Preaching

When I grew up, our church (and many other churches) still had Sunday night services.  I can remember -- on more than one occasion -- hearing messages on Sunday nights emphasizing the importance of church attendance.  Even back then, that struck me as odd.  I remember thinking, "These aren't the people who need to hear this message." As preachers, we can be guilty of preaching to the choir -- too often.  Whether it's only addressing "in-house" topics or using language only an insider would understand, we may fail to preach to those who aren't there. But, you might ask, why should we preach to people who aren't there?  After all, they aren't there to hear what you have to say. Here are a few good reasons: It reminds your congregation that there are missing people. It gives them confidence that you know how to address their unbelieving friends. It helps…

"Preaching is to the ministry of the church what spark plugs are to a car engine. Spark plugs are not the whole engine -- and preaching is not all there is to ministry -- but without the spark plugs the car will not work" (J. Kent Edwards, Deep Preaching, pp. 21-22) In some circles today, preaching gets a bad rap.  It's seen as a small part of what a pastor does.  Or, worse, it's seen as an insignificant part of what a pastor does.  "Real" ministry happens outside of Sundays.  Preaching is seen as something that must be done but not much happens because of it. Don't get me wrong, a Sunday-only faith will die of starvation.  It will remain shallow, conveniently packed into the "other" category of life.  Real faith is lived out everyday, twenty-four hours a day. That being said, I believe Edwards has a good point.  Throughout recorded…

The Decker Communications blog has a wonderful summary of Andrew Stanton's presentation at TED.  Stanton is an Oscar-winning writer who worked on Wall-E and all three Toy Stories.  His TED talk is called "The Clues to a Great Story." It's a must-watch for anyone who wants to stand up before an audience and communicate with them. One line caught my attention: "Don’t give them four. Give them two plus two.” As the Decker blog puts it, make the audience work for their meal.  Rather than give them the answer, teach them how to answer the question.  Engage their curiosity.  Leave a few blanks blank.  Don't provide every conclusion. If your goal is transformation, then it's more important to teach them how to think than what to think.  What to think may solve the immediate problem; how to think provides principles that can be used across many different circumstances.

Came across this great article on the Letters of Note blog.  It's a letter C.S. Lewis wrote to a young fan, sharing Lewis' advice on how to write.  This one applies whether you are writing or speaking: "Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don't implement promises, but keep them." As a writer or speaker, you must be clear about your goal: Is it to impress your audience or to communicate an idea to them?  In the realm of preaching, our aim is to see lives transformed.  This happens when people are given the best possible chance to hear and understand the truth of God's Word.  The direct route is preferable to the long, vague one. If you do much writing or speaking (or are considering doing more), I'd encourage to read this article. ---------------------- If you've never seen the movie about C.S. Lewis, I'd recommend it. Click the picture…