10 Ways to Ruin a Sermon

By Greg Stier, Op-ed Contributor Wednesday, April 01, 2015

1. Make it about you, not Jesus.

2. Let the Holy Spirit just lead you on the spot (not also the week or two before in your prep time!)

3. Forget to use your clutch (also called "transitions") as you switch gears between points.

4. Preach like a Texas Steer…a point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in-between.

5. String together random verses to support your outline instead of drawing your sermon from a strong exposition of God's Word.

6. Steal your sermon outlines from someone else instead of wrestling through your own.

7. Take 30 minutes to make a 10 minute point.

8. Make people feel like they need to do more for Jesus to truly accept them.

9. Overuse or underuse humor, stories and illustrations.

10. Refuse to give the Gospel.

Greg Stier is the Founder and President of Dare 2 Share Ministries International. He has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of Christian teenagers through Dare 2 Share events, motivating and mobilizing them to reach their generation for Christ. He is the author of eleven books and numerous resources, including Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide for Sharing Your Faith. For more information on Dare 2 Share and their upcoming conference tour and training resources, please visit www.dare2share.org.