What if Google took you behind the scenes and showed you the world’s most pressing questions? Would you pay attention? Of course, you would.
Lucky for us, they have done just that. Google regularly allows us to pull back the curtain to see what questions the world is asking and what topics the world is searching for. But are we paying attention?
We must pay attention to the questions the world is asking because the Church is the herald of the gospel of Christ and the very words of God. In other words, we have the answer to the world’s longings, we can spot the world’s lies, and we can offer the world something far better than what has captured people’s hearts and what has led them astray.
According to Google, here’s what people were searching for in 2017:
3 Most Popular Google Questions That Preachers Should Answer
1. How can I help?
2017 was a year filled with both natural disasters and domestic disasters in the United States and around the world.
Some communities were devastated by storms and some communities by terrorism. If you paid attention to the news headlines, you know what happened in Houston, Las Vegas, Paris, and many others.
When these things happened, the world began asking, how can I help?
When your church mobilizes to make a difference in communities impacted by natural and domestic desires, don’t just look at your congregation as the crew that you can mobilize, but begin thinking of your entire community as the crew that you can mobilize.
Imagine all the people in a ten-mile radius from your church building going to Google to ask how they can help and they find that the best opportunity is in partnering your church body.
That’s how it should be.
Here’s how this works out practically:
- When we only look at our congregation as the only people to mobilize, we’ll share how we’re going to help in our Sunday announcements and in our bulletin.
- When we look at our entire community as the people to mobilize, we contact our mayor, we write a blog post with SEO in mind, we utilize social media (paid and unpaid) to spread the word, and we invite anyone and everyone to join in the effort.
See the difference?
2. How can I improve to make a difference?
There is a deep desire within all of us to find transcendence. This is true for the Sunday school teacher as much as it is for the gang member. The vast majority of parents want to become better parents today than they were yesterday. Most people who see injustice want to help stop it.
The problem is…
Most don’t know where to find the answers to their curiosity.
What if, in your preaching, you could show how the gospel of Christ is the ultimate answer to this question and all its sub-questions?
What if, in your weekday class offering, you saw your potential students as both inside and outside your congregation?
And what if, in classes, your church began to show how following Jesus makes parents better parents and spouses better spouses, help for the single mom or the single dad, how it brings justice to the oppressed, good news to the poor, and hope for the afflicted?
Then, what if community outreach sought to address and even solve real problems? What if your congregation brought hope and healing to the addict. What if your congregation brought help to single parents. And what if your congregation researched and acted on the best ways to help the poor?
I’m guessing people in your community would begin to look to your congregation for answers rather than simply typing questions into Google.
3. Is peace possible?
It may be a joke at the water cooler, but the threat of North Korea and other enemies is on the minds and hearts of the world.
People are wondering if peace is possible. People are expecting more evil. And some are losing heart. Some have looked at the world around them and have given up on hope.
But us preachers know the only answer that can suffice this question…
Is peace possible? Yes and no.
Will the world have peace in this life? Jesus said it wouldn’t. But Jesus also said peace is possible in this world.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
The people in your pews are wondering if peace is possible. We must give them the full answer of what they should expect and what they can experience.
The world offers a lot of solutions to escaping pain and avoiding our fears. But none of them compare to the unshakeable, unaltering message of hope and peace in Jesus Christ. Jesus alone is the answer.
The World is Wondering
The question is, will preachers answer?
Watch “Google – Year in Search 2017”
Brandon Kelley is a pastor at The Crossing on the east side of Cincinnati. He is the managing editor of Ministry Pass, co-founder of RookiePreacher.com, and the author of Preaching Sticky Sermons. You can connect with him on Twitter @BrandonKelley_.
