For a number of years I have made it a point to ask friends during the week whether they attended church the past Sunday. Because they know I’m a minister, most of them have come to anticipate my inquiry. My follow-up question is, “And what was the subject of your minister’s church sermon?”
Would you believe that the majority of people can’t remember? This embarrasses them because they probably listened politely as the message was given. But the truth is, since they left the church they probably haven’t even once thought about what they heard.
If I’m honest, I have to admit that this is often the case with me. Once I leave the sanctuary, seldom do I find myself thinking about what I just heard preached. There are such times, yes, but those are the wonderful exceptions rather than the rule. The fact that occasionally a given sermon series, topical sermons or Christmas sermon will really grab me, however, makes me think that the problem relates more to the pulpit than it does the pew.
What makes for Sunday sermons that really stick with listeners? Over the years I’ve analyzed this matter time and again. To begin with, the good ones have a clear and compelling subject. I want to listen because I not only understand what is being talked about; I’m interested in the topic.
On a scale of one to ten, I would say that not only are very few sermon subjects I hear “tens”, most people can’t tell what the actual subject was of the sermon they just heard. This was never made clear to them by the speaker.
I’m convinced that the main reason for this is because the person preaching never took the time to figure out what his or her precise subject was!
