Biblical Preaching
Planning a Preaching Calendar
Why Plan?
Love for God and His people - You take the responsibility of preaching seriously and
therefore you desire to give your very best to Him. You take the responsibility of
preaching seriously and desire to give your very best to the people you have been charged
to feed.
You are a steward of your time - The advantages are many: you will always know what your going to preach about thus avoiding “the Saturday night scramble”; your preaching will be purposeful (see below) and avoid being reactionary, to name just a few.
Where to Start?
Here are some things you will need to guide your decisions:
*Church Calendar - By following it you are educating your people’s hearts and minds about the Christian story. For example, Advent (four Sundays before Christmas), Resurrection Sunday (Easter), Pentecost (the AG has a program guide for the time between Resurrection Day and Pentecost), Reformation day are all vital dates from which to build sermons around.
*Denomination Calendar - This calendar is given to all AG ministers. It provides the dates for BGMC Sunday, Speed the Light Day, Bible Day, Missions Events, Pastor Appreciation Day, Women’s Ministry Day, Men’s Ministry Day.
*Holidays and Special Days - People’s minds are already on these topics, so the wise preacher can use them as a springboard for a sermon idea. Here are some examples: Christmas, Valentine’s day, New Year’s, memorable dates in the life of the church you are pastoring.
*Church Programs - Connect with emphasis on the various ministries your church offers (Youth, Children, Royal Ranger, etc.)
*Bible Book Studies - Preach the parts of the Bible that your congregation needs. Lead them, through your sermons, in the direction they need to go. A balanced plan looks both at the issues the Bible raises and the problems that your people face. We suggest you always have at least one book study per quarter. It is the best method for maturing people, ensuring God’s blessing and raising Bible knowledge. It also requires less preliminary study than the topical approach.
How Can I Make Time to Plan?
Plan a retreat or sabbatical - This is not a vacation, but a time to prepare and plan. Get away during a slow week or slow time of the year (parts of the summer, late December). It may be necessary to bring in a special speaker during this time. It is important to emphasize to the church leadership the necessity of you doing this.
What Would a Preaching Calendar Look Like?
Below is an anatomy of a preaching calendar:
Date
AM/PM
Title
Text
Central Idea of the Sermon (CIS):
Specific Objective (SO):
Here is an example of what this would look like with all of the categories plugged in:
Date: May 18 AM service
Title: Jesus Stands Up for Us
Text: 1John 2:1-2
CIS: Christians will be made aware of the continuing work of Jesus on their behalf.
SO: Christians will be more knowledgeable about and encouraged by the fact of Jesus
pleading their case before God
*DO THIS FOR EVERY SERVICE YOU WILL BE PREACHING IN A GIVEN MONTH
A special note about the Holy Spirit and Planning - Do not underestimate the Holy Spirit's ability to lead you in planning. If the Spirit can guide you at the altar, during your prayer time or in day to day living, He can certainly give you wisdom to plan. Remember that your preaching plan, like all plans, are projections that are made based on the best information you have at the time. Like all plans, if it needs to be revised then do so. The Holy Spirit will guide you.