“Five Ways to Make Your Sermons More Shareable” was originally posted on the David Murrow Blog, and reposted with permission by the author.
REMEMBER THESE?
They were called tracts.
A tract is a little pamphlet that contains a gospel presentation. These were huge in the 20th century. We used to pass them out in school, at sporting events, in malls, or on the street – which is where most of them ended up. But we didn’t care. In the analog world, tracts were a cheap, easy way to share the good news.
Online sermons are the new tracts. They are a cheap, easy way your church members can share the gospel. And unlike paper tracts, online sermons are much more personal and effective.
How online sermons become tracts
Let’s say you are preaching a sermon about forgiveness. As Tanya is listening (either in person or online) the Lord brings her friend Amy to mind. Just last week Amy was telling Tanya about her struggles to forgive a person who hurt her.
So Tanya clicks on the church website, finds the sermon and shares it with Amy, along with this note:
Dear Amy, I thought of you as I heard this message from my pastor. Please take few minutes to watch it – I really feel like it could make a difference in your life.
Boom! Tanya is an evangelist. It took Tanya 2 minutes to share your Gospel message with a friend.
If this leads to a future conversation, Tanya will have a chance to disciple Amy, who may start coming to church.
Your message has made a disciple because it was shared.
Online sermons are so easy to share. Why aren’t more people sharing these digital tracts?
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Five ways to make your sermons more shareable
1. Plant the idea. Your members have probably never thought about sharing an online sermon. You should regularly encourage people to share sermons and other content from the church via e-mail, text or by reposting on their social media feeds. Tell them: it’s the easiest way to witness for Jesus.
2. Make it simple to share. Be sure you there’s an active “share” button on all your sermons. Also, put a QR code up on the screen before and after your sermon. The code should link to the sermon itself, or if you’re preaching live you can link it to the sermons page on your website.
3. Train them to share. Once a month, show your in-person attendees exactly how to use the church app, website or social media feed to find and share the sermon.
4. Shorten and focus your messages. Your members will feel more comfortable asking their friends to watch a 20-minute sermon than they would a 45-minute sermon. Remember, the most shared video talks online are TED talks – which average about 10-15 minutes and are rarely longer than 20 minutes. Short videos are shared and watched more than long videos.
5. Create a short “promo” video that links to the larger sermon. Unchurched people will more readily watch a 30 second promo than they will a 30-minute sermon. Once they’ve watched the promo you may entice them to watch the entire sermon. This is how TV networks promote their shows: they create a brief promo with highlights from the show, which entices people to tune in for the show itself.
Now, between you and me, I HATED passing out tracts. It felt so impersonal. I met with a lot of rejections.
But when I hear a well-crafted sermon that’s inspired by the Holy Spirit, I can’t wait to share it. As I listen to God’s word being preached, the Lord frequently brings someone to mind who needs to hear it.
Pastor, there’s never been an easier way to share the gospel. Make your sermon shareable and you’ll equip your people to fulfill the Great Commission.
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