Pastoralized by Eric McKiddie  

Why Your Church Needs More Variety in Your Sermons (And How to Do It)

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From my most recent article at Christianity.com.

Regular preachers need to be more like starters than bench players.

The bench player is a specialist. A southpaw might take the mound to pitch to one player. A sharp shooter enters the game to knock down threes to spark a comeback.

But the starters need to do everything well. These are the triple-threat basketball players, athletes who can shoot, pass, or drive to the basket. These are the five-tool baseball players, guys who can hit for average, hit for power, throw, field, and run fast around the bases.

The triple threat, five-tool preacher is characterized by variety in his sermons. He varies his structure, tone, and delivery of the sermon, so that his church never hears the same message twice.

Must you add variety to your sermons?

Why can’t you just preach three points and a poem on a weekly basis if that’s what you’re good at? Fair question, but here are some reasons why you shouldn’t:

• You won’t reach diverse people if you don’t vary your sermons. Your church will be filled with people who resemble you, crippling outreach to various personality types and ethnic groups. If you preach only Paul, you will have only analytical thinkers. How will you reach creatives?
• Also, you won’t preach the whole counsel of God. The content of the Bible varies broadly in genre and tone. If you can’t preach all of it, you will neglect many books of the Bible.
• Finally, you will bore your church! God’s world and God’s word both demonstrate that he has created us for variety. When you become predictable your people lose interest.

How to add variety to your sermons

Although five-tool baseball players are a rare commodity, there is no reason why you can’t develop a broader skill set behind the pulpit. All it takes is intentionality, and a bit of practice. Here are three simple ways to change things up.
Read the rest here!
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While We're On The Topic:

1. 2 Things You Must Do with Your Sermons
2. How to Preach Like D.A. Carson Without Sounding Like Him
3. Download My Free Sermon Illustration Ebook “Show Then Tell” Today!
4. 28 Ways to Conclude Your Sermon: A List of NT Doxologies and Benedictions
5. How To Set Up Your Files for Efficient and Effective Sermon Prep