You Should Preach A Topical Sermon

Tim Keller encouraged young ministers to to give their congregations the opportunity to ask questions publicly. I implemented that practice early on in my ministry, and it has yielded tremendous fruit. Inevitably, during congregational questions, I’m made aware of concerns that merit more significant treatment than a short answer can provide.

Trouble is I’m also passionate about expository preaching, where the sermon’s purpose and structure come from the purpose and structure of a particular biblical teaching unit. I’m working through the book of Revelation this year because I believe sequential, expository preaching is the best means of spiritual growth for any congregation.

So if I’m committed to expositional preaching, how do I address those important but occasional questions that arise? Are expository preachers allowed to preach topical sermons? If they decide to do so, what would that look like?

When: Moments for Topical Exposition

You may encounter a passage on angels in your regular exposition and need one to two weeks to clarify that part of the text by discussing angels and demons. A church crisis may arise that needs special attention from the pulpit. Your congregation may be engaging in church discipline, so you want to help them understand the process by teaching Matthew 18 and Galatians 6.

Similarly, a cultural crisis may shake your congregation, necessitating an address from the pulpit. When the cultural upheaval over race and racism roared through 2020, I preached a topical message called “Our Racism-Destroying Gospel” to address the Christian response. This year, I heard from many women in our congregation about how they felt alone and discouraged in trying to be godly moms. I felt I should encourage them with my sermon on Mother’s Day.

Sermons or short series focused on certain topics can help a church from time to time. But be careful. Preachers must examine their motives and their manner when preaching topical sermons.

Why: What’s Your Motivation?

Your motivation must be pastoral, not entrepreneurial. Topical preaching should serve the people in your church well, addressing their concerns, questions, or needs. Don’t preach this way because you think it might help you. Set up the following guardrails:

Preachers must examine their motives and their manner when preaching topical sermons.

1. Don’t preach topically because you think a catchy title will bring in new people or connect you with a specific demographic.

2. Don’t preach topically because you want to seem clever or get attention. Don’t preach to create a scandal or shock your hearers. Don’t preach a series called “Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby” just to create a “Did he say that from the pulpit?” response.

3. Don’t preach topically because you feel you’ve missed your calling to be a political spokesman. Parroting partisan talking points isn’t “engaging the public square” or “speaking truth to power.” It’s empty grandstanding that only shows you to be a hack.

4. Don’t preach topically to flex your intellectual muscles. If you prepare a series on history, linguistics, systematic theology, or another academic discipline to genuinely help your congregation, go for it. But if your motivation is to remind them you’re smart, don’t do it.

Consider these questions: How will this sermon or series help your congregation within your regular pattern of sequential exposition? Will it distract from or complement the overall aim of your preaching?

How: Choosing Your Text

If you decide to preach an occasional topical message, consider carefully what texts to use. Ask these questions of each topically related passage: Does this text speak plainly about the subject? If I was preaching through this book in sequential exposition, would I discuss this topic? As you consider each potential reference, think about how it fits within its immediate context, canonical context (or place in redemptive history), and the context of the whole Bible before applying it to practical matters.

While it can be helpful to use multiple texts that build a redemptive-historical case for your point, be wary of pulling texts out of their contexts. Covering too many texts simultaneously can easily degenerate into proof-texting (using the text to say whatever you want it to say about a topic). Instead, be sure your preaching outline flows from your text’s main idea. And remember your audience. Preaching any message is an act of shepherding. You’re answering your congregation’s questions, engaging their concerns, assuring their worries.

Rubric: It’s OK to Not Talk About It

One final caution: Create an evaluative process when deciding whether to preach a topical sermon. It may be wise to sit down with the elders or other church leadership and determine the criteria for choosing this format.

Will the semon distract from or complement the overall aim of your preaching?

There are always subjects that activists and enthusiasts want the pastor to preach on. But the decision should be up to the shepherd of the sheep. Pastors know their people and what they need at the moment. Not every cultural upheaval deserves a homiletic response.

Topical sermons are a unique tool in the shepherd’s bag. If used appropriately and skillfully, they can serve a church well. You should try it.