Preach with Purpose

Materials needed: Bible, notebook, pen, and 15 minutes. Expected outcome: One calling statement and one clearly named audience whose approval may tempt you.

Your Turn

1. Read 2 Corinthians 4:5 and Exodus 3:11-12 slowly. Write one phrase from each passage that speaks to your role as a youth pastor. 2. Complete this sentence three times without editing yourself: “When I preach to teenagers, I believe God is calling me to…” 3. Combine your strongest ideas into one sentence. Keep it between 20 and 35 words. Begin with “God has called me to…” 4. Name the group whose approval you’re most tempted to seek. Be specific. Is it your students, parents, senior pastor, volunteers, or another group? 5. Write one sign that you’re chasing that group’s approval. For example: “I add jokes even when they weaken the point,” or “I avoid a hard truth because I want students to like me.” 6. Write one faithful alternative. Start with: “Instead, I will…”

> Completed example > > God has called me to explain Scripture clearly so teenagers can see Jesus, trust him, and follow him in ordinary life. > > I’m most tempted to please my students. I notice it when I soften a needed challenge because I want a strong response. Instead, I will speak the truth with care and leave the response to God.

Read your statement aloud. If it sounds like a job description, make it more personal. If it sounds like a promise to produce results, simplify it. Your calling is about faithful service, not controlling outcomes.

Circle one phrase in your statement that you’ll keep near your sermon notes. You’re finished when you have one 20-35-word calling statement, one named audience, one approval warning sign, and one faithful alternative.

Choose Faithfulness in Real Ministry Moments

A youth pastor can lose the center without noticing. You may begin with a clear text, then change the sermon because students laughed at a side comment. You may leave out a difficult verse because a parent might object. You may chase a dramatic ending because another leader’s message received a louder response.

In each situation, ask a simple question: Am I helping students see Christ, or am I trying to manage their opinion of me? That question won’t make every preaching decision easy, but it will expose the motive underneath it.

Try this before your next message. Write your calling statement at the top of your sermon page. Under it, list the main truth you believe the passage gives you to say. Then name one response you hope students will consider. Don’t write, “They will be amazed,” or “They’ll say it was great.” Write something observable, such as, “A student will identify one way fear is shaping a choice,” or “A student will ask for help applying the passage.”

During delivery, faithfulness may look ordinary. You might pause instead of rushing to fill silence. You might explain a word teenagers don’t understand. You might refuse to turn a serious truth into a punchline. You might apologize when you misstate something. The expected outcome isn’t guaranteed applause. It’s a message that points beyond you and gives students a clear next step with Jesus.

Apply It: Before your next sermon, complete this three-line check:

• Christ I am proclaiming: ____________________________________ - Students I am serving: ____________________________________ - Approval I will refuse to chase: ______________________________

After preaching, score yourself from 1 to 5 on this question: “Did my message make Christ clearer than it made me impressive?” Write one piece of evidence for your score. You’re done when you have a number and a specific observation - not merely a feeling.

Plan Your Next Faithful Step

What will change in your next sermon because you represent Christ rather than yourself? Be concrete. You might remove two jokes that distract from the main point. You might keep a difficult application instead of replacing it with something safer. You might spend ten minutes praying for students by name before you practice your opening.

Which audience’s approval most often pulls you off course, and what will you do when that pressure appears?

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Write your calling statement here. What words will remind you that God’s presence - not your performance - carries the work?

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What is one measurable act of pastoral service you will complete before your next message? Include a person, action, and deadline. For example: “By Thursday at 6 p.m., I will ask Jordan how this passage connects with a decision he’s facing.”

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Keep your answers with your sermon notes. When the room gets quiet - or when it gets loud - return to the same center: you are not preaching yourself. You are serving students by pointing them to Christ.

End of chapter one. 13 more chapters and about 13,540 words in the full book.