Word Count: 383 – Est Read Time: <2 Minutes
What’s Up?
If your sermon ends with “go home and think about it,” you’re not calling for transformation … you’re reinforcing inaction. If your Sunday message isn’t a transformational call to action sermon, it’s just another call to lunch.
So What?
People crave direction. They want to be told what to do, so long as they see the benefit. That’s why self-help books fly off the shelves. But somehow, we’ve bought into the myth that sermons should be open-ended, leaving people to “connect the dots.” Spoiler: they don’t. And that’s one of the reasons why churches are empty.
The Point Is:
Preaching Should Lead to Transformation.
The pulpit isn’t a classroom – it’s a launching pad for transformed lives. Expositional “sermons” focused on biblical literacy are great for small groups and Sunday School. But in the pulpit? People need more than knowledge; they need inspiration and motivation to act.
Your Call to Action Must Be Clear.
A vague challenge to “love one another” won’t cut it. What specific action are you calling them to take this week? Buy groceries for a struggling family? Invite a neighbor to dinner? Pray for someone by name? Make it measurable.
Thinking About It Isn’t Action.
When you send people home with “reflect on this,” you’re giving them permission to do nothing. We know how that works: when we were kids, being sent to our rooms to “think about what we did” rarely resulted in repentance. If your sermon doesn’t inspire immediate, observable action, it’s just another speech that’s forgotten by lunch.
And …?
We’ve spent decades assuming that churchgoers are naturally inclined to live as disciples of Jesus. The numbers say otherwise. Church attendance is declining, not because sermons are boring, but because they’re ineffective at producing real change.
Want proof? Look at last week’s sermon. What action did you call your people to take? What measurable behavior did you expect? If the answer is “none,” that’s a problem. Every sermon should solve a problem and demand a response, because transformation isn’t about what we know, it’s about what we do.
Action!
Take last week’s sermon and rewrite the ending. What one action should your congregation have walked out ready to do? Now, commit to making next week’s call to action crystal clear.
