Planning one sermon takes prayer, study, and careful preparation. Planning a full year of sermons can feel overwhelming. To help you get started, I’ve put together a simple resource for mapping out your preaching in 2027.
Over the years, I’ve learned that preparing ahead helps me preach with greater clarity and purpose. That’s true for an individual Sunday, and it’s true across an entire year. I don’t believe planning limits the Holy Spirit’s work. He guides us in the study just as faithfully as He does in the pulpit. With that confidence, I aim to sketch out a full year of preaching while remaining ready to adjust along the way.
Why Plan a Year Ahead?
A yearly preaching plan helps you:
- Choose biblical texts that speak to your congregation’s spiritual needs.
- Account for the rhythms of your church and family calendars.
- Prepare for holidays, special Sundays, and seasonal attendance patterns.
- Set a study schedule and budget for books and other resources.
- Give staff and volunteers time to prepare worship, media, and supporting materials.
- Collect illustrations and insights before you need them.
How I Plan My Preaching Year
Each fall, I begin mapping out the next year’s preaching calendar. There are plenty of ways to approach the process—from ready-made series to week-by-week planning to a blend of both. Other pastors have found this resource helpful, and I’m glad to share it with you.
The 2027 preaching calendar spreadsheet includes space for series titles, sermon titles, Scripture passages, and notes. I also use emojis to flag holidays and key Sundays at a glance. For example, a backpack marks the Sunday before local schools begin, a day that often brings strong attendance in our church.
A spreadsheet makes it easy to move a series, adjust a date, or rethink a week while keeping the whole year in view. The goal is a useful framework that gives you room to respond as needs arise.
What I Aim to Plan Before January
- A title and description for each series
- Sundays I’ll be away from the pulpit
- The Scripture passage for each week
- A working title for each sermon
- A two-sentence sermon description, kept in a separate document
- Notes about communion, baptisms, conferences, and other connected events
- Opportunities for specific applications or congregational responses
DOWNLOAD THE 2027 PREACHING GUIDE
The link opens a Google spreadsheet you can copy or download and make your own. Some formatting may shift when downloaded, but the planning structure will still be ready to use.
I hope this resource gives you a helpful starting point as you prepare to preach God’s Word faithfully in 2027. Use it, adapt it, and share it with another pastor. May the work we do ahead of time help us serve our congregations with clarity, care, and joy.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
—2 Timothy 2:15
How to Plan a Preaching Calendar
Don’t succumb to the weekly stress of figuring out what to preach next. Discover how to create a long-term preaching plan that is faithful to God’s Word and mindful of your church’s calendar.
