Let's review three common sermon mistakes we older pastors make when preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to young adults.

Younger folks aren’t filling the pews. We preach our hearts out, yet they remain glued to their phones—or don’t show up at all. The problem might not be them; it could very well be us.

After years of crafting sermon outlines for pastors like you, I’ve identified some key mistakes that we—myself included—often make when reaching these young saints.

Mistake 1: Not Being Tranparent

We live in an age of reality TV and online media, where digital natives have been conditioned to expect authenticity—even when it’s chaotic or nonsensical. This generation openly discusses mental health, sex, and other topics that our generation only whispered about behind closed doors.

Should their worship experience be any different?

The answer is no. This level of transparency not only helps spread the Gospel, but it’s also not new. The apostle Paul was open and brutally honest about his past and the ongoing struggles he faced.

Who can forget his powerful words, "the thing that I do not want to do (sin), is what I do and the thing I should do, that which is right, I do not do...oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death" (Rom. 7:14-25).

Likewise, in the ministry the Lord has entrusted to me, I make no secret of my past—I used to smoke weed and was a terrible alcoholic. But beyond that, I also share current struggles.

Stop hiding, preacher. Be transparent, and watch how the Holy Spirit moves!

Mistake 2: Talking Over Their Heads

You’re dropping deep theology—Spurgeon quotes, Greek roots—while they’re swiping through Reels. Big words and long tangents don’t stick in a world that moves at warp speed.

I know you've noticed that Jesus and later His apostles were experts at understanding their audience and speaking in a manner each sub-group demographic would understand.

Here are a few examples:

1. Calling Simon and Andrew - These men, Jesus's first disciples, were fishermen. When Jesus called them, He didn’t speak to them about farming, right? He said:"Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:18-22)

   
   

2. Farmers and Mustard Seeds - Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed—the smallest of seeds that grows into a large tree. His audience was familiar with farming and understood how seeds grow. They could visualize the surprising transformation from a tiny seed to a mighty tree (Mark 4:30-32). Why didn’t Jesus speak to them about fishing?

   
   

3. The Bread of Life to People Who Had Just Eaten - After feeding the 5,000 with bread and fish, the crowd followed Jesus, hoping for more food. He told them:"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

Mistake 3: Ignoring Their World

You’re preaching peace in a storm, but they’re drowning in finals, rent, drama, or mental health issues? If your sermon doesn’t touch their chaos, they tune out.

For example, and speaking about mental health, I wrote a sermon series of outlines on this topic, pointing out those great biblical figures who had what modernity would call mental issues.

Here is what is important, do not, under any circumstances, try to appear "cool" by stepping outside of who God called you to be, and in the generation you were born into. Younger congregations aren’t gone—they’re waiting for sermons that click.

The pastor of the largest church in this city dresed up like Superman once to preach a sermon. It was a clown show! People want truth that resonates and not gimmicks to keep them interested.

Quit these mistakes and watch them lean in. God’s Word still works; we just need to deliver it their way. What’s stopping you from trying this Sunday?