In many churches, the sermon is the main event of the Sunday morning service. But while preaching is vital, the sermon isn’t the most important thing that happens on a Sunday; the people and their response to God are. For a sermon writer, the goal isn’t just to deliver a great speech, but to move people from being passive listeners to active disciples who connect with one another and serve the world.
It’s a Tool, Not the Destination
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the Sunday service exists solely for the thirty minutes of preaching. However, the sermon is actually a means to an end. As you write, you have to remember that the goal of a church gathering is to worship God and build up the Body of Christ. If we treat the sermon as the ultimate goal, we risk turning the sanctuary into a lecture hall rather than a living community.
Colossians 3:16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.
Think of your sermon as the “fuel” for the week ahead. Your job is to provide the biblical truth and inspiration needed for the “real” work of the church: making disciples in our everyday lives. When you see your message in its proper place, you realize it’s a tool that points people back to Jesus and toward each other.
Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Compassion for the Crowds
In Matthew 9, we see Jesus’ heart for the people he encountered. He didn’t just see a crowd to be managed; he saw individuals with deep needs. This passage provides a perfect model for why we write and where the sermon fits in church life. Jesus was moved with compassion because the people were “confused and helpless.”
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Your sermon is a way for the church to shepherd the “sheep” by offering clarity in a confusing world. But notice what Jesus does next: he tells his disciples to pray for more workers. Your job as a writer is to equip the “sheep” to become “shepherds” and “workers” themselves. It’s about moving people from being “helpless” to being “helpful” in the kingdom of God.
Empowering the Real Shepherds
A common misconception for sermon writers is the idea that they’re the primary shepherd for everyone in the room. In reality, a speaker on a stage can’t personally shepherd a crowd of hundreds. The true, “boots-on-the-ground” shepherding happens in smaller, more intimate environments: families, small groups, and one-on-one mentoring relationships.
Your sermon’s job is to empower these environments. It provides parents with a spiritual jumping-off point for their kids, gives small group leaders a central truth to discuss, and offers mentors a framework for life-on-life coaching. You provide the “what,” but the parents and mentors provide the “how” through personal, daily investment in others’ lives. You’re writing to equip the people who do the personal work of ministry.
A Catalyst for Disciple-Making
The most effective sermons don’t end when the preacher says “Amen.” Instead, they spark conversations that happen in the lobby, over lunch, or in living rooms throughout the week. As a writer, you should aim to catalyze disciple-making connections by giving the congregation a shared language and a common truth to discuss.
When a church is healthy, the sermon acts as a “conversation starter.” It provides the biblical foundation that allows members to encourage one another and hold each other accountable. Those far from God are invited to follow Jesus. Those close to God are invited to help people pursue God. The end result is a healthy, growing church with fully mature followers of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:13, 16 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ…. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The Takeaway
The sermon is a powerful spiritual catalyst, but it isn’t the “centerpiece” of the church—being on mission with Jesus is. By writing biblical truth that sparks disciple-making connections and fuels compassion for the lost, you prepare the church to be the hands and feet of Christ. Your message is the starting line for a week of worship and mission, not the finish line of a spiritual duty.
