SERMON PLANNING

A simple bit of guidance from Artie Davis

If you don’t have your series and sermons planned out for 2013…you’re not alone! Many pastors and communicators wait until the last-minute to plan things out.

Let me share with you what we’re doing and I hope it can help you to not be a “crunch time” planner.

1) Preach through the Bible every year

- We read through the Bible as a church every year (We use Mariners Church condensed reading plan)
- It gives you the opportunity to tell the entire God-Story every year
- The first two quarters (Jan-Jun) go through the Old Testament
- The last two quarters (Jul-Dec) go through the New Testament

2) Use a spreadsheet to date all the Sundays

- Plan in advance for Sunday’s off
- Understand the importance of special days, i.e.,  MLK, Mothers day, etc.

3) Plan for series to run 4-6 weeks

- Start a new series the Sunday after Easter
- Start another new series the Sunday after Labor Day

4)  Answer these questions about each sermon

- What is the main Scripture
- What story will captivate and tie to the Scripture
- What is the main idea to be conveyed
- What is the “One Point” that will be memorable
These have been a tremendous help to us in planning our sermons series, especially preaching through the Bible every year. It has helped our church to stay on the “same page” every year.