Topical Preaching

Topical preaching is the preaching of the Bible in a methodology whereby all, or substantially all, Bible verses pertaining to a topic or series of related topics is covered in a sermon or series of sermons. It is one of two main methods of proclaiming the Bible, the other being expository preaching.

In topical preaching, the preacher will start with a particular topic (or subset of a topic) and cover Biblical verses related to that topic. As an example, a sermon series on personal struggles may deal with topics such as depression, anger, grief, and forgiveness. The following week, the preacher may cover a related topic, or go to a different one altogether. No specific book of the Bible is covered in the series.

A positive of topical preaching is that all or a majority of Biblical verses pertaining to a topic are covered in one sermon or series, providing depth as to Biblical wisdom on the subject. A negative is that some Bible verses do not lend themselves readily to a topic (especially one of interest within "seeker-friendly" churches), and thus the entire Bible is not preached to a congregation.