Help Your Hearers Take the Sermon Home

by Ronald “Dee” Vaughan

Does preaching change anything? Most pastors have pondered that question, especially on a Monday morning after learning the offering was smaller than church expenses and the church still needs Bible study leaders. The desired outcome of a sermon is life-application and, as God works through the ministry of preaching, life transformation. Disciplined study and eloquent presentation don’t by themselves lead people to be doers of the Word. We can help our people apply the message to their life situations and take action based on the specific call of the message through what I call a “Take Home Box.” Just as a restaurant gives you a container in which you can take a portion of your meal home with you for future nourishment, you can give your people a way to take the “now what” of the message home and act upon it. Print your “Take Home Box” in the material you distribute to worshippers. The “Take Home Box” can contain an open-ended question that will help the reader continue his or her conversation with God that began with your message. Also include a specific step the person can take to act upon the call of the scriptures you expressed in the message. In this way, the invitation to discipleship becomes an all-week challenge, not just the hymn sung after the sermon. Here are some examples of creating a “Take Home Box.”

Watch out! This practice may make you a better proclaimer as you prepare messages that lead to thoughtful practical application. A word of advice: save the “Take Home Box” with your message notes. You may have a good opportunity to use it again.