Preaching has the potential to transform lives for eternity. The recommendations below are designed to help preachers, especially new ones, develop clear, Jesus-focused, Bible-based, actionable sermons that God's Holy Spirit uses to transform people's lives and eternity.
Five S's: Scripture, Statement, Story, Symbol and Step.
As you are learning to preach, the Five S's will help you be effective.
First, choose a single scripture as the base for the sermon.
Out of this scripture, you are encouraged to prayerfully craft a short statement that expresses a biblical lesson from the chosen scripture.
Following this key statement, choose a story that illustrates the scriptural statement you've chosen. Preferably a real, personal story from your own life. For those who learn in more concrete ways, you could use a symbol (e.g. “I am the light of the world”). If Jesus uses a story or symbol, use his, not yours! If time or experience is particularly limited, it’s preferable to use either a story or symbol rather than both.
Finally, close with a simple step of faith in the form of a literal ‘step’ and a prayer. Since a preacher's job is to spark faith in others, don't just pray for people; rather, invite them to pray with you.
If you utilise the Five S's, your preaching "notes" will be simple. Simple notes keep you focused and short! See the following example:
Scripture: Matt 22:37-40
State: A life of loving others starts with loving God with your whole self
Story: Dating. Whole life re-shaped by your new love
Symbol: Wedding band. “One ring to rule them all”.
re-State: A life of loving others starts with loving God with your whole self
Step [+Pray]: With what new part of your life can you love God?
To try using the Five S's, download the Simple Sermon Template. As your skills grow, add elements that align with your gifting (e.g. more stories, additional Bible teaching) or audience (youth groups, Sunday services, Bible studies, etc.). If you're willing to start simple, you can also start effectively.
Summary for a simple sermon
- One Scripture, one Statement. Pick a single passage and one short sentence that applies it. Extra verses and extra points inevitably add too much time and topics for a simple sermon.
- Story or Symbol, not both when you're learning. Use a real, short personal story or one concrete symbol that people can see or remember. If you use both, keep each to a sentence or two.
- Stick to time. Aim for under 12 minutes. The beach has wind, waves, kids, and people walking by. Shorter usually lands better.
- Close with a Step and let them pray. Give one clear action, then invite people to pray it themselves rather than only praying over them.
- Keep it simple. Speak so a child, visitor, or person who has never opened a Bible can follow. Simple is fun, and makes Jesus accessible!
Finding your style
There are many ways to work towards a sermon: structured or free-flowing, typed or hand-written.
> Structured, text-based, bullet-point notes. Good for starting out as it keeps it simple, structured and short.
> Mind-map of your sermon. You can use a less-linear mind map to flow between each element, learning what feels natural to you.
> Creative, hand-written approach to notes. This is a more 'creative', albeit messy, way of figuring out your flow. Note: The picture is enough content for 35-45mins, not 15mins :)
Recording your sermons?
Check my summary of Dave Adamson's wisdom on preaching for YouTube.