Sermon to Book, Booklet, or Tract

The Big Idea: Repurpose your sermon(s) into a book, booklet, or tract for maximum impact. A thirty minute sermon might generation 4,000 words of content; how could your sermons publish for maximum impact?

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Sermon to Book

Mere Christianity was written by C.S. Lewis in 1952, but Lewis' original intention was simply a series of BBC interviews during World War II, from 1941-1945. Seven years later, Lewis rolled those broadcast transcripts up into a book that has advanced the cause of Christ many times beyond what Lewis could have personally effected. The written word is one of the Christian's most potent legacies. C.S. Lewis died in 1963; almost sixty years later, Mere Christianity still sells approximately 150,000 copies per year.

1.5 million new book titles were published globally in 2021. To somebody who has never published a book, that number can feel daunting; no wonder the writer of Ecclesiastes felt so overwhelmed from the "making of many books."

While 1.5 million books represent a lot of reading choices, the number also represents a lot of readers. You, pastor, are in a unique vocation that requires the production of some 4,000 words of new content each week. What would it take to roll those sermons into a book?

Of course, books come in a variety of shapes, sizes, word count, and illustration counts, but let's take an average book that frequently gets stocked high and deep at Barnes and Noble -- the 6" x 9", 100,000-word book, a little thicker than the width of your thumb. While not every word of every sermon will be publish-worthy, let's assume that much of your content is high quality. If you preached 40 times per year and generated 4,000 words of content per sermon, that's 160,000 words. You arguably could have the fodder to publish one book per year for the rest of your career. Questions to consider: What kind of impact for Christ might that have in your community? What kind of career-long residual income could be generated and saved for you and your family?

Sermon to Booklet

Many booklets were originally speeches that were transcribed and revised into print publication for handout or sale. Many authors, like Robert Jones, keep copies of their booklets for courtesy distribution in some settings, and for sale in other settings. Jones's booklet, Restoring Your Broken Marriage" is available on Amazon.com via Kindle for $4.99.

A booklet is a small book, and unlikely to produce the fame or fortune of traditional "publishing." So, why bother? The answer is simply that booklets are convenient tools for evangelism and discipleship, with the unique potential to persuade hearts and minds in a way that verbal conversation might not. Think about it this way: If your 4,000-word sermon was a worthy listen, would a 2,000-word written summary be a worthy read?

Or, think about it another way: If Sam felt convicted about your sermon three months ago on fidelity in marriage, but you don't have room on your counseling calendar until next Thursday, why not give him a summary to re-read and occupy his time between now and then?

How could your ministry be better equipped if you had a rack of booklets that served as convenient handouts for hurting people who need more hours from you than you could possibly have to give? Booklets that condense your sermons could help fill that gap.

Sermon to Tract

Cru founder Bill Bright wrote "The Four Spiritual Laws" tract in 1952 and is one of most iconic examples of tract effectiveness.

A tract might be best described as a small booklet. It is often small enough to be held in one hand and is marked by an arresting question and a topical answer, with an option to procure additional resources (like a booklet, book, or larger media resource) that can more deeply address the question at hand.

What does success look like? Each publication will answer this question uniquely. Tracts usually need to be more focused on easy reading and convenient transferability. Booklets usually deserve more editorial heft and room in the back for footnotes. Books usually deserve even more editorial heft and consideration for internal documentation.
Is selling the publication important? This can feel like a gotcha question, but it shouldn't. Sometimes a financial return is important and sometimes not. Think through why a financial ROI would or would not be an important matter.
How will this publication be distributed? Is this tract ideal for casually carrying around a few copies for distribution as opportunities avail? Is this booklet ideal for being at-the-ready for marriage counseling opportunities? Is this book ideal for an upcoming in-depth study in a Sunday school setting?

Need help?

ReSermon can help with any facet of repurposing your sermon content into books, booklets, tracts, or other published formats. Start by filling out some information.