One of my mantras has become, “Never preach a message once.” And preaching it in multiple services during the same weekend doesn’t count.

Your first service is not your trial run. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your preaching, you absolutely must develop the habit of doing a weekly message run-through — that is, the habit of preaching your message ahead of time, gathering feedback and integrating the changes into your notes for Sunday.

At minimum, put yourself in the room with an audio recorder or a video camera. Better yet, pull together some interested, trusted staff to listen and give you feedback. That’s the basic concept; here’s how the process looks in detail:

1. Put a message run-through on your weekly calendar. Make sure your run-through is scheduled for at least three days before Sunday, so you will have time to make necessary adjustments. Personally, my message run-through is always scheduled for the Thursday afternoon before the Sunday I am teaching. That gives me Friday and Saturday to make any changes and let the message marinate in my mind.

2. Finalize your preaching notes/ message manuscript. Make sure you are fully prepared to deliver your message in time for your trial run. Don’t let there be any gaps in your manuscript, no points that you still need to research a little more or fill in. Without a completed manuscript, any attempt at a trial run will fall far short of its potential.

3. Gather your creative elements. If you are going to be using any personal creative elements in your message, use them in your trial run. Do everything exactly like you will do it in the actual message. You don’t want any surprises on Sunday.

4. Set up for audio or video recording. When was the last time you watched yourself on video or listened to yourself on audio? You should be taking part in this humbling exercise every week. We all have quirks and habits that we aren’t aware of.

Tune in next week when I share the next five critical processes for your message run-through.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.