I still remember the advice my mentoring pastor gave me during my first ministry internship. “Every preacher will have a dog of a sermon now and then,” he told me. “When you do, make sure you walk your dog proud.”

No matter how hard you work at it, no matter how many hours you study, prepare and practice, inevitably you will have a “bad” sermon. There are times when we fumble our delivery and fail to be clear about our message. What should we do when that happens? How do we “walk proud” when we have a bad sermon? Here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Stay Calm
The old advertising jingle rings true here: “Never let them see you sweat.” Staying calm allows you to think on your toes, keep your thoughts and words clear, and focus on what’s important. If you lose your cool, your audience will catch on and you might lose them.

No matter how bad you think your sermon is going, there is bound to be at least one person in your audience who thinks it’s going great. You may be surprised to learn later just how impactful your message was to someone. If you lose your cool or cut your sermon short, you may miss a great opportunity.

Stick to Your Main Idea
Staying calm also allows you to regain focus. If you feel like you’re losing your audience in the middle of a message, simply return to the main idea and keep going. This gives you time to gather your thoughts and space to move ahead with your sermon.

This is one reason why main ideas are so helpful. If you have one big thing you’re trying to get across, just go back and reiterate it. Stick to that one big thing and you know that your audience will at least come away with a great nugget of truth.

How to Avoid a Bad Sermon in the Future
Once you’re done preaching, take time to reflect. If you can find the flaws that led to your missteps, you’re less likely to repeat them in the future. It would be nice to just forget the service and move onto the next, but asking yourself these questions can help you avoid mistakes later on.

1. What went wrong?
There are three ways a sermon can fail: a lapse in preparation, content or delivery. Many times you’re rushed the week before, getting pulled in different directions. An unforeseen emergency, like the death and funeral of a church member, can throw a wrench in your well-laid plans for sermon preparation. Other times the content is not as strong as you thought it would be. Or perhaps your delivery was not as polished as you hoped.

If you lose your cool or cut your sermon short, you may miss a great opportunity.

No matter what went wrong, know this: you’re not the first. The most talented and tenured preachers all have shortcomings in some area. But the best preachers can identify their mistakes and grow from them.

2. How can I be better prepared next time?
A lack of sermon prep is probably the number one culprit of a “bad” sermon. It takes time and effort to prepare a message. Some pastors are naturally gifted at it, while others struggle to get their thoughts down on paper. Whatever tools you have at your disposal, make sure they’re skillfully honed. That means you either spend more time in sermon prep or maximize the effort you’re already putting in.

Another way to stay prepared is to practice. Do you preach your sermon out loud before Sunday, either to a select few or an empty room? There is no substitute for practice if you want to become a better preacher. Think of all the mistakes and miscues you can avoid by practicing your sermon in advance!

3. Who can help me?
If you have a group of people who offer regular feedback, this is a great time to get them on the phone or around a table to help out. First, focus on the positives that any of them took away from the message. Then, ask for help in avoiding mistakes in the future.

This may also be a time to gather a sermon prep team. Chances are there are some talented people on your staff or in your church who love research or are gifted at public speaking and genuinely want to help you improve. No matter how gifted you are at sermon prep, you could always use a little help now and then.

4. What’s my backup plan?
Finally, come up with a fool-proof backup plan. Maybe it’s a standard sermon you can shift to in case the one you’re preaching falls flat. Maybe it’s a cue to the worship pastor to move into the response time a bit early. Whatever you decide to do, have a plan in place in case of dire emergencies. And then pray you never have to use it!

Next time you feel like your sermon is getting away from you, remember to stay calm and stick to your main idea. The Word of God never returns empty (Isaiah 55:11). No matter how bad you think you’ve preached, rest assured that God is using you to accomplish something great.