On Friday I wrote about note takers and made a passing comment about the idea of people returning to their notes and reviewing.  I think it is only fair to suggest that many never achieve that goal, even if they have it.  But even if they do, it raises an issue.

Is my goal to make my listeners need my outline in order to navigate their way through a passage?  Certainly this is better than being lost in a passage.  But personally I would rather preach so as to motivate people to go back to the passage, not my outline.  Furthermore, I would rather preach to equip people to get the main thrust of the passage and know how to apply the text and respond to the God who inspired the text.

So if my goal is about the connection between the text, and my main idea, and the relevance to their lives . . . why would I prioritize their getting back to my outline?  Hooks to hang thoughts on is a well-worn phrase.  But I have neither hooks nor my outline in my goal when preaching.  Perhaps I should consider encouraging them to listen fully, then make brief notes after the fact, notes pointing to the main message and its impact in their lives.  Perhaps I should encourage them to go back to the text and look through it for themselves . . . that would be almost Berean, wouldn’t it?

(May I finish with a parenthetical comment?  Listeners, like preachers, might easily suggest that they know themselves and they know they do best taking notes during the message.  Maybe they are right.  Or maybe they are influenced by the common perception propounded in educational culture that note takers are the most attentive and best learners.  Would people be so convinced this works best for them if it weren’t the generally presumed “best way” . . . I do wonder!)