Planning is essential before writing an effective sermon. The first step is to identify with the audience. This requires a lot of empathizing. Misunderstanding among people can be reduced if they step into the others shoes.

The second step is to infer whether it is going to be a need-based or Biblical principle based sermon. If the audience is a congregation of newly married couples, a topical sermon on how to foster a closer relationship with a spouse would be appropriate. If the congregation is a general one that needs to just hear the Word of God, an expository sermon is alright.

The third step is to identify the goal, i.e., To speak the Word of God with full faith in Him. Or it can be To help drug-addicted kids get back to normalcy. Goal identification after the first two steps is better than keeping it as the first step; this can save a lot of time, energy and mistakes due to oversights.

The fourth step is to use this goal and select relevant passages in The Bible. This requires an in-depth knowledge not only of the Bible but also its applicability in peoples lives. Just like an effective teacher spends more time and effort in preparing than in delivering a lesson, an effective preacher spends more time and effort in this selection process. Topical sermons require more time to prepare than expository ones as the former needs to document real life experiences, relevant case studies, etc. from different chapters and verses, in order to convince the audience.

The sermon should be based on authoritative, credible sources (as far as explanations are concerned), be brief if possible, and easily applicable to the audiences real life experiences. Whether the contents are oral or audiovisual, they need to have an impact on the audience.