11 Ways Phrases to Help you “Land the Plane”

Ever peached your heart out only to totally bombed the very ending? I have! 

When I was just starting out speaking on stages, all I was worried about was not going blank or tripping up the stairs. As I got more preaching reps in those things no longer bothered me and my worries became more about the depth of my content and the humor of my stories. Then after getting that under my belt, I turned to being scared my messages may not be hitting the Theological mark.  (Which is still the most scary mistakes I face.) 

Each speaker will have their own thing they are hyper focused on not getting wrong. So hyper focused they tend to overlook one HUGE area until it’s too late: wrapping up their message and turning it into a ministry moment. Is this something you have a hard time with? You plan out your actual message but you circle the “airport” until the plane totally runs out of fuel and has to have a crash landing? Don’t worry, this is MOST speakers! 

You may be thinking, “Holy cow! I just gave everything I had to making sure that message connected, was humorous, taught the Bible well, and brought the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Now you are telling me I have to move the audience to some kind of action?!” YES I DO. Action is the whole reason we preach.

Today I will give you my TOP 11 phrases to help transition your message to a ministry moment that lands the plane effectively and moves the audience to action.

You will not land the plane well if you do not have a plan in place. Great preachers carefully plan their last sentence.

1. Let me end with this 

   • This tells your audience you are winding down and gets them thinking about what is next

   • Use this line to help summarize what you’ve taught so far and turn them to what you want them to do next

2. Stand with me as I wrap this up 

   • Getting them to actually take action physically primes them to take action in their spirits

   • Once they are standing, you can lead them to raise their hands, walk to the front, or pray with their neighbor 

3. I want to pray this over you as I finish my message 

   • When you give them an action it helps them transition

   • Prayer is one of the easiest ways to clearly end and gives you slow pitch for knocking the landing out of the park   

4. Are you ready to take a step of faith

   • By asking a question at the end you are reengaging their attention. 

   • If you are preaching on dreaming for God, you could ask Are you ready to take a step of faith toward your dream? 

5. If you are wondering how to apply this 

   • Getting in your audience’s mind will make them feel like you are speaking directly to them

   • Give them 1 simple step in how to apply your message in the coming days 

6. Let’s not just be hearers but also doers of the Word this week

   • This implies action on their behalf in order to be transformed into the image of Christ

   • Clearly explain the ONE action you want them to take

7. Ask yourself ____________ 

   • Leading them to ask questions of their own heart gives them a moment to be reflective

   • Encourage them to give thought to this question throughout their week and to invite God into changing their heart in that area

8. In closing 

   • Give them a simple signal that a landing is coming

   • Summarize your main thought here in one to two sentences

9. I invite you to join me in __________

   • Invitations are usually welcomed and make your audience feel like they are apart of your message 

   • The impact of a personal invitation is trust and inclusion which multiplies your influence 

10.  Take this challenge today 

    • Challenging your listeners gives them a goal to rise to

    • When you call people up because you believe in them, they usually rise to the occasion

11. Here’s what I want you to takeaway if you remember nothing else

    • This points them to one thing they can leave your message with

    • You will need to repeat this through your entire message to give it the best chance of sticking

If you want to have a smooth landing in your next message, you must have a PLAN. Everything is your sermon outline needs to be thought out, including the way you will end your message. The less you prepare, the more you ramble.

Do you have a phrase you typically use? Comment below!

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