There are a number of well-worn phrases on social media. One I see many people use these days is, “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but … .”

When it comes to preaching, you should know who needs to hear it. In fact, that should be something you think about before, during, and even after you preach. It will help you zero in on God’s message for the moment.

Sometimes a sermon gets off track because it doesn’t take into account those who are listening. It’s important to stay focused on the goal of preaching: communicating the gospel. That means staying true to Scripture, of course. But it also means staying relevant in your application.

Who Is It For?

Every congregation is different. Some are more tolerant than others of studious oration or even academic minutiae. Most just want you to get to the point. When it comes to the explanation portion of your sermon, it’s good to know your listeners.

Many of your congregants may be regular Bible readers who want to go deeper into the text. Or perhaps most are new converts who are just learning the basics of following Jesus. Knowing your people, their interests, and their level of Bible engagement is important.

Preach inclusively — reaching out to people on both ends of the spectrum. A good rule of thumb is to aim lower than the average comprehension level of your attendees. Clearly explain difficult concepts, and swap insider church language for plainer terms.

A pastor I partner with recently preached at a few camps over the summer. While two of the camps were for third- through fifth-grade children, one was for high schoolers. Instead of rewriting his messages for each week, he wanted one set of sermons that would work all summer.

We decided to start by sculpting messages geared toward 10-year-olds. That can be harder than it sounds, though. How do you get on their level without talking down to others or dumbing down what God wants to say?

Knowing your people, their interests, and their level of Bible engagement is important.

After a couple of weeks of work, we thought it was a pretty good set of messages. They were so good, in fact, that my friend used the same ones for the high school camp with few changes. It was a hit! A message aimed at the younger crowd was easily accessible to an older group.

What Interests Them?

One question many preachers ask is, “Where do I find great illustrations?”

A simple answer, like a dynamic book or website, might be nice. But the truth is, great illustrations are never found. They are made.

What captures the attention of people often depends on their interests. Do you have a lot of young parents in your congregation who can easily relate to anecdotes about child rearing? Are you preaching to an older crowd who would enjoy hearing the story behind a treasured hymn?

Also consider the delivery. You can tell the most inspiring narrative in a subdued and boring manner, or you can tell the most mundane story in an entertaining way. An otherwise compelling tale can lose its power if you rush or stumble through it.

But talking about the sandwich you made last night in a funny or interesting way can be quite effective and memorable. This is what it means when I say great illustrations are made.

Beyond the content, find out how your congregants best receive illustrations. Do they prefer a traditional, formal delivery? Or are they more receptive to an informal approach — perhaps involving interaction, props, or videos?

What Will They Do?

Finally, how will people apply your sermon to their lives? The only way to know is to be aware of what they are going through during the week. Each congregation is different, and knowing who needs to hear it will help you gauge how to package your application.

This can be challenging when preaching to an unfamiliar group. On one occasion, I accepted an invitation to preach to some prison inmates on death row. I was excited about the opportunity, until it came to putting the sermon into action.

I love to apply God’s word in a down-to-earth, everyday fashion. That means talking about home life or work. But my own life and the one of a prisoner are very different. So I asked for help from the coordinator of the prison ministry. She walked me through the typical day of an inmate and talked about what they are facing. That gave me direction to sculpt a better application.

As a minister, you will preach to many different kinds of people. The goal in preaching is not to make a good impression for yourself, but to help those who hear make a decision to follow Jesus more closely. Knowing who you’re talking to is the first step. Never take that lightly.