In high school I worked at a small, family-owned meat packing company. Though my job was loading trucks for the salesmen, I learned a lot about the meat industry and particularly the process of making hamburgers.

I was fascinated to learn that the hamburgers, so common to our lives of fast food and grilling, are a concoction of meat, fat, and a specially prepared solution. Not everyone, however, shared my interest. One of my friends, a star on a local high school football team, lasted only one day. He said that when he knew how it was made, it was nearly impossible to eat one of his favorite foods.

Sermon preparation might not be all that different. Some people just want the finished product. How we got there is distracting, uninteresting, and perhaps uncomfortable. Others, however, are intrigued not only by the process but also by being a part of the process.

It’s the listeners in the second group who are the backbone of what I call Sermon Focus Groups. Sermon Focus Groups are a small group of people who meet with me once a month to discuss sermons I am preparing to preach. After more than 17 years, these groups are one of the most helpful and exhilarating parts of my sermon preparation process.

Hamburger Isn’t Made in Solitude (Reasons for Sermon Focus Groups)

From the butchers who break down the forequarters, the person who mixes the solution, to the people who run the machines that form and stack the patties, hamburgers are made in community. The best sermons are as well, despite what we may have been led to believe.

Something in the nature of preaching causes us to believe that sermons should be prepared in solitude. Perhaps it’s pride or the element of listener surprise or appropriate hesitancy to use the ideas of others that leads to this conclusion. Ironically, we are not reluctant about materials that help us interpret and apply texts (lexicons, grammars, commentaries, podcasts, blogs, a subscription to Preaching Today). I have found that instead of spending hours trying to figure out ways to connect my sermon to my audience, I need to pay attention to the most profound and productive gift God has given me—my audience.

If your experience is like mine, as you greet the congregation at the door following the service, you hear comments such as, “I liked that sermon. It made me think about a poem.” or “That idea made me think about something that happened to me.” or “That passage has always intrigued me. I was hoping that you would address the question.” I have often replied, “You’re right. That’s such a good point.” Then pausing a moment, I smile and add, “You couldn’t have mentioned that to me yesterday?” Sermon Focus Groups help us turn unusable post-sermon reflections into usable sermon ideas.

In his classic text, Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson says that sermons are unnecessary without listeners, that sermons are about what people need to hear not what we want to say. Sermon Focus Groups help us stay connected to these truths.

Hamburger Is Only as Good as the Ingredients Used to Make It (Who Do I Ask?)

In the same way that the hamburger is only as good as the cuts of meat used to make it, the success of the group hinges on the participants. Intentionality is paramount to a successful group.

Intentionality enables me to create a group that mirrors the demographics of the congregation and the wider community. I reflect on congregation and community generations (including high school students), gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, education, and spiritual maturity. I have also concluded that interested people who are not yet believers help me see my sermons from a perspective I often miss and give them an opportunity to hear the gospel in a more casual atmosphere.

In addition, people who have a cooperative spirit are essential. I want different points of view, but creativity can be hindered by a person who is uncomfortable with the creative process. People who see things differently are not the same as people who need to be right. The group’s purpose is not the resolution of ideas but brainstorming potential ideas.

Making Hamburger Requires Clear Expectations (How Do I Ask?)

My friend who only lasted one day at the meat packing plant didn’t understand what he was getting himself into. He thought that it would be fun not realizing how being involved in the process was going to affect his appetite.

Clear expectations are vital. When I approach people about joining, I let them know that I expect them to make the group a priority. We meet once a month for two hours. In order to cover an entire month of sermons, I work with two groups. I let them know that I am asking them because I value their opinion and insight. Most people are surprised that such a group exists and are humbled to be asked. I also let them know that I am asking for a one-year commitment. Every year I give everyone the opportunity to opt out. Clear expectations minimize frustration for them and for me.

I also learned that the group is more productive if they have information prior to our meeting. I communicate the Scripture passage, a statement of what I believe the passage is about (Exegetical Idea) and how I see the passage applying to contemporary life (Homiletical Idea). This information provides the group with a general sense of the sermon. Too little information and the group is ill-prepared; too much information and the group feels little space to be creative.

Measuring Matters (When You’re Together)

The hamburger mixture that eventually ends up on a grill in a fast-food restaurant is not put together haphazardly. It’s not a precise measurement like flour in a cake but it’s not random either. All of the preparatory work is lost if the time together is rudderless.

In his book, Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson describes three Developmental Questions: What needs to be explained? What needs to be proved? So what? These questions are a good place to start. Does the group see anything in the passage that is confusing or needs explanation? Does my idea about the passage make sense? Am I missing something? Have I mentioned something that seems unnecessary to the overall theme and purpose of the sermon? I then release the group to brainstorm. I don’t want to say too much so that I stifle the group’s creativity.

I also find that the group is especially helpful answering a couple of questions Kent Edwards raises in his book Deep Preaching: “In what ways might the evil one counterattack the ideas of the passage and sermon? What in life might make hearing/receiving/accepting this word difficult?”

The So what? question is always vital to the discussion. How do you see this idea in your life? In the life of your family, your friends, our church, our community? How do you/we wrestle with this image of God, this command of Paul, or this perspective of Jesus? If people take the idea of this passage seriously, what will it look like? How do you react emotionally to what I’m talking about here? Where have you seen this, either negatively or positively? Often a television show, movie, or song will come to mind. Sometimes they relate a story from their life that addresses the point.

I often remind the group that I can’t use every idea and that it’s impossible to acknowledge each individual contribution. I do, however, give them anonymous credit: “Last week I was discussing this with someone, and they shared an insight that really grabbed me.” Or “Recently, someone was telling me about an incident that took place when their children were young.” Conversely, the group understands that I will protect their identity, if I use a story they share. With more sensitive stories, I obtain their permission to share it, even if anonymously.

The Best Product Is Regularly Evaluated (Attitude Is Everything)

The man who owned the meat packing plant was good to me, but he could be caustic, walking through the building smoking a cigar and telling everyone not in motion to get their hands out of their pockets. Critiquing the employees work was one of his gifts. It wasn’t always easy to hear it.

Sermons are personal. Sermon preparation is personal, too. Nevertheless, candid feedback is the core of each session. Candid feedback only happens when participants believe that it is safe to be honest. I am the one in the room who creates this atmosphere. I welcome affirmation, but I encourage honesty. Of course, we tend to get what we ask for.

One group member, after hearing my ideas, said, “Wes, I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s the meaning of this Psalm.” Fighting defensiveness, I asked, “Okay, so what do you think the meaning is?” He explained. When he finished, I said, “You are exactly right. I missed it. Thank you.” He smiled. The group exhaled and I preached a much better sermon than I would have.

The biblical description of the church as the priesthood of believers helps me here. We regularly come alongside our people as channels of God’s grace and presence. These groups provide our people the opportunity to come alongside us as channels of God’s grace and presence.

Hamburgers Are Made to Be Eaten (Results of Sermon Focus Groups)

Everyone knows that the purpose of making hamburger is for it to be eaten. This is what makes the whole process worthwhile. The group helps me think through thorny issues. When I preached a sermon this summer on racism, I went into the pulpit with more confidence in my content and presentation because of our group conversation. My sermons are clearer, and the illustrations and applications touch far more people because of the input of the group.

Thomas Long, speaking about the kerygmatic memory of our listeners notes: “If preachers listen before they preach, they will know where that memory is strong and where it is weak, and they will create sermons more effectively tailored to build up the Body of Christ” (Van Harn, Roger, Pew Rights: For People Who Listen to Sermons, Forward).

Surprisingly, the group has benefited as well. I see koinonia developing in our time together. We typically meet over pizza and we spend the first 15 minutes or so talking, building relationships. People who did not know each other have supported each other through family deaths, illness, and crises. New friendships have been formed. And perhaps most surprising, group members are the most engaged listeners of anyone on Sundays.

Conclusion

One of my son’s close friends was a part of a group when he was in high school. He spent a lot of time at our house, so when he graduated and was heading off to college, he sent a note to each member of our family. He thanked my wife for all of the wonderful meals he enjoyed at our house, he wrote kinds things to both of our boys, he even had a word for our little dog and to me he wrote this: Mr. Oden, you’ll never know what a blessing it was to be a part of your Sermon Focus Group.

Like hamburger, not everyone is interested in how sermons are made. But I am continually surprised by how many people are. And when listeners join the process, sermons taste better—to us, to them, to everyone.

Wes Oden has served as Senior Pastor of the Houghton Wesleyan Church, Houghton, NY since 1996.