This blog post concludes (pun intended) my two-part series on why sermon introductions and conclusions fail and succeed. The sermon conclusion is the last opportunity for preachers to leave a lasting impression. It is the preacher’s final attempt to place a strong imprint on the hearer’s mind. A sermon conclusion has two main purposes. First, which should be the most obvious purpose, is that the conclusion should bring the sermon to a close. Concluding a sermon is not the same thing as stopping, which is like rudely walking away from someone in the middle of a conversation. Well crafted conclusions give hearers a sense of closure and finality. Second, conclusions should ideally reinforce the sermon’s main point(s). When a sermon concludes well, the congregation will be able to repeat the sermon’s main idea and carry it with them. The Spirit of the Lord, who illuminates minds and hearts, can bless any sermon conclusion no matter how prepared or ill prepared it may be. However, a well crafted sermon conclusion can help hearer’s understand what God requires of them with lasting effect.
Why do sermon conclusions fail?
There are five common reasons:
- First, they fail when the preacher does not know how and when to end the sermon. As a result, the congregation feels like the airplane will never land or that it will come down for a crash landing.
- Second, they fail if the preacher does not seamlessly tie his invitation with the sermon conclusion. This point is applicable even if a church does not have a formal invitation period, because every sermon should invite listeners to respond faithfully to the text.
- Third, they fail when the preacher does not bring the metaphorical airplane in for a smooth, planned, and purposeful landing. The main purpose of a conclusion is to end the sermon, not jolt people around. The preacher should not declare that the sermon is coming to an end, yet continue preaching for fifteen minutes.
- Fourth, they fail when they preacher does not deliver what was promised. The sermon value should match what the proposition promises to deliver.
- Finally, they fail when the preacher does not speak to the heart. He needs to speak directly to his congregation, not at them. Sermon conclusions are a crucial time to look people in the eye, so using notes should be avoided or minimized.
Why do sermon conclusions succeed?
There are five keys to successful conclusions:
- First, the preacher should master his sermon conclusion so that he can speak directly to the congregation. The last few minutes is too critical not to, yet the conclusion often receives the least amount of preparation time.
- Second, the preacher should prepare his sermon with the conclusion in mind. Similar to Stephen Covey’s second habit of highly successful people, “begin with the end in mind,” he should be thinking about how the sermon will end as he develops it.
- Third, the preacher should be personal in his appeal and concrete in his application by adding specific examples and making remarks such as “Perhaps someone here is like that.”
- Fourth, the preacher should remember that the purpose of proclaiming truth is to express the urgency of heart transformation, not merely to express information.
- Finally, the preacher should always extend an invitation for hearers to respond to the “Christ-centered” focus of the text. An invitation does not have to be an alter call, but the text should be brought to bear on listeners in such a way that requires a response.