7 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Sermon Throughout the Week
Feel like our sermon doesn't last past your church's parking lot? Here are 7 ways you can extend the life of your sermon throughout the week.
Do you ever feel as if your sermon does not live beyond your church’s parking lot? If so, then you are not alone.
This is a common struggle for most pastors and a tremendous burden.
As a pastor, it can be difficult to experience the joy of preaching. Most pastors spend 10–18 hours every week preparing for their sermon. Add on top of this visitations, counseling, and everything in between, preparing for your sermon can be challenging.
What is more, after preaching, it can feel like the message you delivered is overshadowed by the lunchtime hunger pangs of your congregation. Regardless if this feeling is real or perceived, it leads to a heavy emotional burden.
Do they care?
What’s the point of spending so much time in prayer and preparation?
Why do I even preach?
Thankfully, you don’t have to feel this way.
In extending the life of your sermon throughout the week, repetition is key to helping the people you serve to learn and live the lessons God is leading you to share. Today, you have the opportunity to engage your people throughout the week with your sermon. You and your team can reinforce the message God is sharing with your church through many touch points.
Below are seven ways you can extend the life of your sermon. We understand this creates extra work. After you read through these tactics below, if you do not have a staff, then consider finding a volunteer to help.
#1. Have a plan
Before we get into the tactical details, it’s best to have a plan in place. This way you can concentrate your efforts, get a team in place, and know that you’re making progress.
First, if you’re just getting started, then it’s best to start slow. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. We would rather see you set up to succeed than crash and burn in a fire of disappointment.
Now, below are some questions you can ask to develop your plan. Read through them now. But revisit them at the end. You will be in a better position to develop your plan then.
- Who is responsible?
- What are you going to share throughout the week?
- How much are you going to share?
- When are you going to share?
These questions will help you think through the content related to your sermon you want to share throughout the week.
#2. Share Scripture and quotes
There are several ways you can share Scripture and quotes from your sermon:
- Share the Scripture you used during your sermon throughout the week
- Use quotes from your sermon
- Place Scripture on images
For this last point, there are several resources you can choose from, such as Canva, Over, and Adobe Spark.
#3. Write blog posts
The goal of writing a blog post is to reengage your congregation with your sermon in a written format.
Blog posts work best if they are based on a specific topic. Look for sections from your sermon you can adapt into a blog post. This can be a bulleted list, one specific topic you addressed, or something you think is important for your church to hear again.
For your blog posts, you can use your notes to expand your thoughts to help your congregation dive deeper into the passages from the Bible you preached from.
#4. Use your sermon for small group curriculum
Does your church have some small groups that meet throughout the week? If so, then read on. If not, then feel free to skip to the next point.
The goal of using your sermon for small group curriculum is to help your congregation apply the message to their life. Think about it this way: Your sermon is a general message for your church. However, in small groups, you can help people take this general message and apply it specifically to their life.
To do this, here are four types of questions to consider asking:
- Observation (“What do you see?”)
- Interpretation (“What does this mean?”)
- Transformation (“How does this change my life?”)
- Application (“What should I do?”)
#5. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great tool to reinforce your message. They can be listened to at any time or place. Whether someone is exercising, mowing their lawn, or driving in their car, they can listen to a podcast of your sermon.
For your podcast, consider recording an intro. Your intro should run 15–30 seconds. During your intro, it’s important to share the name of your church, your mission or vision statement, and your website URL. When mentioning your URL, it’s a good idea to say it at least two times.
Check out this article on how to start a podcast to get you started.
#6. Livestream your sermon
Does your church have a Facebook Page? If so, then consider using Facebook Live to share your sermon.
This is a great way to reach shut-ins, people who are sick or on vacation, and people in your community.
This option is free, easy to use, connected to your Facebook network, lends itself to engaging people, and it will live on your Facebook Page.
If you decide to this, then consider getting a tripod and tripod mount. This way your video will not be shaken.
#7. Share video
If you are video recording your sermons, then consider sharing 1–3 segments throughout the week. This idea is similar to the blogging tip above. It is only a different format.
When it comes to sharing video clips. focus on one specific topic, make sure your clips are no longer than five minutes, and share them through your church’s social media networks.
Your turn
Be encouraged.
Your sermon doesn’t have to die in your church’s parking lot. You can extend the life of your message throughout the week.
Question: What else would you add to this list?
Looking for more sermon writing resources for pastors?
We've got you covered.
- How to Rank Your Sermons #1 on YouTu7 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Sermon Throughout the Week
- 10 Christmas Sermons to Make Pastors Merry and Bright
- How to Repurpose Your Sermon Content in Your Ministry
- How to Preach on Coronavirus: 7 Overlooked Sermon Writing Prompts from Scripture
- 3 Preaching Bad Habits That Are Making Your Sermons Weak
- Make Your Father’s Day Sermon Memorable
- 9 Thanksgiving Sermons Pastors Will Be Thankful For
- How to Write a Sermon: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
- 52 Church Offering Talks for Every Occasion
- FREE Sermon Series on Generosity
- 12 Sermons on Giving and Generosity Every Pastor Needs to Hear
- 2 Sermons on Giving Your Church Must Hear
- Interactive Sermon Notes: A Key to Helping Your Congregation Remember Your Sermon
- 4 Ways to Launch Your Next Sermon Series with a Bang
- 4 Sermon Series That Will Engage & Challenge Millennials
- Sermon Series Ideas To Boost Church Engagement & Community Outreach
Sign Up for Product Updates
Jesse Wisnewski likes to think of himself as one part marketer, one part team builder, and equal parts family man. He has held marketing roles at PhoneBurner, Tithe.ly, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, B&H Publishing Group, and a large nonprofit. When he's not immersed in marketing, he's chasing around his kids with his wife, grilling, exercising, and trying to be active members of their local church, as well.
Do you ever feel as if your sermon does not live beyond your church’s parking lot? If so, then you are not alone.
This is a common struggle for most pastors and a tremendous burden.
As a pastor, it can be difficult to experience the joy of preaching. Most pastors spend 10–18 hours every week preparing for their sermon. Add on top of this visitations, counseling, and everything in between, preparing for your sermon can be challenging.
What is more, after preaching, it can feel like the message you delivered is overshadowed by the lunchtime hunger pangs of your congregation. Regardless if this feeling is real or perceived, it leads to a heavy emotional burden.
Do they care?
What’s the point of spending so much time in prayer and preparation?
Why do I even preach?
Thankfully, you don’t have to feel this way.
In extending the life of your sermon throughout the week, repetition is key to helping the people you serve to learn and live the lessons God is leading you to share. Today, you have the opportunity to engage your people throughout the week with your sermon. You and your team can reinforce the message God is sharing with your church through many touch points.
Below are seven ways you can extend the life of your sermon. We understand this creates extra work. After you read through these tactics below, if you do not have a staff, then consider finding a volunteer to help.
#1. Have a plan
Before we get into the tactical details, it’s best to have a plan in place. This way you can concentrate your efforts, get a team in place, and know that you’re making progress.
First, if you’re just getting started, then it’s best to start slow. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. We would rather see you set up to succeed than crash and burn in a fire of disappointment.
Now, below are some questions you can ask to develop your plan. Read through them now. But revisit them at the end. You will be in a better position to develop your plan then.
- Who is responsible?
- What are you going to share throughout the week?
- How much are you going to share?
- When are you going to share?
These questions will help you think through the content related to your sermon you want to share throughout the week.
#2. Share Scripture and quotes
There are several ways you can share Scripture and quotes from your sermon:
- Share the Scripture you used during your sermon throughout the week
- Use quotes from your sermon
- Place Scripture on images
For this last point, there are several resources you can choose from, such as Canva, Over, and Adobe Spark.
#3. Write blog posts
The goal of writing a blog post is to reengage your congregation with your sermon in a written format.
Blog posts work best if they are based on a specific topic. Look for sections from your sermon you can adapt into a blog post. This can be a bulleted list, one specific topic you addressed, or something you think is important for your church to hear again.
For your blog posts, you can use your notes to expand your thoughts to help your congregation dive deeper into the passages from the Bible you preached from.
#4. Use your sermon for small group curriculum
Does your church have some small groups that meet throughout the week? If so, then read on. If not, then feel free to skip to the next point.
The goal of using your sermon for small group curriculum is to help your congregation apply the message to their life. Think about it this way: Your sermon is a general message for your church. However, in small groups, you can help people take this general message and apply it specifically to their life.
To do this, here are four types of questions to consider asking:
- Observation (“What do you see?”)
- Interpretation (“What does this mean?”)
- Transformation (“How does this change my life?”)
- Application (“What should I do?”)
#5. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great tool to reinforce your message. They can be listened to at any time or place. Whether someone is exercising, mowing their lawn, or driving in their car, they can listen to a podcast of your sermon.
For your podcast, consider recording an intro. Your intro should run 15–30 seconds. During your intro, it’s important to share the name of your church, your mission or vision statement, and your website URL. When mentioning your URL, it’s a good idea to say it at least two times.
Check out this article on how to start a podcast to get you started.
#6. Livestream your sermon
Does your church have a Facebook Page? If so, then consider using Facebook Live to share your sermon.
This is a great way to reach shut-ins, people who are sick or on vacation, and people in your community.
This option is free, easy to use, connected to your Facebook network, lends itself to engaging people, and it will live on your Facebook Page.
If you decide to this, then consider getting a tripod and tripod mount. This way your video will not be shaken.
#7. Share video
If you are video recording your sermons, then consider sharing 1–3 segments throughout the week. This idea is similar to the blogging tip above. It is only a different format.
When it comes to sharing video clips. focus on one specific topic, make sure your clips are no longer than five minutes, and share them through your church’s social media networks.
Your turn
Be encouraged.
Your sermon doesn’t have to die in your church’s parking lot. You can extend the life of your message throughout the week.
Question: What else would you add to this list?
Looking for more sermon writing resources for pastors?
We've got you covered.
- How to Rank Your Sermons #1 on YouTu7 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Sermon Throughout the Week
- 10 Christmas Sermons to Make Pastors Merry and Bright
- How to Repurpose Your Sermon Content in Your Ministry
- How to Preach on Coronavirus: 7 Overlooked Sermon Writing Prompts from Scripture
- 3 Preaching Bad Habits That Are Making Your Sermons Weak
- Make Your Father’s Day Sermon Memorable
- 9 Thanksgiving Sermons Pastors Will Be Thankful For
- How to Write a Sermon: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
- 52 Church Offering Talks for Every Occasion
- FREE Sermon Series on Generosity
- 12 Sermons on Giving and Generosity Every Pastor Needs to Hear
- 2 Sermons on Giving Your Church Must Hear
- Interactive Sermon Notes: A Key to Helping Your Congregation Remember Your Sermon
- 4 Ways to Launch Your Next Sermon Series with a Bang
- 4 Sermon Series That Will Engage & Challenge Millennials
- Sermon Series Ideas To Boost Church Engagement & Community Outreach
podcast transcript
Jesse Wisnewski likes to think of himself as one part marketer, one part team builder, and equal parts family man. He has held marketing roles at PhoneBurner, Tithe.ly, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, B&H Publishing Group, and a large nonprofit. When he's not immersed in marketing, he's chasing around his kids with his wife, grilling, exercising, and trying to be active members of their local church, as well.
Do you ever feel as if your sermon does not live beyond your church’s parking lot? If so, then you are not alone.
This is a common struggle for most pastors and a tremendous burden.
As a pastor, it can be difficult to experience the joy of preaching. Most pastors spend 10–18 hours every week preparing for their sermon. Add on top of this visitations, counseling, and everything in between, preparing for your sermon can be challenging.
What is more, after preaching, it can feel like the message you delivered is overshadowed by the lunchtime hunger pangs of your congregation. Regardless if this feeling is real or perceived, it leads to a heavy emotional burden.
Do they care?
What’s the point of spending so much time in prayer and preparation?
Why do I even preach?
Thankfully, you don’t have to feel this way.
In extending the life of your sermon throughout the week, repetition is key to helping the people you serve to learn and live the lessons God is leading you to share. Today, you have the opportunity to engage your people throughout the week with your sermon. You and your team can reinforce the message God is sharing with your church through many touch points.
Below are seven ways you can extend the life of your sermon. We understand this creates extra work. After you read through these tactics below, if you do not have a staff, then consider finding a volunteer to help.
#1. Have a plan
Before we get into the tactical details, it’s best to have a plan in place. This way you can concentrate your efforts, get a team in place, and know that you’re making progress.
First, if you’re just getting started, then it’s best to start slow. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. We would rather see you set up to succeed than crash and burn in a fire of disappointment.
Now, below are some questions you can ask to develop your plan. Read through them now. But revisit them at the end. You will be in a better position to develop your plan then.
- Who is responsible?
- What are you going to share throughout the week?
- How much are you going to share?
- When are you going to share?
These questions will help you think through the content related to your sermon you want to share throughout the week.
#2. Share Scripture and quotes
There are several ways you can share Scripture and quotes from your sermon:
- Share the Scripture you used during your sermon throughout the week
- Use quotes from your sermon
- Place Scripture on images
For this last point, there are several resources you can choose from, such as Canva, Over, and Adobe Spark.
#3. Write blog posts
The goal of writing a blog post is to reengage your congregation with your sermon in a written format.
Blog posts work best if they are based on a specific topic. Look for sections from your sermon you can adapt into a blog post. This can be a bulleted list, one specific topic you addressed, or something you think is important for your church to hear again.
For your blog posts, you can use your notes to expand your thoughts to help your congregation dive deeper into the passages from the Bible you preached from.
#4. Use your sermon for small group curriculum
Does your church have some small groups that meet throughout the week? If so, then read on. If not, then feel free to skip to the next point.
The goal of using your sermon for small group curriculum is to help your congregation apply the message to their life. Think about it this way: Your sermon is a general message for your church. However, in small groups, you can help people take this general message and apply it specifically to their life.
To do this, here are four types of questions to consider asking:
- Observation (“What do you see?”)
- Interpretation (“What does this mean?”)
- Transformation (“How does this change my life?”)
- Application (“What should I do?”)
#5. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great tool to reinforce your message. They can be listened to at any time or place. Whether someone is exercising, mowing their lawn, or driving in their car, they can listen to a podcast of your sermon.
For your podcast, consider recording an intro. Your intro should run 15–30 seconds. During your intro, it’s important to share the name of your church, your mission or vision statement, and your website URL. When mentioning your URL, it’s a good idea to say it at least two times.
Check out this article on how to start a podcast to get you started.
#6. Livestream your sermon
Does your church have a Facebook Page? If so, then consider using Facebook Live to share your sermon.
This is a great way to reach shut-ins, people who are sick or on vacation, and people in your community.
This option is free, easy to use, connected to your Facebook network, lends itself to engaging people, and it will live on your Facebook Page.
If you decide to this, then consider getting a tripod and tripod mount. This way your video will not be shaken.
#7. Share video
If you are video recording your sermons, then consider sharing 1–3 segments throughout the week. This idea is similar to the blogging tip above. It is only a different format.
When it comes to sharing video clips. focus on one specific topic, make sure your clips are no longer than five minutes, and share them through your church’s social media networks.
Your turn
Be encouraged.
Your sermon doesn’t have to die in your church’s parking lot. You can extend the life of your message throughout the week.
Question: What else would you add to this list?
Looking for more sermon writing resources for pastors?
We've got you covered.
- How to Rank Your Sermons #1 on YouTu7 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Sermon Throughout the Week
- 10 Christmas Sermons to Make Pastors Merry and Bright
- How to Repurpose Your Sermon Content in Your Ministry
- How to Preach on Coronavirus: 7 Overlooked Sermon Writing Prompts from Scripture
- 3 Preaching Bad Habits That Are Making Your Sermons Weak
- Make Your Father’s Day Sermon Memorable
- 9 Thanksgiving Sermons Pastors Will Be Thankful For
- How to Write a Sermon: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
- 52 Church Offering Talks for Every Occasion
- FREE Sermon Series on Generosity
- 12 Sermons on Giving and Generosity Every Pastor Needs to Hear
- 2 Sermons on Giving Your Church Must Hear
- Interactive Sermon Notes: A Key to Helping Your Congregation Remember Your Sermon
- 4 Ways to Launch Your Next Sermon Series with a Bang
- 4 Sermon Series That Will Engage & Challenge Millennials
- Sermon Series Ideas To Boost Church Engagement & Community Outreach
VIDEO transcript
Do you ever feel as if your sermon does not live beyond your church’s parking lot? If so, then you are not alone.
This is a common struggle for most pastors and a tremendous burden.
As a pastor, it can be difficult to experience the joy of preaching. Most pastors spend 10–18 hours every week preparing for their sermon. Add on top of this visitations, counseling, and everything in between, preparing for your sermon can be challenging.
What is more, after preaching, it can feel like the message you delivered is overshadowed by the lunchtime hunger pangs of your congregation. Regardless if this feeling is real or perceived, it leads to a heavy emotional burden.
Do they care?
What’s the point of spending so much time in prayer and preparation?
Why do I even preach?
Thankfully, you don’t have to feel this way.
In extending the life of your sermon throughout the week, repetition is key to helping the people you serve to learn and live the lessons God is leading you to share. Today, you have the opportunity to engage your people throughout the week with your sermon. You and your team can reinforce the message God is sharing with your church through many touch points.
Below are seven ways you can extend the life of your sermon. We understand this creates extra work. After you read through these tactics below, if you do not have a staff, then consider finding a volunteer to help.
#1. Have a plan
Before we get into the tactical details, it’s best to have a plan in place. This way you can concentrate your efforts, get a team in place, and know that you’re making progress.
First, if you’re just getting started, then it’s best to start slow. This is a marathon. Not a sprint. We would rather see you set up to succeed than crash and burn in a fire of disappointment.
Now, below are some questions you can ask to develop your plan. Read through them now. But revisit them at the end. You will be in a better position to develop your plan then.
- Who is responsible?
- What are you going to share throughout the week?
- How much are you going to share?
- When are you going to share?
These questions will help you think through the content related to your sermon you want to share throughout the week.
#2. Share Scripture and quotes
There are several ways you can share Scripture and quotes from your sermon:
- Share the Scripture you used during your sermon throughout the week
- Use quotes from your sermon
- Place Scripture on images
For this last point, there are several resources you can choose from, such as Canva, Over, and Adobe Spark.
#3. Write blog posts
The goal of writing a blog post is to reengage your congregation with your sermon in a written format.
Blog posts work best if they are based on a specific topic. Look for sections from your sermon you can adapt into a blog post. This can be a bulleted list, one specific topic you addressed, or something you think is important for your church to hear again.
For your blog posts, you can use your notes to expand your thoughts to help your congregation dive deeper into the passages from the Bible you preached from.
#4. Use your sermon for small group curriculum
Does your church have some small groups that meet throughout the week? If so, then read on. If not, then feel free to skip to the next point.
The goal of using your sermon for small group curriculum is to help your congregation apply the message to their life. Think about it this way: Your sermon is a general message for your church. However, in small groups, you can help people take this general message and apply it specifically to their life.
To do this, here are four types of questions to consider asking:
- Observation (“What do you see?”)
- Interpretation (“What does this mean?”)
- Transformation (“How does this change my life?”)
- Application (“What should I do?”)
#5. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great tool to reinforce your message. They can be listened to at any time or place. Whether someone is exercising, mowing their lawn, or driving in their car, they can listen to a podcast of your sermon.
For your podcast, consider recording an intro. Your intro should run 15–30 seconds. During your intro, it’s important to share the name of your church, your mission or vision statement, and your website URL. When mentioning your URL, it’s a good idea to say it at least two times.
Check out this article on how to start a podcast to get you started.
#6. Livestream your sermon
Does your church have a Facebook Page? If so, then consider using Facebook Live to share your sermon.
This is a great way to reach shut-ins, people who are sick or on vacation, and people in your community.
This option is free, easy to use, connected to your Facebook network, lends itself to engaging people, and it will live on your Facebook Page.
If you decide to this, then consider getting a tripod and tripod mount. This way your video will not be shaken.
#7. Share video
If you are video recording your sermons, then consider sharing 1–3 segments throughout the week. This idea is similar to the blogging tip above. It is only a different format.
When it comes to sharing video clips. focus on one specific topic, make sure your clips are no longer than five minutes, and share them through your church’s social media networks.
Your turn
Be encouraged.
Your sermon doesn’t have to die in your church’s parking lot. You can extend the life of your message throughout the week.
Question: What else would you add to this list?
Looking for more sermon writing resources for pastors?
We've got you covered.
- How to Rank Your Sermons #1 on YouTu7 Ways You Can Extend the Life of Your Sermon Throughout the Week
- 10 Christmas Sermons to Make Pastors Merry and Bright
- How to Repurpose Your Sermon Content in Your Ministry
- How to Preach on Coronavirus: 7 Overlooked Sermon Writing Prompts from Scripture
- 3 Preaching Bad Habits That Are Making Your Sermons Weak
- Make Your Father’s Day Sermon Memorable
- 9 Thanksgiving Sermons Pastors Will Be Thankful For
- How to Write a Sermon: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
- 52 Church Offering Talks for Every Occasion
- FREE Sermon Series on Generosity
- 12 Sermons on Giving and Generosity Every Pastor Needs to Hear
- 2 Sermons on Giving Your Church Must Hear
- Interactive Sermon Notes: A Key to Helping Your Congregation Remember Your Sermon
- 4 Ways to Launch Your Next Sermon Series with a Bang
- 4 Sermon Series That Will Engage & Challenge Millennials
- Sermon Series Ideas To Boost Church Engagement & Community Outreach
Sign Up for Product Updates
Jesse Wisnewski likes to think of himself as one part marketer, one part team builder, and equal parts family man. He has held marketing roles at PhoneBurner, Tithe.ly, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, B&H Publishing Group, and a large nonprofit. When he's not immersed in marketing, he's chasing around his kids with his wife, grilling, exercising, and trying to be active members of their local church, as well.
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