At Mercy Hill, we believe the sermon is the central moment of our worship services. Everything else—singing, giving, praying—matters deeply. But when it comes to life change, we trust that God moves uniquely through the faithful preaching of His Word.

That’s why we put so much intentionality into how we plan each sermon series. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we do it—and how you can too.

Start with the Right Presuppositions

Before I get into the nuts and bolts, here are a few foundational things we believe:

  • The preached Word is powerful. When the Spirit empowers preaching, lives are transformed (Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12).
  • Good preparation multiplies impact. Planning creatively and thoughtfully is never wasted effort.
  • Pragmatism is a gift. Branding, planning, and creativity are tools that help the Word “stick” without compromising the message.
  • Series rhythm matters. People engage better when there’s a clear arc and a natural on-ramp/off-ramp every 8–10 weeks.

Why We Love Sermon Series 

At Mercy Hill, we don’t just randomly preach through books of the Bible without any structure. We believe sermon series:

  • Create momentum. Big days like Easter, Kids Week, or fall kickoffs are perfect opportunities to launch a fresh series and invite people to stay connected with us through the entire series.
  • Offer clear handles. A defined start and end help people know what to expect and encourage commitment.
  • Showcase Scripture’s richness. Alternating between the Old Testament and the New Testament—and engaging different genres like narrative, prophecy, wisdom literature, and epistles—helps our people grow in biblical literacy.
  • Facilitate creative synergy. Branding, bumper videos, social media, and follow-up resources can all align around a focused theme.

The Big Idea Document: Our Secret Weapon

About 12 weeks before every new sermon series, I turn in a Big Idea Document to kickstart the creative process. Here’s what’s inside:

  • Sermon Series Title
  • Scripture
  • Series Big Idea
  • Series Overview (the heart and vision behind the series)
  • My Thoughts (why I’m excited about our series, why our church should be excited, and why an unbeliever could be intrigued)
  • Target Audience (who this series will most resonate with)
  • One-Liners (snappy statements for social media and branding)
  • Creative Ideas (special elements tied to specific weeks)
  • Feel and Aesthetic (emotional tone and visual vibe)
  • Week-by-Week Plan (date, preacher, sermon title, scripture passage, big idea for the message)

Bonus elements we build in:

  • Corporate prayer time once per series
  • “Who’s Your One” evangelism emphasis once per series

How We Choose What to Preach

Some pastors wait for a lightning bolt from heaven to pick a series. That’s not our method. Usually, I look at:

  • What’s fresh for me personally.
  • What’s happening in our church culture.
  • A balance between Old and New Testament.
  • A mix of teaching styles based on the genre of Scripture.

And most importantly, I trust that if we open the Bible and faithfully preach expositional sermons, the Spirit will lead.

Why It Matters

Planning sermon series isn’t about hype or show. It’s about maximizing the impact of God’s Word. When we plan ahead:

  • Our teams have time to be creative.
  • Our congregation feels clear direction.
  • We set up strategic moments for prayer, evangelism, and discipleship.
  • We steward the incredible privilege of proclaiming the gospel with excellence.

If you don’t have a system yet—steal ours! If you already have one, maybe there’s a tweak here you can use to sharpen it even more. At the end of the day, it’s not about the system itself. It’s about being faithful to the Word and giving God our very best.

Get the Resources

Want to get started? Download our free resources here to help you plan your next sermon series. You’ll get both:

  • A blank Big Idea Document template to use for your own planning.
  • A completed example from a recent Mercy Hill series to see how it all comes together.

These tools will give you a practical framework you can use right away—whether you’re building a new series from scratch or refining your current process. Listen to the Breaking Barriers podcast episode on sermon series planning for even more insight and practical tips. In that episode, I walk through this entire process step by step. Grab the downloads and start planning with clarity and creativity.

Andrew Hopper