You will all preach your next sermon without notes,” the seminary professor announced.

My heart raced as I wondered how to manage this seemingly impossible assignment.

As frightening as it was, I am grateful for that academic nudge. The exercise ultimately made me a better preacher. Learning to deliver sermons without clinging to a set of pages forced me to focus my messages and make them more engaging.

Relying less on notes can do the same for you.

Focused

No one will recall everything said in your last sermon, but they can remember something.

With that in mind, focus each message on one biblical idea you want people to take with them.

Simplicity can be profound. After all, the goal is making God’s Word accessible to as many people as possible.

First, summarize the sermon in one sentence. Distill it into a concise, easy-to-understand statement, such as, “God keeps His promises.”

In Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell describes his 3 a.m. test. Imagine someone shaking you awake at 3 a.m. and asking what your next sermon is about. If you can’t answer in just a few words, you still need to simplify.

“Thoughts you cannot gather at 3 a.m. are not likely to be caught by others at 11 a.m.,” Chappell writes.

Next, make sure everything in the outline connects to that summary sentence. One way to do this is by reimagining the traditional, vertical outline as a nucleus with related parts encircling it.

I like to draw a circle and write my big idea inside it. I then represent the other parts of my sermon using double-ended arrows extending from the circle, like spokes on a wheel. The introduction, points, and conclusion are smaller circles connecting to the main idea.

This is a visual reminder that everything revolves around the big idea, expressing the same principle in different ways.

Finally, practice preaching the entire message without notes. Run through the sermon while walking the dog, doing yard work, or sitting in a comfortable chair.

I try to cover each point from beginning to end without looking at my notes. If I can’t remember what comes next, it’s an indication I need to address a disconnect in my manuscript.

An outline that flows naturally is easier to follow mentally — not only for the speaker, but also for listeners. If logical connections between the various parts of my sermon aren’t obvious to me, I shouldn’t expect anyone else to keep up.

People won’t remember all the points, but a well-crafted sermon will keep bringing listeners back to the main theme.

Ideally, congregants will return to the big idea even after the sermon concludes. During the response time, while driving home from church, and in the midst of a stressful work situation later that week, they will remember that God is with them, character matters, or prayer changes things.

Engaging

Visuals and illustrations can make the difference between a boring sermon and an engaging one.

People are used to visual communication. Images fill social media spaces. Search engines yield photos, graphics, and videos alongside text.

When you focus your sermons and flesh
them out with vivid
details, they will
be much easier to remember.

Yet many sermons are little more than speeches. Faithful parishioners try to corral their wandering minds as the preacher piles up one propositional statement after another, but I know from personal experience that it is not always easy.

Jesus connected with listeners using parables, similes, object lessons, and illustrations from everyday life. He appealed to common human experiences and stirred emotions in ways that resonate even today.

Few American churchgoers own sheep, but visualizing a shepherd joyfully carrying a lamb on his shoulders makes it easier to understand how God feels about a sinner who repents (Luke 15:5–7).

The more I visualize my sermon, the less need there is for notes. And when the message comes alive for me, others will lean in and pay closer attention as well.

Try to get a mental image of the biblical text before putting it into words. Imagine the Israelites cowering before Goliath. Picture the formerly disabled beggar walking and jumping at the temple gate.

As you see these things, write them down, choosing words that appeal to the senses. Once the images are in your heart and mind, you won’t need notes to recall them. More importantly, you’ll be better equipped to share them with others in ways that connect with their hearts and minds.

When Jesus taught in Luke 15 that God loves sinners, He didn’t just state the principle. He drove home the point by sharing three illustrations, including a beautiful story about a father who ran to embrace his rebellious son (verses 11–32). The prodigal’s welcome is among the most moving and memorable images in Scripture.

After finishing the first draft of my sermon manuscript, I like to put it aside for a while. Upon returning to it, I search for phrases and paragraphs that are difficult to visualize.

These are usually abstract statements. They have their place, but they tend to be forgettable on their own. Using stories and illustrations helps people comprehend, remember, and apply the lessons.

For example, the statement “love is patient” is both convicting and biblical (1 Corinthians 13:4). However, listeners might need help visualizing what that looks like in everyday life. A parenting anecdote about waiting for a small child to tie his shoes can illustrate the principle in a humorous and relatable way. Stories animate ideas.

Look for illustrations throughout the sermon preparation process. Once you identify a message’s big idea, you’ll start noticing how it connects to real-world experiences.

Pay careful attention, and you’ll spot joy and struggles during walks around your neighborhood. You’ll read examples of the fallen human condition in news articles. And you’ll hear about what God is doing in people’s lives through conversations with congregants.

You might be sitting in a local diner across from an elderly couple, watching a man tediously opening small, plastic creamers, pouring them into his wife’s cup, and stirring gently until the coffee is just the way she likes it.

Upon closer observation, you realize the man is doing this because his wife’s fingers are disfigured with arthritis. The woman smiles at her husband, quietly appreciating the way he is loving her patiently. This is 1 Corinthians 13:4 in action.

Such illustrations are everywhere. In fact, I believe God wants to open our eyes to them so we can help others see His truth.

When you focus your sermons and flesh them out with vivid details, they will be much easier to remember. You might even find you no longer need detailed notes.

Your messages will improve, which means listeners will be more attentive, engaged, and responsive.

Best of all, you can more effectively proclaim the good news of the Kingdom. Heaven is ready to rejoice over lost sheep who are found and prodigals who come home as you point people to Jesus.

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Influence magazine.