Crafting Sermons that Resonate with a Diverse Congregation

What if you could preach sermons that resonate with every age group in your congregation? Imagine your message connecting with Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and even Gen Z, all at the same time. In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, Todd Rhaodes, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, uncovers strategies to make your sermons impactful and inclusive. By understanding the demographics, interests, and struggles of your congregation, you can create messages that are not only relatable but also transformative. Todd dives into the art of storytelling, the use of relevant language, and the importance of varying your preaching style to keep your congregation engaged and inspired.

We also touch on practical tips like offering multiple points of entry into your sermons and inviting participation to foster a sense of community and discussion. Authenticity is key; being genuine in your delivery builds trust and connection, allowing your message to truly resonate. Whether you're a seasoned preacher or just starting out, these insights will help you connect God's truth with your diverse audience's lives. If you need further support, our team at Chemistry Staffing offers mentoring and coaching to enhance your preaching skills. Tune in for an episode packed with actionable advice that will elevate your preaching and strengthen your church community.

Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders of over at chemistrystaffingcom. Today we're going to step into the pulpit, so to speak, to tackle a challenge that I think probably every pastor, every preacher faces, and that's how to craft sermons that resonate with probably an increasing diverse congregation. Now, preaching is both an art and a science. It's about communicating timeless truths that speak to hearts and minds of modern day listeners and today's congregation if yours is like most, it's become increasingly diverse, and that's made the topic of preaching really interesting. We've got boomers, who grew up singing hymns. We've got Gen Xers that prefer maybe a more contemporary style. Millennials, who crave maybe more authenticity and relevance. We've got Gen Z, who are glued to their screens. How in the world do you craft a message that speaks to all of those people? And we're not even talking political diversity or racial diversity. Our congregations are diverse and, while there's no magic formula, I hope to be able to share some strategies that you can employ and maybe just to reset your mind and give you some fresh thinking to help your sermons become a little bit more engaging and impactful and inclusive for your audience.

Speaker 1: 1:36

The first thing is just know your audience. Take the time to understand the demographics and the background and the interest of your congregations. This is one of the questions we ask every church when we onboard them for a new church search and many churches, when we ask what's the age makeup of your church, they're really not sure they really have to think about it. So make sure you understand the demographics, the backgrounds, the interests. What are their struggles? What are their the interests, what are their struggles, what are their questions right now, what are their hopes and dreams. So know your audience. Second of all, tell stories. Tell stories that connect people. That will help make your points known so that they're not just abstract concepts. Use personal anecdotes, obviously biblical narratives, real-life examples to illustrate points and make your message more relatable. A third and the older we get, the harder this is use relevant language. Avoid jargon and insider language that might alienate newcomers from different backgrounds. Be clear and concise and relatable in your way, but make sure that you're speaking the language of your church.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Number four vary your style. Don't get stuck in a preaching rut. You can experiment around. It doesn't have to be the same every week in, week out. Experiment with different sermon formats, maybe some different delivery styles. Maybe add some media. Just keep things fresh and engaging so that you can engage all of those different age groups as well.

Speaker 1: 3:06

Number five you can offer multiple points of entry. A really good message should have something for everyone. So offer some insights that resonate with different age groups and backgrounds and life stages. Maybe share some stories about your parents or your kids or your grandkids different life stages, different backgrounds. And then, number six don life stages, different backgrounds.

Speaker 1: 3:25

And then, number six don't just preach at people. Invite their participation, invite them into a conversation, ask questions, encourage discussion, create opportunities for interaction. I know Andy Stanley does the top three questions that he always has at the end of his messages that small groups are built on. That he says go home, discuss these questions on your way home from church today, discuss them over the dinner table, discuss them in your small group. Inviting participation is huge and it takes your message and puts it into different context.

Speaker 1: 4:00

And then, finally, be authentic. People can spot a fake a mile away. Just be yourself. Share your struggles, your doubts, your triumphs, but that authenticity is going to help you build trust and connection.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Preaching is not just about impressing people with your knowledge or your eloquence or your biblical prowess. It's really about connecting people to God's truth in a way that transforms their lives. That knowledge without transformation is really worthless. When you're crafting your message, even this week, try to make it resonate with more of a diverse congregation. It's going to be a challenge, but it's also a rewarding one. If you're struggling in anywhere, in any area, we have people on our team here at Chemistry Staffing not just in the staffing area but also in mentoring and coaching that can come alongside and help you, even with preaching. So if you need any kind of help, I can help connect you with a great coach or mentor that can help you in that area or answer some questions for you. Reach out to me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd love to hear from you and hope you'll join us again here tomorrow, right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Hope you have a great day.