I was having lunch with a pastor in a neighboring town who became burnt out after three years of preaching each week. He told me, “Often I got up to preach on a Sunday and I literally had a blank page in front of me.” This pastor serving in his first pastorate told me about the rigorous demands ministry had placed on him, and how sermon preparation week by week eventually became something he just didn’t have time for. The pressure and weekly demands caused him to quit his first pastorate, and left him burnt out and discouraged.
I do not doubt the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a pastor to equip him with the right words to say to the people God has placed under his care, but part of the requirements of being a pastor is knowing how to prepare to preach each and every week to the same group of people. In my five years of serving as a senior pastor of a church where I preach fifty times a year, here are five ways that I’ve been able to reduce my stress when preaching throughout the year.
1. Plan Ahead
Pick the books of the Bible you want to preach through, choose the topics you want to address, and think about the upcoming holidays. Look at your calendar and see how many Sundays you’re able to preach before your next vacation, or holiday. Then, plan out what Scripture you’re going to preach from on each Sunday, select the topic you want to address, and then pick the Scripture you want to use to address this topic. You might even want to select sermon titles too.
2. File Frequently
Read the newspaper, magazines, news, etc., and file what you read and what you think would be relevant for your future sermons. Look for funny stories, simple anecdotes, relevant research statistics, or news that sounds relevant to your potential sermons.
Some pastors create an elaborate filing system, but at a minimum capture things you find relevant and toss them into a box or a file. Fill up that file or box each week with “goodies” that you can go to and draw from when you need good illustrations, quotes, research, or stories to liven up your sermons.
3. Read Widely
Similar to what I shared earlier, read your Bible every day of course, but read the newspaper, magazines, comics, fishing guides, hobby magazines, etc. You’d be surprised how many good ideas you’ll find when you read widely in addition to reading both the Bible and good Christian books.
4. Record Your Ideas Regularly
If you’re reading your Bible in your devotion time and you come across a good verse or passage you can use for a Christmas Eve devotion, jot that down somewhere. Maybe you’re reading a Max Lucado book and he approaches the Christmas story in a unique way and gives you an idea for a Christmas Eve sermon.
When those ideas come to you write them down in a journal or file them into a folder somewhere. That way, when you’re under the pressures of the day-to-day ministry, you can pull out your files and have some ideas of what to preach.
5. Ask for Help Early
Is there a Sunday you want to take off so you can take your family on vacation? Then ask someone to preach for you early! Often I plan my Sundays off about six months in advance.
One retired pastor I know named Ed says it is surprising how many requests he gets to preach with only two or three weeks notice. He often is not able to fill the needs pastors have for Sundays off, simply because they don’t request far enough advance.
With that said, plan your Sundays off early and find someone to preach for you early.
I am not a homiletics professor or a senior pastor with forty years of experience, but these tips I’ve shared have helped me in the five years I’ve served as a senior pastor that preaches fifty times a year. They have helped me and I hope they help you too.
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Christopher L. Scott serves as senior pastor at Lakeview Missionary Church in Moses Lake, WA. He’s the author of the book, Walking Straight When Life Goes Sideways: Essential Christian Truths for Enduring Life’s Trials (Wipf and Stock). He provides hundreds of free articles, videos, and Bible study resources at his website ChristopherLynnScott.com.