5 Elements Every Sermon Needs

INTRODUCTION

Every sermon needs five elements to succeed. These elements help you communicate for life change and challenge people to take their next step in following Jesus. The five elements are scripture, skin, symbol, story and step. Some of you have been preaching for twenty years and might be wondering what you can learn at this point. Keep reading because you’ll pick up something new and useful in your sermon construction. Some of you reading aren’t preachers but you support them as a creative with graphics, videos, props and stage sets. Keep reading because you play a vital role in executing these five elements.

I’m excited to write this article because I’ve seen it work from both sides. I’ve preached messages as a pastor and I’ve supported messages as a creative. So whatever side of the fence you are on, I’m glad you’re reading because these elements will help you communicate for life change. Also these five elements apply outside of a sermon. They apply to any non-religious talk or presentation you give if you just substitute scripture for your main point. So apply these elements and make any talk or presentation more engaging.

If you’re looking for coaching on this topic beyond this article then visit benstapley.com/coach to schedule a free consultation. I would love to help you determine the obstacles you're facing and if I’m the best person to help you overcome them.

SCRIPTURE 

I’m not gonna spend much time with scripture because I’m sure most of you already have this element in your sermon. But it is helpful to state the obvious, because sometimes it’s overlooked. There are a couple of sermons I’ve heard that incorporated poems from Robert Frost or lyrics from Coldplay but didn’t incorporate words from God. Let’s avoid this mistake by starting with scripture. 

Two basic questions to ask when you are selecting scripture are what is the primary biblical text and what are your supporting scriptures. When you evaluate this element after the message is preached ask yourself these questions. Did I make the plain thing the main thing? Did it flow logically? Were there enough or too much supporting scriptures?

SKIN

The skin is the overall look and feel of the message series. It is the cover, packaging or skin around a series. It incorporates all the branding elements to make a cohesive experience. Branding elements like stage design, graphic package, video bumper and worship backgrounds. Information on these elements should get as granular as fonts and colors and be listed in your creative briefs. Here are some examples of creative briefs. Listing and describing all these elements on one document helps the creative teams be on the same page. Listing the elements will also help the creatives complement each other's work.

Having a skin for a series does three things. It gives people context, helps them engage and allows them to share. The skin gives them context by providing a bird's eye perspective on what they will experience. The colors, fonts and filters on your graphics and videos quickly give people that context. If the design is stark people know the subject matter will be heavy. If the font is big, bold and bright people know the topic will be high energy. If colors are pastel people know they are in for a series about emotions. If not emotions then at least a mother’s day message 🙂.

Skins give people context, they also help people engage. The average Christian attends church two times a month at best. So if the majority of people are not attending every week how do you help them engage with the message as quickly as possible? You do that with a skin. The skin helps people orient themselves in the series by recalling a past message in the series. This allows them to spend more time focusing on the message that day instead of where they are in relation to the whole series.

Skins also allow people to share. If you create a cool looking skin, your people will naturally share it. One of the most shared series I’ve overseen is At The Movies. The graphic alluded to free popcorn and movie tickets we would give away during the service. And the bumper had clear cultural components that people understood and wanted to see more of. And side benefit, since people share messages that have a great skin, it will reduce your marketing budget. You will no longer need to dump money into Facebook ads because your people will be organically sharing this content instead. 

Here are three guidelines to creating good skins. Keep it positive. Keep it intriguing. Keep it ambiguous. I once saw a message series titled 9 Habits Of The Chronically Unhappy. Not the most positive. Also keep it intriguing. I oversaw a series called RTD which stood for Religiously Transmitted Diseases. The RTDs focused on religious sins like hypocrisy and pride. The series played off the term STD. It had people walking around in hazmat suits. We gave away stickers that said 17% less judgmental. When people encountered this intriguing skin, they naturally wanted to find out more. Lastly, keep it ambiguous. The skin should include just enough to get the big idea but no more. We did this with a series called Games People Play. Here is the bumper. When people saw this they understood the series was about games but that’s it. And that is where we wanted to leave them. In other words, spark their imagination but leave them wanting more.

When it comes to how long a series or skin should be, I suggest four to six weeks. If the series is shorter it's difficult to go in-depth on a topic. It’s also hard for guests that have missed a week to feel part of a short series. Also the shorter the series are, the more of them you need to do over the year, which means more work from your creative teams. If the series is longer your regular guests can start to lose interest in the topic. But remember this - your teaching staff will always get bored of the series way before your guests do. That’s because your teaching staff is spending 10-20 hours planning and practicing the message but your guests are only experiencing it for 1 hour. So regardless of how long your series are, make sure you choose a length that is beneficial for your guests, not your teaching staff. 

STORY

I’ve had the phrase “The best stories win culture” on my dry erase board. It is a daily reminder to continue honing my storytelling craft for the sake of culture and the kingdom. Stories are a vital element to include in your message. And notice how I said stories, not story. I like to use the 1:10 rule here. Include 1 story for every 10 minutes of preaching. Stories are important because they connect spiritual truth to the listeners’ emotions & feelings.

There are three ways to tell a story. Tell your own story. Tell someone else’s story. Someone else tells their story. All are powerful but have different pros and cons. So understanding how and when to use which type of story is important. Telling your own story has a strong sense of intimacy because it is personal. But sharing too many personal stories can start making the message feel self-centered. Telling someone else’s story brings in a wider range of life experiences that you don’t have. It is also wise when the person is not a strong public speaker. Telling someone else’s story works well when it is complimentary. This allows you to brag about someone else instead of them bragging about themselves. The advantages of inviting someone to share their story is its intimate and probably not an experience you’ve had. The disadvantage is it takes more time to either coach someone to deliver it live or capture it on camera. At the end of the day few people will remember your scripture, but everyone will remember your stories. So include stories.

SYMBOL

There are 2D and 3D symbols. 2D symbols are images you put on screen to illustrate a point. 2D symbols are easy to find and use. Google image search, download and drop into ProPresenter. I remember when a woman was reading her testimony at a baptism service. When she got to the decisive moment she said “A year ago I was listening to a message. I don’t remember what it was about. But I remember seeing an image on screen of a path coming to a fork. When I saw that image I knew I had to make a decision. Was I gonna continue down my own path? Or was I gonna take God’s path for my life?” This simple 2D symbol had an eternal impact on this woman’s life.

Often the scripture will suggest a symbol to illustrate the truth we’re trying to convey. If Hebrews 4:14-16 talked about connecting to God through prayer I would hold up a phone as the symbol. If 2 Corinthians 5:20 talked about being ambassadors for Christ I would compare it to the Queen using a sword for a knighting ceremony. If Hebrews 12:6 talked about how God disciplines those he loves, I would use the framework of foul poles and the symbol of a baseball bat for parents who are trying to love and discipline their children.

3D symbols don’t need to be complex. They can be ordinary objects found in everyday places. All they need to do is visually connect your guests to what you are saying. But it is more memorable if they are striking or even dangerous. Like standing on the top step of a ladder when talking about generosity. Or wielding a blowtorch when referencing the refining fire of God. Ask yourself these questions when selecting your symbol. Does it connect to the scripture? Is it visually striking? Is it well placed? Is it big enough? Will the people in the back row see it? How am I getting it on and off stage? These questions will help you select an awesome symbol.

STEP

The last element is step. Without it your message will connect to the head and heart of your guests, but not their hands. People will think and feel but not do. So including this step is vital. There are a ton of potential next steps. Accept salvation, receive healing prayer, get baptized, participate in communion, join a life group, volunteer to serve, invite a friend, feed the poor, go on a mission trip and start to tithe. Spiritual steps are how people grow. A lifetime of small steps can result in dramatic life change. An effective message should inspire the audience to take their next step after the service. Or better yet, during the service. Let’s remember - faith without action is dead.

In evaluating your step, ask yourself these questions. Did the audience clearly understand what they were being asked to do? Was ample time provided to respond? Is the step measurable? How do we know people responded? Were the right tools available? Tools like sign-up cards, new believers kit and invite cards.

CONCLUSION 

So those are my five elements that every message at your church must have to communicate for life change. As we conclude, let’s remember that Jesus was the best preacher ever. He included all five elements so His audience could hear, see, and feel His teaching. He quoted scripture liberally. You see this anytime he starts a statement with “it has been written” and “you have heard it said”. He skinned his messages with a theme. Luke 15 is a great example of this as the lost theme applies to the sheep, coin and son. Jesus repeatedly used striking symbols to illustrate deeper spiritual reality. Seeds, soil, bread, wine. He was always using symbols. Jesus told memorable stories. Most people can’t tell you what Luke 10:25-37 is about, but most people can retell the story of the good Samaritan. In fact, that story is so memorable, that we now have laws named after it 2,000 years later. Lastly, Jesus always gave a step. Whenever Jesus healed, there was a step involved. Come down from that tree, fill these jars, pick up your mat.

Jesus was the master communicator so let’s follow his direction and include the five elements of scripture, skin, symbol, story and step into our messages. Let me know what you thought of this article. I would love to hear from you and learn from you. And if you want additional help in this area then visit benstapley.com/coach to schedule a free consultation. I would love to help you win. Have an awesome day.