To assist our congregation at Circle Church in further grasping the thrust of each sermon, whoever preached tried to have an assignment printed in the bulletin on the preceding Sunday. It might have been a selected Scripture to read at home, or a mental exercise, such as thinking through the difference between happiness and joy. It might have involved discussing with a friend certain attitudes toward revenge. Here’s one example of a typical bulletin assignment:
Next Sunday Pastor Mains will preach from 1 Peter 5:8, 9 on what to do in the teeth of temptation. What temptation most repeatedly troubles you? As you face it this coming week, analyze and list the efforts you make to overcome it.
Often during the week, someone would call the church office asking what the assignment was, as they were unable to attend on Sunday. In all, I would estimate that about one-fourth of the people actually did what was requested—not as many as we would have liked, but 25 percent more than would usually be prepared if no assignment had been given.
I have already described in previous blog posts the process by which the whole staff at Circle Church helped to prepare the sermon. As far as the service was concerned, two jobs remained prior to the Tuesday staff meeting: to pick a fitting bulletin cover from the undated supply on hand, and to decide what attribute or characteristic of God best matches the purpose and emphasis of the sermon.
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No matter what type of Sunday sermon you need to create, 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 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.
