How to Extend the Life of Every Sermon

ByBrandon Hilgemann

Pastors spend a lot of time every week working hard on their sermon. They preach it. God uses it. Then, they toss it and begin work on the next one. 

Why are we so content with letting all that work go to waste?

How can we help a sermon live beyond Sunday?

Here are 10 ways that you can extend the life of every sermon. This will help each sermon live longer and reach more people.

Resources Mentioned

Key Takeaways

Here’s a quick list of some of the big takeaways from this episode. Check the timestamp to see when each point is discussed.

  •  When we put a lot of time and effort into something, we want it to last. [0:56]
  • We work so hard on our sermons, we deliver it, and statistics show that it doesn’t last. [3:14]
  • We spend 8-15 hours a week on a message with a lifespan less than the average housefly [4:39]
  • 1. Make a video. Record every sermon with a decent camera and even better audio. [5:59]
  • YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world, and it’s owned by Google, the #1 search engine. [6:28]
  • Posting your sermon on YouTube helps it get found on both the #1 and #2 search engines. [7:05]
  • 2. Live stream it. [11:21]
  • This is a great way for people who are sick, in the hospital, or out of town to still be part of your church community online. [11:38]
  • 3. Pull video clips from your sermon, and share them online. [12:29]
  • Make it 60 seconds max so it can be posted and shared on all social media platforms. [13:16]
  • 4. Make a Podcast from your sermon audio [14:28]
  • The easiest way for your church to start and host a podcast for free! [15:42]
  • 5. Turn it into a blog post [18:09]
  • Helps church website with SEO (search engine optimization). Search engines like Google will send more people to your website. [19:12]
  • A 30-60 minute message will take half a day to transcribe, so find a volunteer or use Rev.com [20:52]
  • 6. Pull sermon quotes from your transcript. [22:51]
  • Turn them into images with an app like WordSwag, Canva.com, or Slider.
  • The biggest mistake that most churches make on social media. [24:50]
  • 7. Publish your sermon as a book or booklet. [25:58]
  • Use KDP to create a professional looking book, and you can even sell it on Amazon to raise money for missions, your church, or to help support your work bi-vocationally. [27:10]
  • 8. Turn your sermon into small group materials. [28:38]
  • 9. Use it for classes. [29:25]
  • Example of a church I worked at using vision casting sermons for membership classes. [29:39]
  • 10. Turn it into an email lead magnet on your church website. [31:00]
  • Make it a helpful, free resource that people can download in exchange for an email address [31:30]
  • Most people won’t give you an email address without getting some value in return. [35:06]

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One Comment

  1. I think the ideas offered are useful. There are more uses for a message which has taken a great deal of time in construction.

    I also believe that the impact of a good message is not as discernible as we might believe, and which can not be assessed by whatever tools we think can determine that, as we would want to be able to measure it.

    Just as with any family. Our influence at the moment may seem minimal, but as parents, we come to realize more is grabbed and stored than we imagined.

    Maybe we could do a take off from this article and come up with some interesting and even humorous parallels that would work in raising our children.

    Reply