Preaching Without Panic
How I Plan Sermons with Purpose (and Margin)
I am an expositional preacher.
Actually, let me be more specific—I’m a verse-by-verse preacher. I believe in walking through whole books of the Bible, passage by passage, trusting the Spirit to guide the direction and the timing.
And I plan my preaching months in advance.
But I want to be honest. I am extremely limited on time. I have a family I love deeply. I have hospital visits, counseling sessions, and spontaneous moments of ministry that don’t show up in my Google calendar. So if I’m going to faithfully feed the flock and be present to the people in my home, then I need a plan.
Not a rigid one—but a Spirit-sensitive, well-prepared one. That’s what this post is about. I’m simply sharing what I do. If you’re a fellow pastor, maybe it will help you too. If you’re a church member, maybe it will give you a deeper appreciation for the spiritual and logistical thought behind Sunday’s sermon.
We Already Have a Calendar
We Baptists may not follow the historic liturgical calendar like Anglicans or Catholics, but let’s not pretend we don’t have one.
We’ve got Christmas and Easter. We’ve got patriotic Sundays (Memorial Day, Veterans Day, the Sunday before or after July 4th). We’ve got Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Some churches have Golden Seniors Day, Disaster Relief Sunday, and, of course, Lottie and Annie, each asking for their place in the offering plate.
I’m not opposed to any of these. In fact, many of them are beautiful opportunities for encouragement, remembrance, and mission. But we need to be honest: these moments do shape our preaching calendar—whether we plan for them or let them sneak up on us.
What I want to argue is this: the regular preaching of the Word is the primary work of the church and its ministers. And if we’re going to keep that work front and center, we have to think ahead. Here’s how I do that—with very little time and a heart that wants to be faithful.
My Workflow for Planning Preaching (Without Burning Out)
1. Start With Prayer
I don’t mean that in a cliché way. When I begin planning, I pray:
Through the text itself
Through our membership list
For the Spirit to lead
I want to know: What’s our church hungry for? What doctrines are weak? Where are the hurts, doubts, and idols showing up in everyday conversations?
Prayer slows me down and centers me. It reminds me this isn’t about clever outlines or polished delivery. It’s about the Word of God, delivered to people God loves.
2. Keep Good Records
I keep track of every sermon I preach—text, title, theme, date.
Sometimes that’s in a file cabinet. Sometimes it’s in Evernote. Sometimes it’s on the chart taped to my office wall. But it’s a running history of where we’ve been together as a church. And it keeps me from repeating myself (or neglecting entire sections of Scripture).
3. Stay Longer Than Three Years
If you’re in this for the long haul, you can afford to take your time.
Some books take a year. Some take six weeks. But staying in one church longer than three years gives you time to vary your pace, to go deeper, and to build trust. It also gives your people a fuller picture of God’s Word—not just your greatest hits.
4. Preach Doctrine, Not Just Books
I’m a big believer in exposition, but I also think doctrinal preaching gets unfairly criticized.
Some truths require more than one passage to explain. Preaching the Trinity or the nature of Scripture or a biblical theology of work requires a whole-Bible lens. That’s not “topical preaching” in the shallow sense—it’s thematic exegesis, and it’s necessary.
I try to plan these doctrinal sermons for times when they’ll resonate most—around key Sundays, during natural transitions, or when I sense the church needs theological clarity.
5. Use a Visual Bible Checklist
This might sound old-school, but I keep a physical chart that shows what books I’ve preached through.
It’s not about bragging rights—it’s about being accountable to the whole counsel of God. Over time, you’ll see what’s missing. You’ll see which books you gravitate toward, and which ones you’ve ignored. That alone is worth the five minutes it takes to create a chart.
6. Look at the Church Calendar (Honestly)
There’s no such thing as a neutral Sunday. So plan accordingly.
Mark your “high” and “low” Sundays—not to show off on the big ones and coast on the low ones, but to know what emotional and spiritual temperature your people are bringing with them.
Some Sundays demand more intentionality:
Easter → Preach the resurrection
Christmas → Preach the incarnation or advent
Mother’s/Father’s Day → Preach grace, honor, and encouragement
Patriotic Sundays → Preach about true freedom, service, or justice
Lottie Moon / Annie Armstrong → Preach mission and giving
You don’t have to write a brand-new sermon for each one. Sometimes you’re already in a text that fits perfectly—you just need to draw out an application or illustration that connects with the day.
Also, keep track of:
Lord’s Supper frequency (and pair appropriate texts)
Attendance trends (don’t start Romans 9 the week everyone’s at the lake)
7. Pick Your Book(s), Plan Your Year
Every six months, I build out a preaching calendar for the next six. I leave a few “flex” Sundays—because sometimes you need to go slower, or life happens.
Here’s how I usually prep:
6 months out: Pick the book. Pray. Read and reread. Outline the flow. Break it into preachable units.
3 months out: Read commentaries. Listen to trusted sermons. Re-outline as needed.
2 weeks out: Start outlining each sermon.
Week of: Finalize structure, illustrations, and application. Then sketch the next one while the ideas are fresh.
This layered approach gives me time to handle counseling, emergencies, and parenting—without writing in a panic on Saturday night.
8. Preach to Real People (Not Just Hypotheticals)
Your preaching is shaped by your context. That’s not a bad thing—it’s part of pastoring.
But don’t let your counseling bleed into your sermons. Don’t preach to the one person who made you mad or broke your heart that week. Preach the Word. Trust it to address what needs addressing.
Also—don’t get stuck in your favorite theme. Yes, you’re passionate about the sovereignty of God or the beauty of the church or the dangers of legalism. Me too. But your people need the whole Word. Not just the ones you love preaching.
You Don’t Need to Be a Machine
I don’t write this as a guy who has it all figured out. I’m tired most weeks. I have limited bandwidth. And I miss the mark more often than I’d like to admit.
But by planning in advance, leaning on prayer, and sticking close to Scripture, I’ve found a rhythm that sustains me and leaves room for life—to hold my kids, be with my wife, and show up for the people I’m called to serve.
If you’re overwhelmed, start small. Map out six weeks. Pick a short book. Print a chart. Pray over your calendar.
You don’t need to be a machine. You need to be faithful.
And faithful preaching, over time, shapes faithful churches. That’s worth planning for.