The part of sermon preparation that I have the most trouble with is undoubtedly writing the introduction and conclusion. How you begin and end the sermon is crucial for congregational attention and retention. I was taught to write both introduction and conclusion in full, even if the balance of the message isn't written out in full. This is a practice I still hold to after 16 years of preaching. But here's the deal. Poor to mediocre introductions and conclusions are so easy to write. And really good ones can be difficult to write. Even so, I am absolutely convinced that putting in the time and effort to craft really good introductions and conclusions is worth the effort.
I want to share with you something I came up with to help myself improve in this area. It's not life altering, but you may find it helpful. I'll cover the introduction in this post and the conclusion in the next. There are several things you want to accomplish in your introduction. You want to focus the message, set the stage biblically, preview what's to come, and announce the passage. But before you do any of that you must engage the listener's interest. This is the part I struggle with the most. This is the part of the introduction for which I developed this little tool.
The tool is a simple acronym: START. Each letter represents a different way you can begin your sermon. There are countless possible ways. That's part of the problem. I need some specific, effective ways I can begin my sermon. I don't want to think through endless possibilities. I don't have the time nor the energy. START gives me five effective ways to begin a sermon.
S = Searching Question
Sometimes you can begin your sermon with a question that grabs your listeners' attention and causes them to tune in to what you have to say. You want a question that forces the listeners to think deeply. You want a question that can't be ignored, one that begs to be answered. Here are a couple of examples.
"How in the world does God expect me to rejoice when I have so many problems?"
"Why isn't God fair?"
T = Touching Story
A story that connects with people emotionally not only gets people's attention, but it orients them to the theme of your message at the same time. It doesn't matter if the story is personal or from another source. What does matter is that it is engaging. The story needs to draw people in and make them want to listen. It can do that by being a story they can relate to easily, or by making them feel joy, anger, sorrow, sympathy, excitement, etc.
A = Alarming Statistic
Statistics have been overused in some circles. That doesn't mean you should never use them. It just means you need to be careful. Make sure the statistic is true, as best you are able. Verify the source. Make sure it is directly related to the theme of your message. Make sure the statistic will really surprise your listeners. Here are a couple of examples:
90% of the food in our supermarkets didn't exist 100 years ago.
Vending machines take the lives of 13 people every year.
R = Remarkable Statement
A statement that is unusual or striking can cause folks to sit up and pay attention. It can be a quote from someone else, or a statement you craft yourself. If you quote someone else make sure and give that person credit. I suggest testing the statement out on a person or two to make sure it is effective. Here are a couple of examples.
"If you abandon faith in Christ you will go to hell."
"There's no such thing as good people."
T = Troubling Issue
When your sermon is dealing with an issue that people will be troubled by, the best way to introduce your message may be simply to raise the issue. It doesn't have to be an issue people are thinking about or dealing with at the moment. It just needs to be an issue that, once brought to people's attention, will engage their mind and heart. Here's an example.
"We call Hitler a monster because he killed 6 million Jews. But since 1973 Americans have murdered 0ver 58 million unborn children. Who's the real monster?"
Let me tell you how I use this tool. I write my introduction after the main body of my sermon is already done. That way I know exactly what it is I need to introduce. With the main idea of the sermon in my mind, I simply look over the five options for beginning a sermon and consider which one might be most effective to introduce the particular sermon I am working on. Sometimes the choice is obvious. Sometimes it isn't. When it isn't, I choose one that I know I can work with and go with it. It is important not to use the same one or two methods every time. Hopefully this will help somebody. I'll talk about conclusions in my next post. Blessings!
