How To Hook Your Audience: Sermon Introduction Roadmap Strategy — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00When people sit down to hear a sermon,
2. 0:03they want to know what to expect.
3. 0:07Think about it like this. Just like
4. 0:10following a map to reach a destination,
5. 0:13a clear plan or a path in your sermon
6. 0:16introduction helps your listeners to
7. 0:18understand where the message is heading
8. 0:22and how they can follow along. A well
9. 0:26ststructured introduction eases their
10. 0:28minds and helps them stay engaged
11. 0:31because they know what's coming next and
12. 0:36how it all fits together.
13. 0:40So here are two essential elements you
14. 0:43need to consider when outlining your
15. 0:47sermon introduction.
16. 0:50Number one, just tell the audience where
17. 0:54the sermon is going. Tell them where
18. 0:57you're taking them.
19. 0:59Consider this as the end point or the
20. 1:03destination.
21. 1:04In your introduction, let them know what
22. 1:07the main point is or what the
23. 1:10destination is. And remember, every
24. 1:12sermon must have one main point or one
25. 1:16big idea.
26. 1:18By being upfront about your goal, your
27. 1:21listeners won't be left guessing.
28. 1:24They'll have a clear understanding of
29. 1:26what is coming. Whether you're aiming to
30. 1:30explain a biblical principle, address a
31. 1:32spiritual challenge, or offering uh
32. 1:36encouragement, state that in your
33. 1:39introduction so they know exactly what
34. 1:42to focus on.
35. 1:44Let's say your sermon is about the power
36. 1:46of forgiveness.
37. 1:48You could open with something like this.
38. 1:52Today we're going to explore how
39. 1:55forgiveness is central to our spiritual
40. 1:58health and how it transforms our
41. 2:01relationships.
42. 2:02We will discover that forgiveness is not
43. 2:05just a gift we offer to others but a
44. 2:08path to freedom for ourselves.
45. 2:12See [snorts] in this example you clearly
46. 2:14stated that the focus of the sermon is
47. 2:18on forgiveness and you have given your
48. 2:20audience an idea of where the sermon
49. 2:23will lead them and that is to a deeper
50. 2:27understanding of forgiveness.
51. 2:31So this prepares them to tune in uh for
52. 2:36what is to come. They will tune in with
53. 2:39that specific purpose in mind.
54. 2:42So just tell them where the sermon is
55. 2:45going.
56. 2:47Number two, outline the major points
57. 2:50that are along the way. [clears throat]
58. 2:53Think of these points as the main
59. 2:55movements or segments of your sermon.
60. 2:58Just as a good road map shows major
61. 3:01landmarks or stops, your sermon road map
62. 3:05should highlight the key sections or
63. 3:07ideas that you will deal with. Now there
64. 3:11are many ways to do this. Some preachers
65. 3:14prefer to tell the audience the main
66. 3:17points outright and then come back and
67. 3:20uh teach on each of them. For example,
68. 3:24you might say something like this.
69. 3:28As we move forward today, we'll break
70. 3:30down three biblical principles that will
71. 3:34help you to overcome fear and anxiety.
72. 3:39We'll begin by looking at what scripture
73. 3:42says about fair. Then we'll move into
74. 3:45how faith transforms our mindset. And
75. 3:49finally, we will end with practical
76. 3:52steps that you can take. See, by doing
77. 3:56this, you let the audience know that
78. 3:59there are three points and they know
79. 4:04exactly what those points are.
80. 4:07This can help the audience to mentally
81. 4:10map out the progression of the sermon
82. 4:13and prepare to reflect on these key
83. 4:18ideas.
84. 4:19Here's another example
85. 4:22you can begin with. In today's message,
86. 4:26we'll walk with Elijah in his journey
87. 4:28through doubt, faith, and victory, and
88. 4:32see how each phase mirrors the struggles
89. 4:35we face in our walk with God. See again
90. 4:40this allows your audience to mentally
91. 4:43prepare to uh to to manage or to analyze
92. 4:48each part of your message and it will
93. 4:50help them to follow the progression of
94. 4:53your thought.
95. 4:55Now many preachers like to do it another
96. 4:58way. They they create anticipation by
97. 5:02stating how many points they'll cover
98. 5:07without revealing the main points
99. 5:10upfront.
100. 5:12For example, they will say something
101. 5:14like this. Today, I'll share three
102. 5:18reasons why trusting God during trials
103. 5:22is not just important but lifechanging.
104. 5:27See this approach immediately signals to
105. 5:29the audience that the sermon will have a
106. 5:34structure but it also keeps the audience
107. 5:38curious and it also keeps them engaged
108. 5:42throughout the message. See by
109. 5:45announcing that there are three points
110. 5:48you give your audience you give your
111. 5:51listeners a sense of direction.
112. 5:54They know there will be three distinct
113. 5:58segments in the sermon and each segment
114. 6:00will possibly build on the last one to
115. 6:04to strengthen the message. But notice
116. 6:06[snorts]
117. 6:07by not telling them what the three
118. 6:09points are,
119. 6:12you have created a dynamic of both
120. 6:16structure and suspense.
121. 6:19The audience knows that there are three
122. 6:22points, but they are now curious about
123. 6:25what those points will be. And I like
124. 6:28this method because I find that this
125. 6:30suspense makes the sermon a bit more
126. 6:33dynamic because each new point is made,
127. 6:38as each new point is made, rather, it it
128. 6:41feels like a mini reveal that adds depth
129. 6:45to the overall message. And to me, this
130. 6:48method also helps prevent the sermon
131. 6:51from from feeling flat or or
132. 6:54predictable.
133. 6:56So, as each new point is revealed, the
134. 6:58audience remains engaged and eager,
135. 7:02knowing that there's more to come.
136. 7:05[clears throat]
137. 7:06Your sermon introduction serves as a
138. 7:09road map to help listeners prepare
139. 7:11themselves both mentally and spiritually
140. 7:14for the message ahead.
141. 7:17When they know what's coming, they can
142. 7:20engage more fully and absorb the message
143. 7:23in a deeper and more intentional way.
144. 7:27The introduction should prime them to
145. 7:30focus on the key themes or the key ideas
146. 7:35leading them to a more impactful
147. 7:39experience.
148. 7:41This is what the sermon introduction is
149. 7:45all about. And I hope these tips have
150. 7:48been helpful to you. If they have,
151. 7:52please, please, please like the video
152. 7:55and subscribe for more tips on preaching
153. 7:58and communication. Hit the notification
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155. 8:05release new content. Also, please, my
156. 8:08friends, share the comments that you
157. 8:11have in the comment section below. Let
158. 8:14me know what subjects you'd like for me
159. 8:17to cover. Or you can also share with me
160. 8:20strategies that you have used for sermon
161. 8:24preparation.
162. 8:25I would love to hear your thoughts.
163. 8:28Thank you for watching. Until next time,
164. 8:31let's keep growing together.
165. 8:36[music]