10 Things that make a Sermon Boring

[Guest lovinghim4ever]

I agree with your entire list.

To me the most important way to keep people from getting bored is as others have already mentioned . . . Be lead by the Holy Spirit.

In our church we have a couple of sayings for someone who skips all over the place . . .

"Don't chase rabbits." Meaning - stay focused on the main topic of the message.

OR

"Catch that rabbit already and move on." Meaning - it's time to make your point and move to the next one.

Another point I'd like to make right here is "Don't scream your whole sermon."

I understand that preaching can get exciting for the preacher; especially if God reveals something new to the preacher while they are preaching. However, it is not necessary to scream your whole sermon. There are a few preachers I know that I just can't listen to, because they are screamers. If I could read their messages on paper I would probably find that they are very encouraging and uplifting. So, don't scream your message. Get excited and loud at the appropriate times, but don't scream the whole message.

Okay, that's my two cents. Hope it helps.

[treasured]

We have a new pastor here, and I love his messages!.....Guess What...He is a note reader!!, and after setting under pastors that 'know what they want to say' it was very hard to stay focused on what he was saying because of thinking..."Doe's he 'know' anything he is talking about?.."Is he shy?"..."why doesn't he make eye contact?","the onlytime he looks up is like you learn in speech class ...'over the heads and first to this side of the room and then next time that side'"....Now I take notes without looking up...Sure makes it easier to keep focused on the message.

Did have a pastor in New Mexico that had a monotone voice, and can say I did find myself joining MANY others in nodding off ....I think your 10 points were Right On

[Guest lnj]

I'm not big on being entertained through a sermon. I am eager to be fed from the Word but not with a song and dance routine. I have seen Preachers stand ramrod straight and not move...tisn't good. You need to use the floor but the Word annointed by the Holy Spirit is all I want to hear.

[kittylover0991]

Use big words that no one uses in everyday life. lol big words can be great, just not the ENTIRE sermon so it makes no sense

Don't use humor. Some humor is good, but I know some AMAZING preachers that don't use humor at all However, "humor" can be a good ice breaker to start the message, it can be a good attention getter at times.... some messages just shouldn't much if any humor.... All the Holy Spirit leading.

Don't make any life applications. I can almost agree with this. Making life applications can be a VERY huge part. I guess it depends a lot on the church and the person, but I love it when pastors will tell a personal story about things (those can be fun) and many times, help us with applying them to our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit has to convict you, but if someone didn't tell me for five years that I need to be reading God's Word to grow? lol yeah Those specifics "My God... Early will I seek thee"... "Set a time every day to sit down and read God's Word! Set your alarm a little early to get up and start your day off right". Huge thing

Don't challenge me or encourage me. A message doesn't HAVE to challenge or encourage, and you can learn a lot from it.... if it is an exciting topic to the person for whatever reason, possibly just want to learn, like when I first found out about speaking in tongues ... those are great! I am not trying to take the job of the Holy Spirit and a pastor shouldn't do that, but, a challenge is a WONDERFUL thing to have in a message

Quote tons of scripture and don't tell any stories. lol, alright.... I agree *whistle* It shoudn't be this way, I but I agree lol

Preach about the Hittites, Perizzites or Jebusites instead of something relevant today. Hold up with this one.... something that isn't relevant today? Things with them in the bible can be VERY relevant today! Just look at nehemiah! As much I hated hearing message from the book, it seemed to boring... learned SOOO much from it.... Things like the old testament... Honeslty? We need to learn things from the Old Testament.... there are things that we can learn for today, such as in 1 Tim where it says that ALL scripture is profitiable for instruction

Be long winded. No one really has anything else to do anyway. Oh.... why not??? lol The long winders are FUN!!!!! Just have a heart for the Lord! A kick in your step and a "fire in the belly"!!! There is a man at my church who preaches on Wednesday nights who used to work in our youth group. However, I am in teen group on Wednesday nights so I miss hearing him preach. He is KNOWN for being LONG WINDED!!! But you know what? I LOVE HIS PREACHING SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!! He has a true love for CHrist like I can't explain.. it is in his eyes, his heart, his words.. his actions... I can see the love of Christ in everything he does, even though he will say that he is a dirty rotten sinner (which he is)... but how amazing his preaching is!!! He has an amazing testimony and just allows the Lord to speak through him!!!! One of my many favorite preachers

Don't ever use visual stimulation like PowerPoint or object lessons.

Powerpoint in a message? Never heard of that lol I've seen Powerpoint used during Bible Institute which is a college level class, but I woudl think that could be a bit distracting during the message.. any thoughts? Object lessons? Those are great!! We had a pastor give us all a little rock... and then in a message entitled 'Dont forget teh bread".. basically told not to forget about how great God is... we had hamburger rolls thrown at us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol Loved that message *whistle* Messages dont' NEED them, but they can be great Just let the Lord lead

Use half your sermon to explain how to translate a word from the original Greek.

Only beat me up, never build me up

Hmm... Holy Spirit leading.... we need to be chastised with love.... told we are wrong, and encouraged that we can do right.... repent doesn't mean just stop doing wrong, it means turning the other way and doing right...

Screaming pastors? Depends...

We had one preacher who yelled the entire time! Amazing message!!! Started to go home and ask, "So, what did I get from this message? Well.. he yelled a lot". *whistle*

On the other hand? We have a preacher that after a while? He gets so fired up! So quiet otherwise.. you'd NEVER thing he had that fire behind the pulpit! lol I tell you, it's the quiet ones you have to be afraid of However, got so much out of that message: )

"Screaming" can be fine... as long as it comes from the Lord ... there has to be substance

Hope this helps

lol

[Vickilynn]

Shalom,

As everyone has said, someone preaching without the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be BORING!!

Also, too many "stories" of someone the preacher knows who did this or that or personal stories unrelated to the topic.

Also, as others have said zig-zagging all over the place makes the sermon hard to follow and thus boring.

We have several pastors in our church. The head pastor is the main preacher. He has a warm, funny, to-the-point style and he mixes humor with relevant personal examples and as well as staying strictly on topic and most of all, making sure the sermon is Biblical and applicable. I love to hear him preach and teach.

However, when he is not available, one of the other pastors takes over. Some are OK, but there is one, bless his heart, that puts everyone to sleep every time he preaches. He goes all over the place, tells too many personal stories and we end up scratching our heads thinking about WHAT was the topic of his message?

I hate to say it, but if we know that pastor is preaching, we, ummm, errrr, stay home. He is very hard to follow.

[abbershay]

being led by the most HOLY SPIRIT is the most important thing , this requires time with him , also preparing the people with proper praise and worship ,

And one more thing make the point and move dont say the same thing over and over.

[Guest Biblicist]

Use big words that no one uses in everyday life. lol big words can be great, just not the ENTIRE sermon so it makes no sense

Don't use humor. Some humor is good, but I know some AMAZING preachers that don't use humor at all However, "humor" can be a good ice breaker to start the message, it can be a good attention getter at times.... some messages just shouldn't much if any humor.... All the Holy Spirit leading.

Don't make any life applications. I can almost agree with this. Making life applications can be a VERY huge part. I guess it depends a lot on the church and the person, but I love it when pastors will tell a personal story about things (those can be fun) and many times, help us with applying them to our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit has to convict you, but if someone didn't tell me for five years that I need to be reading God's Word to grow? lol yeah Those specifics "My God... Early will I seek thee"... "Set a time every day to sit down and read God's Word! Set your alarm a little early to get up and start your day off right". Huge thing

Don't challenge me or encourage me. A message doesn't HAVE to challenge or encourage, and you can learn a lot from it.... if it is an exciting topic to the person for whatever reason, possibly just want to learn, like when I first found out about speaking in tongues ... those are great! I am not trying to take the job of the Holy Spirit and a pastor shouldn't do that, but, a challenge is a WONDERFUL thing to have in a message

Quote tons of scripture and don't tell any stories. lol, alright.... I agree *whistle* It shoudn't be this way, I but I agree lol

Preach about the Hittites, Perizzites or Jebusites instead of something relevant today. Hold up with this one.... something that isn't relevant today? Things with them in the bible can be VERY relevant today! Just look at nehemiah! As much I hated hearing message from the book, it seemed to boring... learned SOOO much from it.... Things like the old testament... Honeslty? We need to learn things from the Old Testament.... there are things that we can learn for today, such as in 1 Tim where it says that ALL scripture is profitiable for instruction

Be long winded. No one really has anything else to do anyway. Oh.... why not??? lol The long winders are FUN!!!!! Just have a heart for the Lord! A kick in your step and a "fire in the belly"!!! There is a man at my church who preaches on Wednesday nights who used to work in our youth group. However, I am in teen group on Wednesday nights so I miss hearing him preach. He is KNOWN for being LONG WINDED!!! But you know what? I LOVE HIS PREACHING SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!! He has a true love for CHrist like I can't explain.. it is in his eyes, his heart, his words.. his actions... I can see the love of Christ in everything he does, even though he will say that he is a dirty rotten sinner (which he is)... but how amazing his preaching is!!! He has an amazing testimony and just allows the Lord to speak through him!!!! One of my many favorite preachers

Don't ever use visual stimulation like PowerPoint or object lessons.

Powerpoint in a message? Never heard of that lol I've seen Powerpoint used during Bible Institute which is a college level class, but I woudl think that could be a bit distracting during the message.. any thoughts? Object lessons? Those are great!! We had a pastor give us all a little rock... and then in a message entitled 'Dont forget teh bread".. basically told not to forget about how great God is... we had hamburger rolls thrown at us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol Loved that message *whistle* Messages dont' NEED them, but they can be great Just let the Lord lead

Use half your sermon to explain how to translate a word from the original Greek.

Only beat me up, never build me up

Hmm... Holy Spirit leading.... we need to be chastised with love.... told we are wrong, and encouraged that we can do right.... repent doesn't mean just stop doing wrong, it means turning the other way and doing right...

Screaming pastors? Depends...

We had one preacher who yelled the entire time! Amazing message!!! Started to go home and ask, "So, what did I get from this message? Well.. he yelled a lot". *whistle*

On the other hand? We have a preacher that after a while? He gets so fired up! So quiet otherwise.. you'd NEVER thing he had that fire behind the pulpit! lol I tell you, it's the quiet ones you have to be afraid of However, got so much out of that message: )

"Screaming" can be fine... as long as it comes from the Lord ... there has to be substance

Hope this helps

lol

Amen, Kitty!

[ray]

what bothers me and puts me to sleep is when the pastor starts saying after this.... this is the last thing i have to say and i will be done; 15 minute later he has said about 20 times now this is the last thing i have to say. As soon as he says that i give him no more than 5 minutes to wrap things up.

[MeCajunboy]

I've posted 10 things that make a sermon boing on my blog this morning. I'm curious to know what you thing makes a sermon boring.

As a preacher ... I need to know this stuff

If you want, check mine out then add to it...

Blessings,

Trey

http://rediscovering-church.blogspot.com/2...eep-during.html

My SIN. . . That's what makes me bored with hearing the Word of God preached. Satan sits on my shoulder and tells me, "You've heard all this before." "You've been saved for 30 years, what else could this guy teach you?" When I start to listen to him that is when I start getting bored, it has nothing to do with what the Pastor is doing, or saying, it's ME!

It is the Pastor's responsibility to bring God's word to me. It's MY respoinsibility to prepare my heart for what The Lord wishes me to learn from that. The responsibility is mine, all mine. He's not up there to entertain me! He does not preach from a stage, he preaches from a pulpit. I do not go to the Theater to hear The Gosple, I go to Church. My tithe is not the price of admission.

The apostles didn't have anecdotes or funny stories to tell, they didn't use power point, they certainly didn't spend entire sermons trying to explain what Jeasus meant. They simply preached the Word. The Truth. This is church:

Acts 2:41-47 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Sorry Biblicist but I just have to ask, "What is satan doing sitting on your shoulder in church to begin with?" From the moment I awake, I ask God to come into my day and spirit and immediately begin laughing at perhaps the most recent thing I enjoyed before I went to bed on the previous night. I had to learn never to set myself up for failure for the day. As we get older and set in our routine, we tend to forget the "gift" of change that God allows each of us. I never want to be the same "negative" "depressed" person I was years ago. Besides, life's too short. And one will find him/herself saying in the end. Where did I really contribute to life and for God? Who's life did I actually make brighter. Whom did I affect today? I've noticed far too many people today are only focused on themselves and their own lives, situations and crosses. That's why I enjoy being here around people like you and Inj , and Bille, and Marie and the hundreds of other who contribute and focus on evreyone else. What we say here is the most important part of what we contribute to those in need. So we have to be the "LIGHT" and "BEACON" for God's knowledge because the rest of God's people; many of whom are just becoming awake to HIS "LIGHT," are so hungry and desperate to be contented, happy, and have a solid foundation to base their lives on. I see that in many like YOU and the many that post here on a regular basis. That's why I'm always taken back when I hear someone take "satan's" attacks into any church of God. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though since satan can be so cunning and conceiling and the fact that satan can even be working in that very moment in that pastor, preacher or priest, as we sit and get very bored? I've felt what many feel at times and I'm hear to tell you , "If you ever feel that feeling that that leader is not working for YOU for too very long of a time , Weeks, months , whatever" LEAVE! And test others out , until you find the one you ARE searching for! But don't stay in a Church of Christ, where you are not being LED or FEELING the Law of God affecting your soul/spirit for too very long. THAT'S NOT HEALTHY AND IT'S PROBABLY GOD TELLING YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THAT FEELING!

Sorry Biblicist I used your spot . Hope you realized I was just "being in the moment? But I've noticed too many behaving that way in My local church and when people are led to get involved and participate or the preacher doesn't have the knowledge to "produce" good fruit, I'm afraid that leader either has to take a good look at his future, and make modifications or consider that he made a mistake. But this should be about the "people" not the "preacher." It should be about praising God and not ourselves. So I thank YOU for bringing up that take on "satan" being on your shoulder in church. But honestly, it tells me more about the preacher/priest/or leader, of that sermon than the individual.

Blessings

Cajunboy

[kittylover0991]

what bothers me and puts me to sleep is when the pastor starts saying after this.... this is the last thing i have to say and i will be done; 15 minute later he has said about 20 times now this is the last thing i have to say. As soon as he says that i give him no more than 5 minutes to wrap things up.

And that would be when the pastor takes his watch off, everyone chuckles a bit, and the congregation says more "amen"'s lol I love it so much when pastor says "One more thing and I'll be done" How I love it!!!! You never quite know what is going to happen in those next so many minutes! I could be a short little wrap up of everything that could happen, it could be a whole other point, and/or one of those two with a strange twist at the end you never expected!!!! Either way? Choose to close your ears and attempt to tune the preacher out, or open your eyes, heart, and ears to the preaching of the Word of God and let him work Obviously, there was something else that needed to be said that morning Oh how I love those twists!!!