I have preached and listened to thousands of sermons. A sermon can be biblically accurate, carefully organized, and skillfully delivered and still not feel particularly pastoral. Pastoral preaching involves more than explaining a biblical text. It is bringing the Word of God to bear on the lives of people you have been called to shepherd. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable” (Acts 20:20). He taught them publicly and from house to house. Paul knew the truth, but he also knew the people to whom he was proclaiming it.

A pastoral sermon begins with the Word of God.

The pastor’s authority comes from Scripture. Our responsibility is to understand what God has said, explain it faithfully, and help our people understand what it means for their lives. Pastoral preaching is not simply sharing encouraging thoughts or practical advice.

A great question to ask is, “What does God say in this passage, and how does this truth speak to the people God has entrusted to me?”

A pastoral sermon knows the congregation.

One of the great privileges of preaching week after week to the same congregation is that you know the people sitting in front of you. You know who has recently buried a spouse. You know who has received a concerning health diagnosis. You know the young couple trying to build a marriage. You know the parents worried about their children. You know the person who has lost a job. You know the believer who is struggling with doubt. Pastoral preaching isn’t preaching to an audience. It is preaching to people in the context in which they live.

That doesn’t mean using the pulpit to address individuals or airing private situations. It means allowing your knowledge and love for the congregation to shape how you apply God’s Word.

A pastoral sermon speaks truth with love.

Sometimes shepherds comfort the sheep and sometimes they correct them. Scripture requires both. Paul told Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Faithful preaching cannot avoid difficult truths simply because they may make people uncomfortable. But biblical courage does not require harshness.

A pastor is trying to shepherd people toward Christ. Even correction should come from the heart of someone who genuinely loves the people hearing it.

A pastoral sermon points people to Christ.

Our people don’t need to be impressed by our preaching. They need Jesus. Every sermon should help people see more clearly who God is, what He has done, what He requires, and how they should respond to Him. The goal isn’t for people to leave saying, “What a preacher.” The goal is for them to leave thinking more deeply about Christ and His Word.

After years of preaching, I am increasingly convinced that some of the most important sermons we preach may never be the most memorable ones.

Week after week, year after year, the pastor opens the Bible before the same people. He teaches truth, encourages the weary and warns the wandering. He comforts the hurting and he points sinners to Christ. That is more than preaching a sermon. That is shepherding the church.