11 Common Preaching Mistakes That Distract From God

If your goal is God-centered preaching, where hearers leave thinking about Christ, not the preacher, then there are common mistakes you must avoid. This article outlines 11 preaching pitfalls that can distract your congregation from encountering God through His Word. Whether you’re tempted to overuse humor, preach your opinions, or overlook your audience’s context, this guide offers practical insights to help you refine your preaching for maximum spiritual impact.

11. Over-repeat yourself. 

There is repetition for emphasis, and then there is repetition for annoyance. Discern between the two by listening to other preachers. Perhaps you should ask your wife if you over-repeat yourself. Wives are great assets to pastors because they will often tell you the truth. Church members are often overly kind, except for the occasional “preaching expert.”

10. Form your sermon points first, then find a text to fit your points. 

Rarely will you find a text to fit your points. Instead, to make the text fit, you will be forced to pluck the text out of context. The text should form your points, instead of you forcing your points onto a text. If you force your points on a text, the Christians in the pew can't submit to your teaching and enjoy the Lord through the specific text you are preaching from. (Granted, you are probably still preaching truth that is found elsewhere in the Bible. At least, I hope!)

9. Be very animated in your body language. 

Everyone will either enjoy you or be terribly annoyed. If they leave the service thinking about you, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, your sermon failed. Remember that the goal of preaching is to excellently allow the Word of God to stand on its own. Thus, don’t be distractingly animated, and do not wear flashy suits or style your hair in a flashy way.

8. Be overly boring. 

Do not speak in a monotone voice. You might think you’re honoring Scripture by not distracting from it, but dull delivery makes God’s Word feel lifeless. No prophet, apostle, or even Jesus preached in such a way. Trying too hard not to detract from the Word can still end up detracting—just in a different way. Unless you write like Jonathan Edwards, monotone preaching won’t work. Even Edwards needed a different style than George Whitefield, or his hearers might have been too impressed by him to see Christ.

7. Be overly humorous. 

The goal is to encourage your hearers to enjoy God through His Word, not to enjoy you. If your hearers leave thinking “what a funny preacher,” then you preached a terrible sermon. The Word of God must be on their hearts and minds when they leave, and if He isn't, then they shouldn’t be able to lay this sin at your feet.

6. Preach your opinion or hobbyhorses instead of what the text says. 

How can you excellently allow the Word of God to stand on its own when you ignore how God the Holy Spirit originally inspired the literary makeup of the text in its specific historical context? If the Word of God needs your innovation, it is no longer the Word of God. The Word of God is powerful because of its Author, not because of its messenger (you). Where the Bible speaks, God speaks. Get out of the way and help your hearers hear Him speak by preaching exactly what His Word says, brought from its original context into the context of your hearers.

5. Use Greek and Hebrew to impress. 

Do you know Greek and Hebrew? Do your hearers? If not, avoid using them in sermons unless absolutely necessary to explain the text. Many pastors who quote Greek and Hebrew don’t actually know the languages, while those who do usually don’t use them from the pulpit. Preach as if the original author and the Holy Spirit are in the room—both know the language and what they meant.

4. Ignore your hearers. 

I preach in rural Kentucky, and the language I can use is different from what someone in a big city might get away with. In my church, words like “crap” or “s*cks” are distracting and offensive. I’ve even heard of preachers saying “sh*t” in some places, but that would end my sermon, and probably my job, where I live. Know your audience’s sensitivities and adjust your language and illustrations accordingly. Elderly hearers won’t track with pop culture references, and urban listeners may not understand farming metaphors.

3. Neglect teaching your hearers to enjoy God. 

Teaching Christians that the value of the Bible is bound up in its literary make-up, cool battle stories, or miraculous elements will not help your audience to truly love God. It will merely help them to enjoy the genres or stories of Scripture. Any atheist can enjoy these elements; however, Christians should ultimately enjoy the Word of God because it is the Word of God.

2. Tell a joke or a story that has nothing to do with the text.

Why would you use a joke or a story that has nothing to do with the text? You want your hearers to think on the text, not on something else. When you detract from the text, you are only doing the devil’s and their flesh’s work for them, because they don’t want your hearers to focus on the text, either.

1. Leave Christ out of your sermon. 

The Old Testament tells the story of creation, sin, and God’s promise to redeem His people. The New Testament shows how that promise is fulfilled through Christ’s finished work. Jesus is the focus of all Scripture—Prophet, Priest, and King—and He’s coming again to reign forever. Every sermon must include Christ, because every text ultimately points to Him.