I have mentioned in the past that it bothers me when a youth pastor tells me that most of his or her time is spent on their Wednesday night talk/sermon. Perhaps they serve in a very different context than the ones that I have been a part of, but most students and youth ministry graduates would tell you that the talks played a small role in their faith development. When a student pastor spends twenty-five office hours a week developing his or her talk, I always wonder about his or her priorities.
I am a firm believer in the importance of preaching the Word of God and calling people to transformation, but we also have to understand that the sermon is only one part of this call to transformation. Bill Hybels mentioned in an interview that he believed the role of the sermon to be an element that sets the tone for the ministry and opens the door to discussions. My belief is that if there are not any follow-up conversations and goals being set, then the sermon has a much better chance to have been a forgettable 30 minute talk.
This is why I am a firm believer in knowing where we want people to be in their faith. We want to have a vision for what a true follower of Christ looks like, and then we need to work towards discipling them to that end. The sermon or talk is a great piece of this puzzle, but it is hard to imagine a person really growing in their faith if they only hear from God 30 minutes a week. That is a lot of pressure for a preacher: solve all life problems, faith questions, and growth needs using only three points and a response time. Instead, what if the sermon was one part of creating an environment for building faith and answering those tough questions?
Journey of Faith 