Fastbreak: Why Plan a Year of Sermons?

This Fastbreak episode is geared especially for pastors by exploring why planning a year's worth of sermons is a great idea! Dave makes the case that powerful things can happen when "mission" meets "message" in an intentional way. He'll go behind the scenes to show how his leadership team would plan the preaching calendar...and why that was so important.

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Transcript

Welcome to the Elemental Leaders Fast Break Podcast—a quick download to jumpstart your leadership! Visit us at ElementalGroup.org for more resources and free downloads.

Hey everyone, this is Dave Workman with the Elemental Group. This Fastbreak episode is specifically geared toward pastors because what I want to do is lay out a case for planning an entire year of sermons. And here's why: Powerful things can happen when mission meets messages in an intentional way.

I think it's smart to have an overview of an entire year of speaking, especially if the bulk of your messages are topical in nature. The way our leadership team would determine the teaching calendar was preceded by uncovering what we called our yearly strategic initiatives, what we would want our entire staff and key volunteer leaders to be focused on for the next year, specifically three to five initiatives or so. Once those were determined, the leadership team would sketch out a rough calendar for the next year. Series and themes would be mapped out on a calendar.

We would keep 5 things in focus during this process. One, our mission and vision. It would be posted on a the wall. Second, our core values. Those would be posted as well. Third, our proposed new strategic initiatives for the coming year. Fourth, a gap analysis. That is, where is there a problem of praxis at our church? What are the felt needs? What needs to be corrected by teaching? And last, what God wants to specifically say to our church. And that would hopefully be determined by a guided prayer time with the team.

We would also balance and adjust our teaching calendar through another filter. Army talks—those are series that are mission focused. School talks—these are series that are doctrinal or creedal or pure biblical literacy talks. And hospital talks—those were growth and healing, soul care, self-awareness talks.

Why would we do that? Because too much of one style can either respectively wear a church out, or puff it up, or become too inward focused. And most pastors will subconsciously default to one of these in their teaching style. 

One simple reason for planning 12 months in advance is super practical. Other key ministries can then plan events and seminars that match the topic. For instance, if we were doing a hospital series, perhaps messages on developing authentic relationships, our growth and healing ministry might plan small groups or classes at that time on that topic to tackle our relational dysfunctions.

And that would become the main application point at the close of my message. Any time you can preach the announcements, your extracurricular programs and events have more power, better response, and provide a clear, actionable point in your message.