Preaching is the art of taking timeless words and making them timely to those who listen. The Word of God can change lives, break free those in bondage, and bring hope to the hopeless. The Bible is rich in content. So rich that pastors can feel overwhelmed when trying to pick their sermon ideas. Christian faith shouldn’t be watered down, so don’t water down your titles.
What’s the point of a sermon title? Is it just to sound cool? Is it just to give direction to fun graphics for your website and the projector screens? I would argue that the primary goal of creating a sermon title should be to get people interested in listening to the sermon.
It is the first impression those will have on your sermon. If it’s a good one, then people will want to hear more. Instead of just copying what every other big church is doing, trying to be just as cool as them, what if instead we measure the title of a sermon series based on how much it makes people want to listen?
I’ve come up with some great sermon title ideas based on different seasons of church life, spiritual disciplines, scripture, and aspects of Christian life.
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5 Ways to Write Better Sermon Titles
Add a hook. You need to grab the attention of your audience and make your title memorable. Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing:
- Use catchy words and interesting adjectives to create a powerful title.
- Add a zinger, an unusual fact, a play on words, or a provocative question.
- Start with numbers (Four great ways…, Three important truths…, Five ideas for…, etc.) or trigger words (why, how, what, when).
- Add a cultural connection.
- Tell your reader what to do; give a call to action.
- Turn conventional wisdom upside down.
1. Promise a Benefit
The sermon title should communicate a benefit to the audience. What will they gain from listening? What is the benefit of your sermon? For example, the title of this post is “The Ultimate Guide To Creating Sermon Titles That Inspire Action.” The benefit of this article is clear. You clicked on it because you wanted to learn how to write sermon titles that people want to inspire.
So instead of just calling a sermon series on the book of Proverbs something like “Wisdom,” think about the benefits people will get from listening to your sermon. Maybe instead you could call it “Secrets to Living a Better Life.” That sounds more appealing because it promises that people will learn how to live a better life.
2. Meet a Need
Meeting a need is like promising a benefit, but it takes it one step further. To meet a need, you must know your audience. You cannot just promise any benefit and think that people will be interested. You have to know the people you are speaking to.
If you talk about how to find peace in the storms of your daily life together, how to get out of debt by managing money God’s way, or how to stop caring about what other people think of you and only care about God’s opinion, you will find an audience that needs to hear it.
Get to know your audience. Find out what they need, and title your series to let them know that it will help them.
3. Inspire Hope
Another way to create a title that is interesting is to give people hope. Many people spend their week in discouragement. Maybe they don’t like their jobs, their relationships are struggling, they lack a sense of purpose, they feel distant from God, or they’re stuck in a habitual pattern of sin.
Sermon titles that inspire hope are both encouraging and interesting. These titles can be short but powerful, such as “Experience Peace,” or “Discover Your Purpose in Life.” Titles like these may not be the most creative, but they inspire hope in a person that maybe they too can have peace. Maybe they too can find the reason they were put on this earth.
People are desperate for hope and encouragement. Write your titles in a way that lets them know god’s plan and that will find it at your church.
4. Tell a Story
People love a good story. It’s why movies make big money. Using the title of a sermon series to tell a story can be powerful.
For example, if you are preaching on the life of David, maybe you call it: “David: a rock, a slingshot, and a dream.” Now that sounds interesting. It’s a story I would say many churches want to hear.
Maybe you are preaching series about following Christ Jesus and each week you are highlighting a testimony from a different person in your church. You could call it, “True Story: I found life when I gave it all away.”
When you let people know that you have a compelling story to tell them, they will be more interested than if you just called a series “Warrior,” or “True Story.”
5. Be True
We’ve all clicked on click-bait headlines that promise something big and fail to deliver. You feel like you were tricked. You regret clicking the headline. In the same way, with your sermon titles, you need to make sure that it isn’t just clickbait.
If you make a promise, you need to deliver. The title should not be misleading in any way. A great title on a bad sermon is like frosting on a burnt cake. It looks good but tastes bad. Make sure what they get is just as good as what’s advertised.
A Few Helpful Tips
Create the Title after the Sermon Is Written
As stated previously, sermon titles hold the purpose of capturing attention and advertising the sermon; therefore, the sermon title should represent what the sermon is about. However, if one is not careful, a crafty sermon title can come to mind long before a sermon is ever written. This leads to the title becoming the subject of the message, which will be a topical message at best. This is not the point of the sermon title.
Consider the Big Idea of the Sermon
What’s the big idea? Too often sermon title creation is difficult because the preacher is not entirely sure what the message is specifically about. At this point, creating a sermon title may help the preacher, because if there is no big idea to the sermon, giving the sermon a title will prove to be difficult.
Hopefully, there is a big idea to the preaching topic or sermon that is ultimately the big idea of the sermon text, and that idea can help in the creation of the sermon title immensely. This is where clarity can truly be found. A question might be, “How can I point the listener to the big idea in a compelling way?” The big idea of the sermon should be in the mind of the preacher during the creation of the sermon title. If it is not, there is a potential that the listener will walk away from the sermon feeling as though their expectations were not met.
Consider Illustrations and Applications
Examining the illustrations and applications of the message can prove to be beneficial in the process of creating the sermon title. There is a warning that must be stated, however. Be sure that the illustration points to and serves the big idea of the sermon, because if not, the sermon title will not point to and serve the sermon.
Here, again, lies another positive aspect of the creation of sermon titles. Understanding the big idea is a must, and if the illustration does not seek to help clarify and present the big idea well, then it certainly does not need to be included in the title creation process.
25 Sermon Title Examples
Now that you understand the basics of how to create a sermon title, I’ve come up with a few ideas for sermon series, holidays, and scripture-based titles. These are simply ideas that can be expanded upon.
Titles for a Series
You might have a one-off sermon or perhaps you’re planning a 4 part or even 10 part sermon series! You’ll want to make sure that all the titles for these sermons work well together for the series. I’ve come up with a few possible ideas to get you headed in the right direction.
The Four Gospels:
- Week One – Matthew: The Detailed Life of Christ
- Week Two – Mark: Through the Eyes of Peter
- Week Three – Luke: The Doctor Is In
- Week Four – John: Whom Jesus Loved
The Last Word:
- Week One – The Power of Scripture
- Week Two – The Reliability of Scripture
- Week Three – The Authority of Scripture
Scripture Based Titles
When in doubt, find your sermon title in the scripture. This doesn’t mean literally but inspired by scripture. Take your idea from a parable spoken by Jesus, or encouraging words He’s spoken to His disciples.
Here a few ideas:
10,000 Reasons
- All the reasons we have to worship God
Beatitudes of Life
- A deeper look at the Sermon on the Mount
One Lost Sheep
- Jesus goes to find the lost sheep
Turning Water into Wine
- The first public miracle of Jesus
On the Cross
- What are you laying on the cross to surrender?
Being the Branches
- If Jesus is the vine, how do we act as the branches?
Who Can Be Against Us?
- Jesus is for you
Walking around your problems 7 times
- A sermon about never giving up and obeying God
Light of the World
- Jesus is the light in a world full of darkness
The Prodigal Son: Returning to Faith
- A sermon for those struggling with wayward children
Holiday Sermon Titles
When the Holidays approach like Christmas or Easter, theme your sermon titles to that specific holiday. Lean into the wording of each season, and make it clear what you’re celebrating.
The Miracle of the Message
- A sermon that focuses on the message of Christmas and how God came to be with us
The Eve of Something Great
- A sermon that focuses on the idea that Christmas is the beginning of a great eternity with God
The Beauty of Christmas
- A sermon that focuses on the story of Jesus’ birth and the glory of the Lord
A Savior is Born
- A sermon about the birth of Jesus
We Three Kings
- A sermon about the Three Wise Men who went to Jesus with gifts
A Good Death
- A sermon on Good Friday about Jesus on the cross
Death is Cancelled
- A sermon about Jesus not dying, and rising on the third day
Eternity with the King
- A sermon about eternal life in Heaven
Hello From the Other Side
- A sermon about Jesus being resurrected
Creating the Perfect Title
Creating a great sermon title can be done with just a few tips! Church members aren’t looking to be spoon-fed on a Sunday, they came to learn about God’s character and have spiritual growth. Don’t be like other pastors who may choose one-word sermon titles. Dive deep into your sermon, using the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Use a Bible verse from the New Testament or the Old Testament to pair with your sermon title. God’s Word is powerful and can always be a place to turn. Sermon titles can provide valuable insights into the message. So never underestimate the power of choosing a great sermon title!
More Resources on Sermon Titles:
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