Book of James sermon series: a five-week plan, series names and graphics
A sermon series on James fits neatly into five weeks, one chapter a Sunday. It needs a title slide shown every week, a notes slide with each week's passage, a verse post for social media each Monday, and a lower third for the livestream. James is practical and quotable, so the weekly verse posts nearly write themselves.
Why James works as a series
James reads like a list of things to actually do: handle trials, control your words, treat people the same, pray for each other. It's short enough to finish before people lose track, and it gives both regulars and first-time guests something to try that week. It's a good series for January, the weeks after Easter, or the end of summer, when people are starting something new.
A five-week outline
- Trials and wisdom (James 1:1-18). Count it all joy, ask God for wisdom, every good gift is from above.
- Hearing and doing (James 1:19-27). Quick to listen, slow to speak, be doers of the word and not hearers only.
- Faith that works (James 2). No favorites in the church, and faith without works is dead.
- The tongue and true wisdom (James 3). A small spark sets a forest on fire. Wisdom from above is peaceable and gentle.
- Humble, patient, praying (James 4 and 5). Draw near to God, don't boast about tomorrow, and the prayer of a righteous person has great power.
Want it longer? Split chapter 1 into three weeks and chapter 4 from chapter 5 for an eight-week series.
Names for the series
- Faith That Works. Straight from chapter 2.
- Real Faith in the Real World. Says what the series is for.
- Wisdom That Works or Everyday Wisdom. For a series that leans on chapters 1 and 3.
- Count It All Joy. From the first chapter. Good for a church going through a hard season.
- Living Proof. Faith you can see.
- James. Plain works too, especially with a strong design behind it.
The graphics, week by week
- Title slide. The same every week, on screen as people arrive and when the message starts.
- Notes slide. The week's title and passage: "Week 3: Faith That Works. James 2." Same art, new words each Sunday.
- Lower third. The week's title along the bottom of the livestream.
- Social post and story. The week's title on Sunday afternoon, so people who missed it can watch online.
- A verse post each Monday. The series art behind one verse.
Verses for the Monday posts, one a week (ESV):
- Week 1: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God." (James 1:5)
- Week 2: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only." (James 1:22)
- Week 3: "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:17)
- Week 4: "The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable." (James 3:17)
- Week 5: "The prayer of a righteous person has great power." (James 5:16)
Give people something to do
James asks for action, so the graphics can too. Add a "this week" line to the notes slide and the Monday post: listen before you answer, pray for one person by name, notice who sits alone. A short challenge gets shared more than a sermon title does, and it gives the series something to talk about between Sundays.
Getting it done
Most of our James templates come with a title slide, notes slide, blank background, social post, story and lower third, as ready-made images and layered Photoshop files in HD and 4K. Type five week titles into the notes slide and the series is ready. Edit in Photoshop, in Photopea (free, in your browser) or in Remix Studio, our browser editor, where 700+ templates open ready to edit on the Standard and Pro plans. Pro members can also ask us to retitle a template for them.
Browse every James template, or see sermon series ideas by book of the Bible for what to preach next.