“I’m preached out. I feel like I’ve already spoken on every spiritual topic imaginable!”
“I have nothing more to say. I’ve told these people everything I know about following Christ, plus a few things I don’t know that much about.”
“I’m just plain tired. My mind isn’t operating the way it normally does. Getting another sermon is like trying to pump water from a well that’s gone dry!”
Sooner or later most ministers hit a wall in terms of their sermon preparation. Their creativity vanishes and their message-making skills wear out. Have you ever been there?
When you have a mental block about what to preach next, ask yourself a different question. Instead of sitting in your study alone mulling over “What old notes should I rework?” get on the phone and ask several of your people, “What topic would you like to hear a sermon on?”
Even a couple of such conversations should start your mind exploring all kinds of new possibilities. You will probably also discover that your people have interests quite diverse from your own.
You could ask the same question by a select e-mail. That might give your people a chance to think a bit longer before answering, but it would also eliminate the natural back-and-forth of a phone conversation.
Actually, what I’m suggesting is not a bad idea even if you have your preaching planned out months in advance.
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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help, whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon. 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.
