Preach Relevant Messages: Addressing Real-Life Challenges of Generational Cohorts

Preachers have beautiful feet. You read that correctly. Before your thoughts turn to hammer toes and plantar warts, consider this: Scripture agrees with me. Paul quoted Isaiah to the church in Rome, “As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15)

He was talking about preachers. In the verse just before his podiatric metaphor Paul wrote, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14–15)

Paul was thinking specifically of his Jewish brothers and sisters in this text. Despite his calling as the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul began the chapter declaring “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

The Evangelical Imperative for Preaching

God’s heart still breaks for the lost. Even though some think preaching is foolish business (1 Corinthians 1:18–21), God still wants everyone to be saved and understand the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). How does God do that? Through preaching.

Charles Spurgeon, one of England’s greatest preachers, credited a sermon he heard on Isaiah 45:22—“Young man, look to Jesus Christ”—for becoming a Christian when he was 15 years old.

Louis Zamperini was a hero and World War II prisoner of war. In 1949 he attended a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles where Graham’s sermon on forgiveness and salvation led him to surrender his life to Christ. He went on to forgive and reconcile with his former captors and became an evangelist himself.

Johnny Cash was addicted to pills and booze and even though he grew up in a Christian family had walked away from God. It was gospel preaching that led him to rededicate his life and shape his public witness as a Christian artist.

Introducing the Better Preaching Podcast

God loves the lost—and preaching leads them home. That’s why we began the Better Preaching Podcast. Better preaching helps more people find the God who loves them.

The Better Preaching Podcast is founded on four assumptions:

• Preaching matters – God uses preaching to change lives. (Romans 10:14–15)
• Better preaching – One can become a better preacher. (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:1–3)
• We’re better together – Learning from the past leads to the future. (Jeremiah 6:16)
• Great sermons are timeless. (Psalm 119:1–5)

My Story

It was a long list of preachers who changed my life. I learned about Jesus from my father, Larry Weller. He became a Christian because of the preaching and witness of a minister named Jim Platner. Jim became a Christian through the influence of preachers like Hank McAdams.

I’m not only a preacher because of this spiritual ancestry, but I am a better preacher because of the example of preachers like Dr. Gary Carpenter, Bob Russell, and many others.

Lost people matter. So preach like it.

The Better Preaching Podcast can help.

Effective preaching goes beyond delivering messages from the pulpit—it requires cultivating genuine relationships with the congregation. This is part two of a five-part series of posts that explore principles to help you preach contextualized sermons to people who are different than you.

This principle focuses on the importance of intentionally connecting as a generational immigrant so you can foster the trust and relatability that are necessary to increase the impact of your sermons.

The Challenge of Generational Distance

As pastors age, they can soon discover they are significantly older than many in their churches. Even when the congregation grows older with their pastor, the future of the church depends on it growing younger.

When there is a generational gap between the preacher and the congregation, it can inadvertently create barriers where younger parishioners feel misunderstood or distant from their pastors. The clergy–laity boundaries many practiced in the past can be off-putting for younger members.

What It Means to Intentionally Connect

Intentional connection means making an active effort to engage younger or older generational cohorts in ways that acknowledge their unique perspectives and needs.

It involves lowering traditional boundaries, being approachable, and demonstrating genuine care.

Practical Ways to Build Connection

Here is a truism: the more connected the congregation feels to their preacher, the more receptive they are likely to be to his preaching.

Here are four ways preachers can build connections that will result in more effective preaching:

• Be accessible: Simple gestures like being visible in church lobbies or responding to social media interactions show availability and interest.
• Share vulnerabilities: When pastors are appropriately transparent about their own struggles and failures, it builds authenticity and trust.
• Engage beyond Sunday: Investing time in mentoring, attending social events, or hosting informal gatherings helps build deeper relationships.
• Say “yes” more often: Affirming and encouraging younger generational cohorts by saying “yes” to prayer requests or meetings can have profound positive effects. The book Growing Young by Powell, Mulder, and Griffin is especially helpful on this point.

The Payoff of Connection

When younger Christians feel genuinely known and supported by their pastors, they are more open to hearing challenging biblical truths.

Relatability increases receptivity, making preaching a collaborative journey rather than a one-sided lecture.

Pastors need to remember that ministry is as much about being present and connected as it is about the content of sermons.