Preacher's Block

This preaching tip was shared by Preacher’s Block co-founder, Hunter Bethea. If you’re interested in joining the most focused preachers in the world, sign up here.

One of the elements of a sermon that I firmly believe elevates it from “good” to “great” are the transitions. If you’re like me, though, sometimes you don’t realize that your sermon is missing transitions until you’re actually preaching it. This week’s preaching tip is about one clue that shows you that you need a transition:

If you try to memorize or internalize your sermon and you keep getting to a spot where you think, “Hm, what comes next?” then you likely need a transition. Something in your brain hasn’t connected those two sections of the sermon. And if it’s not connected in your brain, then it’s not going to connect in your listeners’ brains.

So here’s what I do: When you ask the question, “What comes next?” pause and ask yourself, “How are these two sections related?” Once you’re able to answer that question, then add that into your sermon. It will typically only be a sentence or two (i.e. “Let me tell you about one time I experienced this” or “However, there’s something we need to watch out for.”) That sentence or two will not only help you remember the transition better, it will help your congregation follow the flow of the sermon more.

Or you may realize that they’re not connected and you can decide if one section needs to be moved or cut entirely!