The part of writing that pastors tend to struggle with most is how to end a sermon well. Like a pilot landing a plane, creating powerful sermon endings are often the most challenging part of writing a sermon.
Good news: You don’t have to wing your sermon closing. These seven practical tips will help you end your message with purpose, clarity, and impact.
Whether you’re looking for memorable sermon conclusion examples or wondering how to close a sermon with conviction, this guide will show you exactly how to land the plane effectively.
#1 Develop Your Introduction In Light of Your Conclusion
The best sermon closings are written first.
What would fiction stories look like if authors started writing a novel without the end in mind? They would likely struggle to maintain a clear storyline. Similarly, to achieve powerful sermon endings, pastors should start crafting their sermons with the end in mind.
Start by establishing your big idea. Determine the conclusion you want to drive home at the end of your message before writing your introduction. For help with intros, visit our guide on Sermon Introductions.
As you are working through creating the big idea of your message, determine a specific objective, and write it down. “As a result of listening to this message, I want the people in my church to…”
- pray every morning
- stop resisting God’s grace
- reflect on God’s love
- or your desired result
Think about how you can point specific members of your audience to that particular objective. Consider, “I want people who are not believers to…” or “I want people in our church to…”
When you develop your conclusion first, you can craft the introduction knowing where you are going.
Maybe you already have an idea for your introduction. Write it down and keep it, but don’t formulate that sermon introduction idea until you have your conclusion.
You may begin to reveal your big idea in the middle of your message but you really want to develop it and drive it home in your conclusion.
#2 Recap the Points of Your Message, Don’t Repeat
Summarize with clarity, not redundancy.
Another tip to end your sermon well is to recap your main points without repeating your entire message. Your recap can be a short paragraph, “Throughout this message, we have been studying… and we learned….” Be concise.
#3 Anticipate Objections
Sermonary, the sermon writing app, offers a fantastic Master Class with Dr. Jeff Magruder available for free. If you haven’t yet taken it, you can click the previous link or find the link in our resources below.
Dr. Magruder says:
“Anticipating objections is effective in both the application and conclusion, especially if the call to action is developed in the conclusion. In this type of conclusion, you identify what objections your audience could have about what you have been preaching. What might they find hard to believe? What are some of the competing priorities they possess that could make it difficult for them to act on what the sermon is directing them to do?”
Dr. Jeff Magruder
For example, if you preach generosity and the call to action is to start giving to charities or to the church, anticipate what the objections will be. How can I trust the church with my money? How do I pay my bills if I’m giving my money away? Then, talk through to those objections and respond to them in a biblical way. Finally, when your audience walks away, they are much more likely to engage with your invitation at the end of the sermon.
Ask yourself: What might they find hard to believe? What are the competing priorities that could prevent someone from acting on this?
- If your sermon is on generosity and the call to action is to begin tithing, your listeners might object:
- How can I afford this?
- What if I don’t trust the church?
Address those objections lovingly and biblically. Sermon conclusions that overcome objections are more likely to inspire real change.
#4 Rehearse the Ending
The energy you close with will leave a lasting impression.
When giving a sermon, your energy will naturally wane and you will feel more tired by the end, especially if you are teaching multiple services. Rehearsing the ending will help counteract this energy drain and allow you to end the sermon well.
Rehearsing the entire sermon is always encouraged, but if you can’t, you must rehearse how to end the sermon.
Josh Shipp, a speaker in the education world, recommends rehearsing your talk over 100 times. That’s extreme, but the point stands: if the end is important, it deserves practice.
A bad sermon conclusion can weaken a strong message. A good one can elevate a weak message. Rehearse until you can land the sermon with confidence.
For tools to practice your sermons, check out our list of The Best Sermon Apps and Tools.
#5 Be Specific and Be Clear With the Invitation At the End of Your Sermon
Vague invitations result in vague responses.
Visit any website and you’ll find a clear CTA. Your sermon should have one too.
Give your congregation something actionable:
- “Pray three times a day for seven days.”
- “Reach out to one neighbor this week.”
The more specific your call-to-action, the more likely it is to stick.
#6 Make Your Sermon Conclusion Memorable with Illustrations
Stories stick. Use one wisely to end well.
A strong sermon closing story can cement your big idea in people’s hearts. Whether it’s a full illustration or a callback to something earlier in the message, make sure it’s authentic—not manipulative.
If you started a story in the intro, finish it here. That connection creates emotional resolution and reinforces your message.
Example: One pastor taught on the Fruit of the Spirit. At the end of each sermon, ushers handed out a piece of fruit that symbolized the topic. People remembered—and they told their friends.
Explore more creative approaches to structure with our Sermon Series Planning guide.
#7 Connect Your Conclusion to Current Daily Life
Great sermons close the gap between Sunday and Monday.
Directly speak to your audience’s daily context:
- Address students going back to school
- Encourage new believers unsure of what’s next
- Reaffirm weary parents, business leaders, or caregivers
When you apply the message to their life now, they’ll carry it longer.
Bonus! #8 Let Your Conclusion Be Your Conclusion
Don’t let nervous rambling ruin a good finish.
Pastors often feel tempted to add last-minute thoughts or circle back. Resist the urge. Trust your conclusion and let it stand.
Land the plane. Then stop talking.
Watch This Episode of Hello Church! Sermon Conclusions People Remember
Here is what Pastor Rick Warren has to say, “A sermon without a conclusion is a sermon without a purpose. Changed lives come from great conclusions.”
The conclusion is the most important part of the sermon and it seems so fitting that it is often the most difficult portion of the sermon to draft. But the struggle is worth it! Yes, you want your entire sermon to be strong, but if you have to pick one area to solidify with the limited time you have, the conclusion is where that investment should go. Why? Because a strong conclusion will make even the roughest of sermons great.
In this episode of Hello Church! you’ll learn several prompts or filters you can use to inspect your conclusion and move forward with your sermon in confidence, knowing that when your message is preached people will be inspired to follow Jesus in new and transformational ways.
Resources Mentioned
Chapter Markers
0:23 Introduction to the Sermon Conclusions
1:36 Listener Shoutout, Rate & Review
2:41 Develop Your Introduction In Light of Your Conclusion
7:04 Recap the Points of Your Message, Don’t Repeat
8:11 Anticipate Objections
10:30 Rehearse the Ending
13:40 Be Specific, Be Clear
15:00 Make It Memorable with Illustrations
19:36 Connect Your Conclusion to Current Daily Life
20:28 Let Your Conclusion Be Your Conclusion
22:08 Leave a comment in the comments section
