Preaching

If Leadership Is Influence

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According to John C. Maxwell, leadership is influence.  Now if this is true, then preaching should be leadership.  I hope none of us preach without seeking to influence lives.  While we all may speak to influence, we are not all officially leaders in every situation in which we preach.  You may not be the pastor or an elder.  You may be just a visiting speaker, or a young man being given an opportunity to “try preaching.”  Whether we have an official leadership title or not, let’s be clear that when we preach, we lead.

Consequently, it is important to use that privilege wisely.  What does it mean to be a leader in terms of your own life?  Your lifestyle?  Your conversation?  Your interaction with other folks in the church?  What does it mean in terms of your self-discipline and your work ethic?  What does it mean in terms of your walk with God and your response to the spiritual battle that surrounds leaders?  Being a leader, at any level, has numerous implications.  Take some time to prayerfully evaluate these and related issues.

And I Quote

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A well-planned, well-placed quote can explode like a firework.  Or it can fall as flat as old lettuce.  How can we make sure that a quote adds something to a message, or a movement within a message?

1. Make sure you are genuinely comfortable with the quote and its author. It is easy to undermine the moment by not knowing the author, or how to pronounce his name, or what the context was for the quote.  This can be particularly significant in a church setting where you would not want to quote certain people unawares.  It s important to know where the quote is from and what was really intended by it.

2. Strive to use quotes from well-known folks. Obscure characters from history, or unknown academics, tend to struggle for effective reception in church circles.  Sometimes it might be better to state that “One leader in the early church said . . .” rather than making people feel ignorant for not recognizing the name of Pseudo-Demoscrates of Alexusalem Minor the Younger.  If the author is not well-known, but the quote is effective, use it anyway, but be sure to check number 4 below.

3. Keep quotes punchy. A long quote is a long quote, but hardly ever an effective quote.  Keep it pithy and punchy so that it has impact.  There is a reason you don’t read your sermon (it doesn’t grab listeners), so don’t expect a long read quote to fair any better!

4. Verbally frame your quote. We shouldn’t pack a message with quotes and anecdotes.  It is better to have one well chosen quote than several that get close to the point.  When you have that one that works so well, that will support or clarify or drive home your point, then don’t waste it.  Don’t let it slip out in your flow of words and get missed by the listeners.  It is better to verbally frame it, to set it up so they are listening for it.  Perhaps pulling a card from your inner pocket or Bible, pausing and then reading it, will work much better than simply saying it from memory.  The goal is not to read, but to make sure listeners hear.  The movement, the visual element and the pause all help to highlight and press bold on your verbal quote.

Quotes can really add something to a message.  Or not. Depends what the quote is and how we use it.

Farms and Financial Institutions

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We know it is important to preach to the people before us.  This means being aware of the culture, but more than that, being aware of their culture.  Within just a few miles of each other you can have four churches, all of the same size and same denomination, maybe even the same age mix, but still be very different churches.

One is in a town centre, where the rot has set in and life is tough.  The people still living in the area are poor and perhaps feeling stuck.  Social issues are at the forefront of peoples’ thoughts because they see it with their own eyes each day, or experience the needs themselves.

Another is in the suburbs of that same town.  The area may be more affluent, although not every suburb is rich-ville.  People live in one place and work in another.  Their jobs are different, their experiences are different, their lives are different than the other church.  Fast paced life under the veneer of relaxed comfort.

Just a couple of miles out of town is a country church.  Perhaps the people are mostly agrarian.  This could mean greater affluence, or it could mean the constant struggle to survive when dictates from on high (i.e. government) undermine all they do.  Life is lived at a different pace.  The suburbs and the town centre, just a few miles away, are a long way culturally.

Three churches, perhaps similar in numbers, beliefs and denominational labels.  But very different people.  As a preacher you want to know your people – farm illustrations don’t work so well for those that rush into town to work in the financial institutions.

But I said there are four churches.  What is the fourth?  Well, this is where it gets complicated for many of us.  You can take any one of the three above and add a commuter dimension.  What if you preach in the inner city, but your people travel in from the suburbs?  What if it is a suburban church, but half your congregation commute from out of town?  Commuter churches are a reality for many of us – a complicating reality that as preachers we have to think through carefully.  I suppose it all comes down to knowing your church – not just knowing what it is, or even where it is, but specifically who it is that sits there when you preach.

It’s a Good Idea to Preach a Good Idea

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

When you read books on preaching, you often find stunning Big Ideas.  Often the ones included are pithy, memorable, poignant, poetic, clever, assonant, etc.  Let’s be realistic and recognize that those preachers do not come up with stunning Big Ideas for every sermon (unless they only preach a handful each year).  Probably the reason so and so is still using the example of his Big Idea from a 1982 sermon is that he has not come close since!  I am in no way criticizing these authors.  If I were to publish a sermon outline or idea, I’d want it to be the best I can manage.  But let’s not feel pressured by these examples.

When you come up with a stunning Big Idea that absolutely nails the meaning and relevance of the text, then use it (and publish it, etc.)  But most weeks you will have to make do with the best you can come up with.  An idea that is hopefully accurate to the text, fairly succinct, somewhat memorable, or perhaps just plain clear.  These are the sermons that gradually transform lives.  They may not make the preaching books, but the fruit of good honest prayerful preaching preparation will last for eternity.  Don’t feel intimidated by the “big guns” and their best bullets.  Remember that they preach some very average Big Ideas too.

In the time you have, with the skill you have, work on your sermon idea as best you can and then go with what you’ve got.  An average message idea is still better than no message idea at all.  As long as we don’t settle for average out of laziness or poor preparation, as long as we preach the best we can manage as stewards of the opportunity, then lives will be changed, eternity will be different and God will be pleased.

Stage 8 + 1 – Delivery

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Just to finish off the series of posts looking back at previous posts on this site, let’s consider the issue of delivery. All the best work on preparing a sermon can be undermined completely by ineffective delivery. It’s not that we want to be professional or rely on our own abilities. Quite the opposite. We want to be the best stewards of the opportunity to minister God’s Word. So as part of that stewardship we put effort into improving our delivery skills so that the message is not blocked by our ineptitude in some area.

The goal of working on delivery is not to become something you are not, but to be better at being you. That is, the goal is a natural delivery, rather than a forced, a dramatic or a plagiarized delivery style. Be natural, but also be clear. If natural is monotone, or stilted, or boring, or constantly sniffing, or whatever, then work on it so that your natural style is more effective. In order to improve you will need to get feedback. Ask others for their feedback, and every now and then try to watch a video of yourself – it really does help!

Previously – I’ve called it 8+1 because the 8 stages are for preparation of a message, but really delivery is almost a ninth stage in the process. So the goal is to be yourself. You have your own personal style, but that is not an excuse! Present yourself appropriately, and watch your tone. In your delivery, be sure to give breaks, which will include planned pauses. On a practical note, think carefully before using powerpoint while you preach. And please think through your use of notes (see also part 2 and part 3). It is important to learn how to preach with passion, but try to keep the words short whenever possible. The challenge of being natural does not always feel natural, but somehow we need to make it look easy. Delivery is much more than just what you say (see also part 2). But more than all of this, remember that delivery skill is always ultimately trumped by genuineness.

Sunday Prayer

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Do you have certain things you regularly pray before a day of ministry? I don’t have a set list, but one thing tends to come up a lot. I don’t want to just maintain a routine, or just go through the motions of another week of the same. Somehow church can become something we do, rather than a genuine life changing encounter with God. Now it is fair to say we should recognize the value of regular “normal” church life as well as the “firework” moments. But at the same time we can easily get into a rut of just going through the motions again simply because it is Sunday. My prayer is not to be a part of that. I pray that today lives will be changed by meeting with God through His Word, through worship and through fellowship with other believers. And for that to happen? Well, it has to be God at work. That’s kind of the point of a prayer like this, isn’t it? God, we need you. Amen.

A Shalom Preacher?

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Are you a stressed preacher? Many seem to be. I know I can fall into that too. The weight of forthcoming ministry commitments always linger in the mind. Interruptions of ordinary and extraordinary circumstances add pressure as deadlines loom. There is a weight to bear as you seek to stand with those under your care. Ministry is hard work. The enemy makes it harder. And we become stressed. Add to this the culture in which we live, a fast-paced not-enough-hours-in-the-day culture. In her book, Time Peace: Living Here and Now with a Timeless God, Ellen Vaughn writes, “”If adrenaline flows in response to a chronic state of stress–rather than being on reserve for emergencies–it’s like revving a car engine to a hundred miles per hour, then leaving it to idle at that speed.” (Page 69)

Answers to this phenomena tend to sound trite. Rest more. Exercise some. Spend more time with God. Cast your cares on Him. Commit to less. Guard your schedule. Establish better boundaries. All of these are part of the answer, but none are the whole answer. How would you rate your stress in ministry? What could you do to live out the ordered “shalom” of our God of order, the One Who is not stressed? Stuart Briscoe once preached that when we live our lives according to the orders of the God of order, we will have peace (shalom). Do you preach Shalom? Ok, but do you live it too?

Stage 8 – Message Details: Conclusions

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Haddon Robinson’s teaching and example always lurk in the back of my mind when it comes to conclusions. His teaching? “You can recover from a bad intro, but not from a bad conclusion.” His example? A consistent nailing of that last poignant and powerful line. Conclusions are easy – get to where you are going, review the journey briefly, encourage application of the idea and stop. But conclusions are hard – they are hard to give enough time for in preparation, they are hard to not modify and over-extend while preaching, they are hard to do well. The key is planning. First, plan to have enough time after preparing everything else in the message so that you can prepare the conclusion fully. Second, use that time and keep up the motivation in order to plan an effective conclusion. Third, generally stick to the conclusion you had planned when preaching, many extra thoughts become unnecessary extensions to a journey. Too many extensions will make the flight of the message uncomfortable and people will be reaching for the folded paper back in the pew in front of them!

Previously on this site – To put it simple, when you get to the end, stop. This is important, but you’ve got to know where you are going! Like flying a plane, your passengers value very highly your skill in landing the bird). The last line, as Haddon Robinson usually exemplifies is critical, so don’t miss that opportunity (although there are some opportunities to be missed). The main thing is to not short change the conclusion.

Stage 8 – Message Details: Introductions

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First impressions matter. In the first moments of a message, listeners are making numerous decisions about the speaker. Some of those are conscious, many subconscious. Is this worth listening to, can I trust this person, does this person know where they are going, is this going to be relevant to my life, etc. So once the message is mostly prepared, it is time to work on a compelling introduction. Robinson succinctly puts it like this, “the test of a good introduction is whether they want you to carry on once it’s done.” Many speakers tend to ease into their message, rather than having a strong and decisive start. Work invested in the introduction will pay off throughout the message. It may be only a few brief minutes of the whole, but these are critical minutes.

Previously – There have been numerous posts on introductions. Here I will point back to a few. Recently we saw the importance of starting strong, but not until you’ve paused purposefully to gain attention. While it is good to start strong, you don’t want to overpromise in the intro. Way back at the start of this site’s history, we had two posts covering the essentials of an intro – the essential ingredients and the focus of the intro. Once the basics are grasped, there are ways to move beyond default, always remembering that some things are best omitted. Finally, Don Sunukjian’s explanation of an effective intro is well worth a review, even if you don’t accept it is the only way – see here.

45,000 Great Preaching Illustrations

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

There are numerous books available that promise to help turn tedious sermons into sizzling and vibrant power-sermons.  You simply look up your theme and then choose one of the collected illustrations, like sprinkling seasoning on a bland dish of food.  These tools can be helpful, but I’d like to point you to the best one of all – 45,000 Great Preaching Illustrations.  This is not available in print, nor on a website.  In fact, you already have it.  Using it will help your messages sizzle with seasoning, rumble with relevance and be energized by engaging with your listeners’ lives.  45,000 Great Preaching Illustrations are before your eyes every day – it is normal life.

Here is a simplified list of sources for illustrations, and the order is deliberate:

1. From the experience of both speaker and listener. This is the place to start.  You know what it is like, so you can describe it well.  They know what it is like, so they can see the image form in their minds.  Highly relevant, excellent source of illustrations (even if it seems mundane – such as getting in the shortest line at the store, and being there the longest!)

2. From the experience of the listener, but learned by you. Perhaps you don’t work in an office with non-believers, but you learn about it and draw illustrations of relevance from there.  If you learn well, then the image will form for the listener and you will seem like a relevant speaker.

3. From your experience, but learned by the listener. You can convey these personal experiences well, but you have to educate in order for them to communicate.  These take more time and will feel less relevant to the listener.  With appropriate vulnerability, these can be worth using for the connection it creates between you (even if the experience is slightly foreign to them).

4. From neither your experience, nor theirs. The pithy anecdote from some character in history, or the “canned” story from your bookshelf.  These often feel canned because they are canned.  If you use one of these, make sure the character in question has some appeal to your listeners, and be sure to look for other ways to be relevant.  The 1500’s or 1700’s may be interesting to some, but it is relevant to none.

Remember, the best illustrations come not from obscure anecdotes or historical mythology, but from the everyday experience of your listeners, so learn to be an observer of normal life – this will help you to touch down in their world as much as possible in your preaching.