As we get closer to the end of 2025, you’re likely starting to think about next year.
Maybe you’re the pastor who plans everything six months out. Or maybe you’re the pastor who still doesn’t know what you’re preaching this Sunday. Either way, you know that stumbling through 2026 week by week—scrambling for sermon ideas every Thursday night—isn’t the way you want to lead your church.
The question isn’t whether you should plan ahead. It’s how to actually do it without spending your entire December locked in your office.
MinistryPass has built four complete preaching calendars for 2026—covering 52 weeks of content for your main service, youth ministry, and kids ministry. Whether you preach topically or expositionally, and whether you need content for adults, students, or children, you’ll find a year-long roadmap that saves you hundreds of hours while keeping your teaching biblically sound and culturally relevant.
Why Do I Need a Preaching Calendar for 2026?
Here’s what happens without a plan: You bounce from topic to topic based on whatever feels urgent that week. Your preaching lacks cohesion. You repeat the same themes without realizing it. And worst of all, you spend mental energy every single week figuring out what to say instead of figuring out how to say it well.
A preaching calendar solves these problems:
You preach with intentionality – Every message fits into a bigger picture. Your congregation sees how topics and books of the Bible connect over time.
You save massive amounts of time – Planning 52 weeks at once takes less total time than planning 52 separate weeks. You batch your strategic thinking.
You can promote ahead – When you know what’s coming in February, you can start building anticipation in January. You can create graphics, plan series, and give your team time to prepare.
Your whole staff aligns – When youth ministry, kids ministry, and the main service are all following a calendar, your entire church moves in the same direction. Parents hear similar themes that kids are learning. Students connect Sunday morning to youth group.
You avoid panic mode – No more Saturday night sermon scrambles. No more “I have no idea what to preach tomorrow” anxiety.
What’s the Difference Between Topical and Expository Preaching Calendars?
This is the first decision you need to make: How do you naturally preach?
Topical Preaching Calendar for 2026
A topical calendar organizes preaching around themes, life issues, and doctrinal topics that matter to your congregation. Instead of working verse-by-verse through a book, you’re addressing specific questions and needs people bring to church.
This calendar works best if:
- You tend to preach on felt needs and practical life application
- Your church responds well to series titles that address current issues
- You want flexibility to address timely topics as they arise
- You prefer teaching from multiple passages that support a central theme
Topical preaching isn’t shallow—it’s strategic. You’re starting where people are (their questions, struggles, and doubts) and showing them what the whole Bible says about those issues. The 2026 topical calendar gives you 52 weeks of themes that matter to real people, with full sermon outlines that pull from multiple Scripture passages.
Here are 3 series from the 2026 Topical Calendar:
Gradually Then Suddenly (Coming Soon)
Big Idea
Gradually Then Suddenly is a 3-week sermon series based on the forthcoming book by Mark Batterson (releasing November 4, 2025). This series unpacks the truth that what often feels like an “overnight success” is really the result of small, faithful steps of obedience over time. Drawing from Scripture, history, and leadership insights, it will help your congregation embrace long-term faithfulness, leverage daily decisions that compound into lasting impact, and trust God’s timing. For anyone stuck in the “gradually” phase, this series is a beacon of hope—reminding us that God is preparing us for His “suddenly.” Coming Soon!
True & Better Sermon Series
Big Idea
This six-week series examines the theological idea that Jesus is true, better, and greater than specific figures and events in the Old Testament. Through looking at the comparisons between Jesus and Moses, David, Job, Melchizedek, and the tabernacle, we can understand the importance of such figures and how Jesus fulfills and is greater than those truths of the Old Testament.
The Life You Didn’t Expect
Big Idea
This four-week series speaks to the times in life that we find ourselves facing the unexpected. Whether a loss, layoff, divorce, or scary diagnosis, hardships can bring out tough emotions, disappointment, doubt, and cynicism. How do we trust God with the life we didn’t expect?
Expository Preaching Calendar for 2026
An expository calendar walks through books of the Bible systematically, verse by verse or passage by passage. You’re letting the text set the agenda, teaching your congregation everything that’s in a particular book.
This calendar works best if:
- You believe in teaching through entire books of the Bible
- Your church values deep biblical literacy
- You want to ensure you’re teaching the “whole counsel of God”
- You prefer letting the text drive the topics rather than choosing topics first
Expository preaching builds biblical depth. Your congregation learns not just individual verses, but the flow of entire books. They see context, authorial intent, and the grand narrative of Scripture. The 2026 expository calendar walks you through multiple books of the Bible with exegetically sound outlines for every week.
Here are 3 series from the 2026 Expository Calendar:
They Will Be My People
Big Idea
Throughout the book of Jeremiah, we see God’s judgment against the sin and infidelity of his people. But we also see God’s determination to save and restore them. God’s words through the prophet in Jeremiah 32:38 (“They shall be my people, and I will be their God”) show us that God’s ultimate purpose is to redeem his fallen creation. This ten-week sermon series highlights God’s unending desire for reconciliation and renewal.
Where Were You? The Book of Job
Big Idea
This series is a study of the book of Job and two important questions Job’s story brings up. There’s the question Job had in his suffering (and that we have in our own sufferings): “God, where were you?” And then God’s question to Job: “Where were you?”
Salvation Stories
Big Idea
This four-week series looks at powerful conversion stories in the Gospels and Acts. Through these stories, we learn how encountering Jesus can change lives.
How Do I Plan Preaching for Youth Ministry in 2026?
Students need teaching that’s biblically faithful but addresses their actual world—social media, identity questions, peer pressure, mental health, and figuring out what they believe.
Youth Group Preaching Calendar for 2026
This calendar gives you 52 weeks of youth-specific content that takes teenagers seriously without dumbing down the Bible. It addresses the unique challenges students face while grounding everything in Scripture.
This calendar works best if:
- You’re a youth pastor who needs a sustainable teaching plan
- You’re a senior pastor overseeing youth ministry
- You want teaching that connects to student culture without pandering
- You need lessons that work for both middle school and high school
Student ministry preaching requires a different approach than adult preaching. Attention spans are shorter. Illustration needs are different. Application has to connect to their real life—school, friendships, family dynamics, future decisions.
This calendar gives you teaching that meets students where they are while calling them toward spiritual maturity. Every lesson includes discussion questions, activities, and application that works in a youth group setting.
Here are 3 series from the 2026 Youth Calendar:
Pursuing Purity
Big Idea
This four-week series gives students a compelling vision for a life of purity, including sexual purity. Scripture study helps remove the shame component and allows young people to navigate the natural curiosities, temptations, and questions they have at their age.
Encounter
Big Idea
This series can be preached as a pre-camp or pre-retreat series for youth. It helps students see that God readily and faithfully encounters his people when they seek him. The series is meant to fuel faith-filled expectation in students as they prepare for a dedicated time in prayer, Scripture, and worship.
Bonfire Stories
Big Idea
This four-week youth series “brings us around the fire,” retelling the stories of significant events that happened around fires in the Old Testament. This series focuses on crucial ways God shows up and reveals his presence, power, provision, protection, and the purification of his people.
What About Teaching Content for Kids Ministry?
Children’s ministry isn’t just babysitting with a Bible story. It’s the foundation you’re laying for lifelong faith. But creating age-appropriate, engaging, biblically accurate lessons every single week is exhausting.
Kids Ministry Lesson Calendar for 2026
This calendar provides 52 weeks of children’s lessons that teach biblical truth in ways kids can actually understand and remember. It’s designed for kids ministry leaders who want to build a solid biblical foundation without reinventing the wheel every week.
This calendar works best if:
- You’re a children’s ministry director planning curriculum
- You’re a volunteer teacher who needs clear, easy-to-follow lessons
- You want to ensure kids are getting solid biblical teaching
- You need content that works across elementary age groups
Kids need stories, activities, object lessons, and repetition. They need teaching that shows them who God is and who they are in light of that. This calendar breaks down big biblical truths into kid-sized pieces, with activities and teaching methods that keep children engaged.
Every lesson includes everything a teacher needs: the Bible story, discussion questions, activities, memory verses, and take-home materials for parents.
Here are 3 series from the 2026 Kids Ministry Calendar:
Moving Forward Kids Ministry Teaching
Big Idea
Following Jesus isn’t simply a “once and done” decision. It is a big decision filled with tiny choices throughout each day. This four-week series looks at some of the important steps we take while following Jesus. By the end of the series, students will have a better understanding of what it looks like to make following Jesus the top priority in their lives.
Faith and Friends Kids Ministry Lesson Series
Big Idea
This three-week series explores the gift of friendship and community in the life of faith. We will look at friends found in Scripture and their faith-filled prayers and then learn how we can share that kind of Christian friendship with people in our own communities.
Basically: What it means to follow Jesus Kids Lesson Series
Big Idea
This six-week series outlines the basics of Christian theology, helping congregation members understand the main points of salvation history as shown in the Bible. From the fall of humankind to now, God had a design to bring humanity back to himself so we might know him for eternity.
Can I Use Multiple Calendars at Once?
Yes—and you probably should.
Here’s how churches typically use these calendars together:
The coordinated approach: Use the adult calendar (topical or expository) for your main service, then align youth and kids calendars to teach complementary themes. You’re not teaching identical content, but your whole church is in the same neighborhood theologically.
The independent approach: Let each ministry choose the calendar that fits their context best. Adults might go expository while youth goes topical. That’s fine—different audiences need different approaches.
The hybrid approach: Some churches use the topical calendar for certain seasons (back to school, summer, holidays) and the expository calendar for other seasons (winter, spring). You’re not locked into one method all year.
The goal isn’t rigidity. It’s having a plan that you can actually follow.
When Should I Start Planning My 2026 Preaching?
If you’re reading this in late 2025: Perfect timing. You have space to review all four calendars, decide which approach fits your church, customize content as needed, and enter January ready to lead with confidence.
If you’re starting 2026 without a plan: It’s not too late. Pick a calendar now and start wherever you are. Even beginning in February or March with 10 months of planned content is better than winging it week by week for the rest of the year.
If you’re mid-year: Jump in. These calendars are flexible—you don’t have to start in January. Start where you are and plan forward. Having a roadmap for the second half of the year still saves you significant time and stress.
How Much Does a Full Year of Preaching Calendars Cost?
Here’s the math that matters: How much is your time worth?
If these calendars save you even 3 hours per week in sermon prep time, that’s 156 hours over a year. That’s almost four full work weeks you get back to invest in counseling, leadership, strategy, personal growth, or simply rest.
And that’s a conservative estimate. Many pastors save 5-10 hours per week with a solid calendar and complete outlines.
The investment in a preaching calendar pays for itself immediately in time savings. More importantly, it results in better preaching because you’re spending less time figuring out what to say and more time figuring out how to say it compellingly.
What’s Actually Included in These Preaching Calendars?
Each calendar comes with everything you need for 52 weeks:
Full sermon outlines – Complete structure with introduction, main points, and conclusion Scripture references – All passages cited and explained Illustration ideas – Stories and examples that make abstract concepts concrete
Application points – How the teaching connects to real life Discussion questions – For small groups or Sunday school follow-up Customizable content – Edit and adapt everything to fit your church’s voice
You’re not getting generic lesson titles and a verse reference. You’re getting complete, ready-to-teach content that you can deliver as-is or customize to fit your context.
What If I Don’t Like Preaching From Someone Else’s Outlines?
That’s fair. Some pastors feel like using pre-written content isn’t “authentic” or doesn’t fit their style.
But here’s the thing: These calendars aren’t meant to replace your voice. They’re meant to give you a framework so you’re not starting from zero every week.
Think of them like this:
- An architect uses blueprints but still creates unique buildings
- A chef uses recipes but still makes food their own
- A musician reads sheet music but still performs with personal style
The calendar gives you the structure. You bring the stories, the application specific to your church, the pastoral insight only you can provide. You’re not reading someone else’s sermon—you’re using their research and structure to create your own.
Most pastors find that having a framework actually increases creativity because they’re not paralyzed by the blank page.
Do I Really Need All Four Calendars?
Probably not.
Here’s how to decide:
If you’re a solo pastor: Get the topical or expository calendar for your preaching, plus the kids calendar if you oversee children’s ministry. Youth ministry might be handled by a volunteer who can choose their own approach.
If you’re a senior pastor with staff: Get the calendar that matches your preaching style, and have your youth and children’s directors choose theirs. Give them the budget and the freedom.
If you’re a youth pastor: You only need the youth calendar. That’s your world.
If you’re a children’s director: You only need the kids calendar. Focus there.
If you’re a small church doing everything: Get all four if budget allows, or prioritize the main preaching calendar and kids calendar since those likely impact the most people.
You don’t need to buy resources you won’t use. Be strategic.
What Should I Do Right Now?
Stop putting off planning. Pick the calendar that fits your ministry context and start building your 2026 roadmap:
Topical Preaching Calendar for 2026 – 52 weeks of theme-based preaching addressing real-life issues
Expository Preaching Calendar for 2026 – 52 weeks of verse-by-verse teaching through books of the Bible
Youth Group Preaching Calendar for 2026 – 52 weeks of student-focused biblical teaching
Kids Ministry Lesson Calendar for 2026 – 52 weeks of age-appropriate children’s lessons
Planning ahead doesn’t lock you into rigidity. It gives you the freedom to lead with confidence instead of scrambling every week.
You can change direction when you need to. You can adapt when culture shifts. You can respond to congregational needs.
But you’ll do all of that from a place of preparedness rather than panic.
Your 2026 preaching can be the most focused, intentional, and effective year of your ministry. It starts with a plan.
