How to Outline a Sermon, Step by Step (with a 3-Point Example)

To outline a sermon, you study one passage until you can state its main idea in one sentence, then divide the passage into two to four points that each explain, illustrate and apply part of that idea, and finally frame it with an introduction and a conclusion. That is the whole process. The rest of this guide walks through each step and ends with a complete example you can preach.

A sermon outline is not a cage. It is the skeleton that holds the message upright so you can stand in the pulpit with confidence, look at your people, and know where you are going. Pastors who preach every week, especially bivocational ones, find that a good outline is the difference between a Saturday night panic and a calm Sunday morning.

What is a sermon outline?

A sermon outline is a short, ordered map of your message. It usually includes a title, the base text, the big idea, the main points with their supporting verses, at least one illustration per point, the application, and a conclusion. Some preachers take a one-page outline into the pulpit; others write a full manuscript and use the outline only for preparation. Both approaches start from the same structure.

What an outline is not is a list of things you find interesting about a topic. If the points could be moved to a different passage without changing anything, the outline has drifted away from the text.

How do you make a sermon outline? Six steps

1. 1
   Choose and read the passage

   Pick a complete unit of thought: a paragraph, a story, a psalm. Read it several times, out loud at least once, and in more than one translation if you can.

2. 2
   Ask what the text meant then

   Who wrote it, to whom, and why? What problem was the author addressing? Write down the flow of the passage in your own words.

3. 3
   Write the big idea in one sentence

   Combine what the passage is about with what it says about that. For example: God cares for his people like a faithful shepherd in every season of life.

4. 4
   Divide the passage into points

   Look for natural breaks: a change of subject, a new command, a turn in the story. Each break becomes a point, and each point should support the big idea.

5. 5
   Fill each point with explanation, illustration and application

   Explain what the verses say, show it with a story or image, and tell the listener what to believe or do differently this week.

6. 6
   Write the introduction and conclusion last

   Once you know what you are saying, you can write an opening that raises the need and a closing that calls for a response.

Why does the 3 point sermon outline work so well?

The 3 point sermon outline has lasted for generations because it fits how people listen. Three is enough to develop an idea with some depth and few enough to remember on the drive home. It also gives the preacher a simple rhythm: a beginning, a middle and an end inside the body of the sermon.

That said, the number should come from the text. Some passages have two movements, others four. A parable might fall naturally into a story and a single lesson. Do not force a passage into three points just because the template says so. The goal is clarity, not symmetry.

• Make the points parallel. If point one starts with a verb, let points two and three start with verbs too. It helps the ear follow.
• Keep each point short. A point people can repeat is a point they will remember.
• Anchor each point in a verse. The congregation should be able to see where you found it.
• Build toward the end. Save the strongest or most personal point for last when you can.

A simple sermon outline template

Here is a sermon outline template you can copy into a document and fill in every week. The shape stays the same; only the content changes.

For help with the bookends, read our guides on writing a sermon introduction and a sermon conclusion.

Example: a 3-point sermon outline from Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is familiar, which makes it a good test case. The big idea: The Lord is a faithful shepherd who provides, guides and stays with his people in every season of life. Notice how each point comes from a clear section of the psalm.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:11 (KJV)

Introduction idea: ask the congregation who they call when things go wrong. Everyone has a person they trust. David had one too, and he tells us who it was in the first line.

Conclusion idea: restate the three points in one breath (he provides, he guides, he stays) and invite listeners to say the first verse as their own prayer before they leave.

What are the most common outlining mistakes?

Most outline problems come from rushing. Here are the ones that show up again and again, along with a quick fix for each.

• Points without a text. Fix it by writing the verse reference next to every point before you develop it.
• Too much information. You will always know more than you can preach. Keep only what serves the big idea and save the rest for another Sunday.
• No application. Explanation without application leaves people informed but unchanged. Ask, what should they believe, feel or do because of this point?
• Illustrations that steal the show. A story should shine light on the text, not replace it.
• Writing the introduction first. You cannot introduce a sermon you have not yet written.

How detailed should your outline be?

That depends on how you preach. If you preach from notes, your outline might be one page with full sentences for the big idea and the points, and keywords for everything else. If you write a manuscript, the outline is your plan before drafting. Newer preachers usually benefit from more detail, and that is fine. Over time you will find the level that lets you stay faithful to the text and still connect with the people in front of you.

Whatever level you choose, keep the main points short enough to read at a glance. When you look down mid-sermon, you need to find your place in a second, not search through a paragraph.

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV)

Paul's charge to Timothy reminds us that the outline serves the preaching of the Word, in season and out of season. A clear structure is one of the simplest ways to be ready.