10 Practical Ways to Get Better at Preaching This Year

I’ve noticed something lately in ministry circles that feels a little… backwards.

People are a little afraid to admit that they want to be really good at preaching. And we’re all a little hesitant to be excited about our sermons when they hit it out of the park. Why is this, exactly? 

As pastors and preachers, we rightly emphasize humility, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and keeping the pulpit from becoming about us. We should approach the Word with reverence and holy trembling. 

But over time, that posture can create an unintended tension. Wanting to grow in the craft of preaching can start to feel… suspicious. If a sermon is too clear, too compelling, or too well-structured, we get worried it might be performative. As if being articulate somehow competes with being anointed!

But stewardship is not vanity. It is worship!

Why Becoming a Better Preacher Is Stewardship

Timothy Keller once wrote, “It is not enough to harvest the wheat; it must be prepared in some edible form or it cannot nourish and delight.” Scripture is sufficient and powerful on its own, of course, but the preacher has a real responsibility. We are entrusted with presenting the Word in a way people can receive. This means that we can and should work at refining our craft of preaching – not to impress, but to present the rich truth of the Gospel to the world.

So if you have that goal too, you are not alone! Whether this is your first sermon or your five-hundredth, here are ten practical ways to sharpen the craft without turning the pulpit into a performance.

10 Simple Ways to Get Better at Preaching This Year

1. Write a One-Sentence Sermon Before You Write Anything Else

Let’s be honest. Sometimes a simple twenty-five-minute sermon can quietly balloon into forty. Or fifty. Or… you get the point. And while length is not inherently bad, that kind of drift usually comes from the same place: scattered thoughts.

One of the simplest ways to bring focus back early is to name, in one sentence, what you are actually asking the sermon to do. It can feel almost too basic, but it is often surprisingly clarifying.

If you can finish, “Because of this text, I want my people to ________,” the rest of your preparation will get a lot simpler. Your outline will tighten, and your application will feel less scattered. And if that sentence is hard to write, it’s okay! Take a little more time with it before drafting the rest of the sermon. Having a working thesis will make a huge difference! 

2. Make Scripture the Main Course

One of the best habits a preacher can build is letting the text drive. It is easy to begin with a point you want to make and then find verses that fit it. And in those moments, Scripture can start to function like a garnish on top of the sermon instead of the meal itself.

But sermons land differently when the passage is the one setting the agenda. Let the structure of the text shape your structure. Let the emphasis of the text shape your emphasis. Let the movement of the text guide where you take people.

3. Develop Rhetoric, Without Making It the Goal

Eloquence may not be the point of preaching, but it can certainly help the point get across more clearly. And if the goal is to grow as a preacher, it often helps to grow as a communicator in general.

A few small practices can make a noticeable difference over time. Try recording a short section of your sermon prep and listening back for clarity. Take time to trim extra words that do not serve the point, and practice saying your key sentence out loud until it sounds like something a real person would actually say. 

It can also help to pay attention to simple rhythm, including where you pause, where you repeat a phrase for emphasis, and where a transition sentence could guide tired listeners from one idea to the next.

4. Make Your Stories Sticky

I’ve noticed something almost every time I preach. When people chat with me afterward, they rarely remember my subpoints. But they almost always remember the story.

Jesus understood this instinctively. A well-told story gives listeners a place to stand inside the truth. This does not necessarily mean using more stories. It often means choosing one that truly illuminates the text, names a shared human tension, or makes doctrine feel livable.

As you prep sermons this month, it may be worth pausing to ask the Holy Spirit whether there is a personal story you can share that genuinely serves the text and helps your people step into it.

5. Preach With the Newspaper in Mind

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously described preaching as holding the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. The idea is that the Bible speaks directly to real life –  including the anxieties people are carrying into work, the headlines they are processing, and the cultural moment they are navigating.

As you prep your sermons, it may be worth taking a few minutes to consider what is happening in the world and how your congregation may need to be lifted above the noise and pointed back to Jesus. At the same time, you do not need to comment on everything. Faithful preaching is a steady act of reorientation, helping people look past the chaos and back to Christ.

6. Use Eye Contact

Eye contact can feel like a small thing, but it often changes how a sermon is received.

It reminds people they are being spoken to, not spoken at. And when people feel seen by the preacher, they often listen with less defensiveness and more trust. It is one of the simplest ways to make the moment feel pastoral.

If sustained eye contact feels intimidating, there is a simple workaround: look at various points of the back wall of the room. Lift your eyes above your notes and let your gaze move slowly across the space. From the congregation’s perspective, it still feels like they are connecting with you. And over time, that habit often makes real eye contact feel more natural, too.

7. Use Clear and Accessible Language

As you’re preaching or prepping, try listening for words or phrases that might quietly lose someone.

Theological vocabulary is a gift, and it goes further when it is paired with plain language. If you use a term like sanctification, justification, covenant, or repentance, consider adding a quick one-line definition as you go. Even a simple “in other words…” moment can pull people back in and help the room breathe.

If a theological word matters enough to say, it deserves a sentence of clarity. That small habit can make your sermon feel more welcoming, especially for the people who want to understand but do not yet have the vocabulary.

8. Read the Room

If you want your sermon to truly stick with people, you have to read the room (both literally and figuratively!) 

As you preach, pay attention to the gentle feedback happening in real time. Do people seem confused? Tired? Resistant? Are they leaning in? When you come in prepared, you have more freedom to stay present in those moments. You can slow down, clarify a sentence, repeat a key line, or linger where the room feels tender.

Reading the room also includes staying sensitive to what the Holy Spirit may be doing in the moment, especially in places where silence feels weighty and worth honoring.

9. Don’t Be Discouraged by the Blank Face

While you read the room, it also helps to remember not to get discouraged if people’s faces seem blank.

One of the harder lessons in preaching is realizing that not every engaged listener looks engaged. Some people process deeply and internally. Others are exhausted from a long week. Some are carrying burdens you cannot see. A blank expression is not necessarily boredom or resistance.

10. Always Point Back to Jesus

The Bible is not merely a collection of moral lessons. It is a coherent narrative that culminates in Christ. This is why every sermon should find its way back to Jesus, not as a predictable box to check, but as faithfulness to Scripture’s unified story.

When we consistently point back to Him, we help people locate themselves in that story. And over time, it helps the church learn to read the Bible the way the Bible wants to be read, with Jesus as both the center and the fulfillment.

An Invitation, Not a Burden

While all of these tips can help you sharpen your preaching skills, it helps to remember that the power has never been in the polish. It has always been and will always be in the Word and the Spirit.

So let this be an invitation, not a burden. Keep growing in the craft because you love your people and you want to serve them well. Then step into the pulpit with humility and confidence, trusting that God delights to work through ordinary preachers who keep showing up and pointing people to Jesus.

If you’re looking for more practical encouragement and tools to support your preaching and ministry, Tithely regularly shares resources designed to help pastors focus on what matters most. From church management to giving and engagement tools, everything is built to support the work you are already doing week in and week out.

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