The Story

A couple of years ago, I was invited to a small party of other members in my young adults class. Part of the caveat is that we were going to discuss some theological topics, but no additional information was given. Curious, and always up for a good discussion, I unwittingly accepted and went. The conversation, remembering that this was among a group of other single, young adults, turned to the topics of modesty and divorce. Confused and almost appalled by what transpired, I have yet to go to another event where the same group has been invited.

Although this was with a group of people and not a sermon, the principle of relevance still stands. As a single man with no relationship desires, talking about divorce and modesty was so beyond what I cared to talk about that I tuned off just a few moments into the conversation. Pastors, unfortunately, can have the same undesired effect when the sermon does not match the congregation.

This is, perhaps, not strictly tied to “moving forward,” but I do believe that it is worth pointing out that relevance is increasingly important in a world where all it takes to turn someone off is the click of a button. Preaching on topics appropriate to events, to times, and to people is the only way to keep people motivated to stick around.

The Lesson

Now, of course, we here at Must Increase do not want to tell someone how to preach. We recognize that the leading of the Holy Spirit is paramount to the task of exhortation; however, this does not mean that one cannot guide oneself towards appropriate topics in the moments where something is not laying heavy on the heart.

Gauging relevance can be a difficult task, but it is not insurmountable. Although every congregation is different and will desire different things, there are always going to be topics expected around certain times. People want to hear about hoy and hope around Christmas and Easter, but they may also want to hear about hope after a tragedy or a political event — not an “it is a sign of the End Times” message. I distinctly remember hearing a message about a woman’s place in the structure of the home on Mother’s Day… not exactly the nicest thing to talk about on a day specifically about women.

Additionally, one could consider working through books beyond just the Bible. I know that that sounds taboo and borderline blasphemous, but there are many works of Christian literature that provide great launching points for smaller series and group studies. Sometimes a fresh perspective or even just a fresh style of writing can help to get somebody motivated and interested in sticking around for a few weeks, especially for crowds made up of primarily people who have been hearing the same sermons on the same fifteen or twenty books of the Bible that are most often preached on.

Innovation can take many different forms, and coming up with new series with relevant topical ideas can be a great way to reengage members who are lacking interest. In conjunction with the other tips and ideas we have provided, we believe that your church can see, although perhaps not a revival, a rejuvenation of interest from members new and old, from ages young to old.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this episode of ChurchMediaHQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CxcyFohjRw&list=PLyKR6mIKUtvjbDUcqC6TDd8Jcnyzl8V8_&index=