Six Ways To Multiply Your Message Impact

Can you remember the main points of a sermon you heard two weeks ago? I can't. Sometimes, when I see a student on their phone during a Sunday service, I'll ask them what they thought about the message. Sometimes, they are clever enough to bring something up, but often, their brains are already on to the next thing. We all know that God's Word is vitally important, and sermons are an important tool for communication, but how often do students really remember everything they are taught?

The good news is that you do not have to remember how something was taught to be changed by it. I could not tell you any of the Wednesday night messages from my days as a student, but God used them to transform and impact my life in an undeniable way. My youth pastor understood that his influence extended beyond the message to all the other little things throughout the week that reinforced what he was teaching. Sometimes, the best way to improve your message has nothing to do with your outline or illustrations. Often, it has to do with the other elements of your youth group that can reinforce what you are teaching apart from the pulpit. That continual reinforcement, through reading plans, activities, or memory verses, can multiply your impact far beyond your weekly stage time.

Here are six suggestions for how you can multiply the impact of your message without touching your manuscript:

Memory Verses

Our students love a challenge. A memory verse challenge is a great way to carry the teaching of your message into the rest of their daily lives. You can do a memory verse for each message. I prefer to do a monthly memory verse that students can work on each week when we are together and can take it home. Challenge your students to put it on their phone screen or even provide them with a custom wallpaper with the memory verse on it.

Small Groups

Many weeks, my students' most impactful moments are not during the message but during small groups. Transformation does not just come from receiving information but also from processing and internalizing information. Discussion is a great way to make this happen. If you do a small group discussion after your message or even a few days after, take advantage of that time to drill down on the most important aspect of the message. Ask one or two pointed questions that remind the students of the main principle and how it should impact their daily lives.

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Reading Plans

Since you have such a short time with your students, chances are you will not be able to go verse by verse through every book or passage you want. You should probably consider changing out your 52-week series on Exodus for a 15-week series or even less. A reading plan can help pick up the slack. Have students read through the book that you are preaching on each week so that they can see the bigger picture and ask questions on passages that you are not able to cover. Plus, it will actually make them more ready for the passages you decide to cover.

Encourage Taking Notes

In my opinion, note-taking is essential. But how can you encourage more of it? Start with expecting it and celebrating it. Mention important lines to write down in your message and tell students you are proud of them when you see them take notes. For a shorter series, I will provide fill-in-the-blank notes if I think they will reengage those who have given up on it. You could even do a pop quiz from past weeks to catch their attention!

Social Media Strategy

What do you do with all of that extra content and research that did not make the final cut? Well, hopefully, you are filing it away somewhere, but that would also make great content for social media. Take to Instagram and answer a question you weren't able to get to or pick an encouraging thought for later. You could also post a sermon recap post with key quotes, your outline, or your memory verse. Get the students involved by recording them answering the question, "What is one thing that stood out to you in this week's message?"

Parent Engagement

Keeping your parents in the loop on what you are teaching has great potential. Are some parents checked out of their students' spiritual lives? Sure. But for those parents who are engaged or would be engaged, sometimes all they need is a little equipping. Whether it is a conversation guide or a family activity, getting the whole family involved could multiply your impact. For example, imagine preaching a message on serving those in need in your community. What if you sent a family project home where you invited the family to assemble bags of supplies for the homeless that they just kept in the car for when the opportunity arose? How could you inform and equip your parents with questions or materials that could extend your message into their home?

I hope these are helpful for you as you think about expanding the impact of your messages. You put a lot of work and prep into teaching each week. Look for ways to maximize the impact and reach of that message.

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. Beyond your actual message, what have you done to increase the impact of your message in your students' lives?
2. Which of the six suggestions could you use in your next message or series?