David W. Smith/Daily News Jennie Shourds (left) makes a point Wednesday as her husband, Broadway United Methodist Church Associate Pastor Adam Shourds, listens during “One Month to Live,” a program modeled after a book of the same title.

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The sound of chattering voices filled the Ministry and Activities Center inside Broadway United Methodist Church on Wednesday night as more than 100 people settled in to discuss the concept of the evening, Love Completely, which was Sunday’s sermon topic.

Many churches in the area are doing sermon series - whether topical or biblical - and breaking those sermons down beyond Sunday mornings. The series help provide continuity, pastors say.

“Too often, one sermon will address one issue, but not as deeply as we would like to,” said pastor Paul Simon of State Street United Methodist Church. “So a sermon series allows a pastor to address an issue and do so over a period of time.”

Broadway United Methodist kicked off its sermon series “One Month to Live,” based on the book of the same name by Kerry and Chris Shook, on Aug. 23.

“The purpose is not to put pressure ... but to open people’s eyes to reality,” said Laura Vincent, minister of spiritual formation at Broadway United Methodist Church. “God desires we live for him and live to the fullest.”

The first Sunday the topic was Live Passionately. That same topic became the basis of discussion during the Wednesday night gathering. Broadway United Methodist Pastor Rick Bard said throughout the week, there is a daily reading from the Bible and an application for daily life. He said they are reading about that topic, and on Wednesday night when they meet again, attendees are encouraged to tell stories of how that topic relates to their lives, and how God has shaped their lives through that principal or topic they are studying.

“We just wanted concentrated time to focus on one thing. From Sunday to Sunday, a lot happens and often people forget Sunday’s sermon,” Vincent said. “Having a Wednesday night tied in, the message is reinforced.”

Bard said people move at such a fast pace, and sermon series give people time to stay with one theme. Soon, he said, the church will begin another series called “Faith at Home Five.” The series is about living faith 24/7 and a part of it is teaching families how to connect every day around questions that get them talking. The goal of the series, Bard said, is to open conversations of faith and struggles around the table at home.

“We feel sermon series, whether a week long or a year long, give continuity,” he said. “With our culture here at Broadway, they know we are not flying by the seat of our pants. Doing sermon series help people anticipate what’s coming.

“Our focus is not on Sunday mornings, but Monday and the rest of the week.”

Bard said there are so many messages, from outside advertising to the work place, people sometimes lose their equilibrium.

“I think the impact tends to be greater because we’re not jumping from one topic to another. When you preach week to week, you never know what’s next,” he said.

Doing sermon series helps pastors be the shepherds of the flock and lead the sheep into new places, Simon said. He said the church is doing a sermon series on “Where is God?”

Simon said also series help people discover new things. He said through series discussions, people are willing to talk about their pain, their anger and their disagreements with God, which opens some avenues.

“It forces us to think about things we may not want to think about,” he said. “It allows us to really dig into a problem and view it from a variety of angles, and it helps us in our journey. As people are open to the message ... the seed can be planted.”

In 2010, Simon said he hopes to preach on a subject Sunday mornings, then open conversation on Wednesday nights to delve deeper.

At Hillvue Heights Church, the sermon series was on God’s promise, where they talked about how God’s promises are reliable.

“Our trust is not in the economy or in man, but in God,” said Jamie Ward, a pastor at Hillvue. “That doesn’t mean we will not struggle, but it means as Christians, we are tethered to the word of God and we can trust what God says.”

Ward said Sunday and Wednesday worships have the same sermons, just preached by different pastors. He said when starting a series, they get together, pray about it, discuss it and plan appropriately. And it is the text of the Bible that drives the church’s series.

“Sermon series encourages people to be in the Word themselves and to read the Bible themselves,” Ward said.

Bard said doing a series from biblical passages or a topical series like how to have an effective marriage or praying with power helps create a great sense of unity - “we are all learning this together.”

“We learn through repetition,” he said.

Series, Bard said, promote conversation about the message, and people tend to pay more attention to the Sunday sermon because they know they’re going to discuss it at some time during the week.

Ward said it offers unity throughout the church, making the church more cohesive. He said whatever is preached Sunday morning will be preached during Sunday night worship and on Wednesday night. The church has five worship times during the week, and all five focus on the same text, he said.

With the DNA of every church different, sermon series are not a “one size fits all” concept, Bard said. Yet sermon series are a popular trend within churches. Ward said churches are getting more focused on God’s word, and preaching God’s word. He said there is a movement to expository preaching, wanting people to be enthralled with the message and not the messenger.

“People are hearing God’s word,” he said. “It’s one thing to take someone else’s word; it’s another when God shows you in his Word. It keeps the truth constant. It’s God’s Word that has the answer.”