The Jenkins Institute hosts 3-4 Sermon Planning and Renewal Retreats each year. A part of our discussion in each retreat revolves around planned preaching. We encourage preachers to plan their sermons for one year.
One of our concerns is that it is possible to be in the middle of a series of sermons and discover that it isn’t working well for the congregation or the preacher. If you ever find yourself in this situation, don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to change your plan in the middle of it.
What is true of a sermon plan is also true of many other aspects of the minister's life. It can be true of programs and ministries. It can be true of congregational initiatives. It can be true of personal study habits, visitation plans, counseling techniques, meeting agendas, relationships with elders, and many other aspects of ministry.
The best reaction is not to quit or throw in the towel. Sometimes the best option is to adjust the plan of action. We don’t have to throw up our hands and say, "This isn’t working well, so I give up." We can say, this isn’t working, so let’s try to figure out something that will work.
We should also spend time in prayer and ask for counsel from trusted friends, our wives, and our leaders. We should trust that God will allow us to use His wisdom that comes through His Word and His people. In our weaker moments, when something doesn’t go well, it seems easy to quit. If we can take a breath and a moment, we will be reminded that our God is bigger than any of our problems. We can realize that He will walk with us through whatever pain we are enduring, and that we along with Him will be victorious!
