Easy Wins – Title With Intention

This “Easy Wins” series is intended to help you preach and teach with greater clarity, creativity, and passion. Each post will address one element in the process, creation, and delivery of a message. These are not “the only way to do it.”  Instead, they are things I’ve discovered and implemented in my own 20+ years of preaching. If you use them, I think you’ll find they are easy wins for your ministry.

TOPIC: How To Title With Intention (aka, The Case For Implicated Inscriptions)

You’ve prayed hard. You’ve studied intensely. Now, you turn to craft your message and outline. 

How do you do that well? Just give the message a name and keep it moving? What if… just by crafting a title with intention, you can involve the people more? What if the title of the message and even the main points also do (some of) the work of application? What if it helps people remember the truth longer?

Here’s The HOW:

1) Identify First – You have to know the main point of the Scripture you are working with and how your message aligns with it. In other words, before you ever get to writing the titles, you should have put in the sermon prep work of: prayer, reading, rereading, more reading, and getting your thoughts together. 

2) Involve Them – If you are preaching on John 3:16, which title gets the listener involved more: “The Salvation Of God” or “Answering Life’s Biggest Questions?” The subtle shift of just making the titles more verb-oriented can get people thinking/engaging already. You don’t have to wait to later in the message – USE the titles of the message itself and the main points! Unleash the verbs.

3) Use Tools  – Utilize the classic methods of rhyming, alliteration, etc. where possible. Remember though: the highest priority is to preach faithfully, not have super clever titles.

4) Prize Progress – don’t get bogged down in TRYING to get the alliteration implemented. If you can’t figure out a rhyme scheme or alliteration for a certain message, that’s totally fine! Keep it moving.

Here’s The WHY:

1) Clarity For YOU – often getting the titles nailed down gives clarity for rest of the sermon and outline points. Crafting a solid sermon title and the titles for your main points can give you a working “compass” to help make the rest of the writing easier.

2) Clarity For THEM – Clarity is one of my highest aims in preaching. By taking the time to organize and title the message/points, I am taking every step I can to help the listener understand what we are investigating. Early in my ministry, I would just “get up and go” after preparing. Now, I see the value in giving them quality titles and structure. It matters that THEY have as much clarity as possible and titles are a fantastic way to ensure this.

3) Application Enhancer–  As noted above about inserting more verbs, your titles can serve as a way to begin grounding the sermon in real, practical applications. Now, they won’t just hear a message “about” something but already understand how this implicates and includes them. It invites their reaction and response.

4) Memorability Assistance – A title that includes the listeners in a powerful way is going to stick in their mind much better than a plain title just “about” something. If you want to increase the “velcro” factor and have it “stick” more…titles with intention are the way to go.

Something as simple as taking the time to craft titles that organize the message and involve the listener can elevate your message. As you aim to preach and teach with clarity, creativity, and passion – let your titles with intention make an impact!

**Be sure to check out the Easy Wins page on the blog where you will find more topics just like this. No expensive course or paywall here – my goal for the series is to bless and help others as they seek to improve. 

If you have a topic or question about preaching you’d like to see addressed here, email me at joshhumbert@gmailcom. If you’re interested in me delivering these as live training/development sessions, contact me through email.**

Thanks for reading.  Your comments and insights are always welcomed.  If you enjoyed this, please share it.  Want more content?  Check the archives, my youtube channel, or listen to me on the Cross-Cutting Culture Podcast.