my belief is that even the person preaching couldn’t have answered that question. When putting the sermon outline together, he or she probably never thought about it.
Will such a sermon be transformational? The answer should be obvious!
