There’s a simple way to plan your preaching and increase church attendance at the same time.

It came to me while I was reading Thom Rainer’s recent article, Why Playing it Safe as a Pastor Is the Riskiest Move You’ll Make.

He got me thinking about how we try to grow churches on the shifting sands of American culture. It’s simple. Most of you can recite “the formula.”[1]

• Killer band and vocalists
• Lighting and maybe a smoke machine
• Awesome social media presence
• “Felt needs” preaching

“Felt needs” preaching in practice typically means a preaching calendar populated with topical sermons and empty homiletic calories. You get your preaching subjects Internet search trends, films getting traction, the Twitterverse buzz, and what’s hot at Amazon.

I have a simpler way. Follow my simple method. If you do, your preaching will be easier and you’re far more likely to “bring them in.” 

How?

Eliminate 6 Bible verses likely alienate your marketing target.

Here are 6 texts (in no particular order) you should not preach.

1. Christ Alone

There are plenty of Bible believing folks in evangelical churches who feel that heaven is like the NBA playoffs – everyone gets in. You’ll rattle them if you preach Acts 4:12.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

While you’re compiling that list of “verses to avoid” be sure to inscribe John 3:36, John 14:6 and 1 Timothy 2:5.

You’ll be swimming against the cultural current if you insist that Jesus is the exclusive path to eternal salvation. It may be that not even a majority of Christians believe this fundamental truth.[2]

2. Consumers can’t be disciples

Ouch.

How well do you see this passage going over in attractional churches?

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:25-33).

3. Women’s Role in Church

Want to start a food fight in your church?

This is a topic and text that’ll light a fire under everyone. If you come down on the complementarian side, you’ll alienate some. Egalitarian? Watch others hit the doors.

Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control (1 Timothy 2:11-14).

This is one of those “probably shouldn’t hide from it” verses. Sooner or later you’ll have to speak to it. Chances are it’s going to diminish your crowd drawing abilities when you do.

4. Homosexual Sin

If you preach this text, you’ll hit a home run with some. Others will hear you and say, “Game over!”

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error (Romans 1:26-27).

You could add Colossians 3:5, Acts 15:20, 1 Timothy 1:10 and a few others in your “verses to avoid” list.

5. Abortion (and the sanctity of life)

Much as I hate to believe it, “US Christians differ widely on morality of abortion, says survey.” [3] If the people in your wheelhouse think abortion is okay, then Exodus 22:25 won’t be in your catalog.

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (Exodus 22:25).”

Probably a good idea to avoid that one if you want to put more seats in the seats and bucks in the budget.

6. Suffering produces character and hope

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).”

It’s hard to draw a crowd by telling people that even when we don’t understand the cause of suffering, we can see a purpose in it. They want to hear about Jesus sitting with them in their misery or Jesus delivering them from suffering and hardship.

Preaching frankly on the problem of evil, coming to grips with the fact that we live in a fallen world, and leaning into the reality that things may not get better is one way to keep plenty of empty seats in the auditorium.

Question

I haven’t exhausted the “avoid these verses” list, not by a long shot.

What would you add? Or, to put a slight twist on it, which verses have you seen reliably create extra space in your services?