3. Create margin through a preparation system
Benjamin Franklin told us, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” That is true in every aspect of life, including preaching. You need a system for communication that brings in collaborators and anyone in supporting roles (like production), adds deadlines, and progresses in a systematic sequence through the content creation process.
When I teach masterclass or work directly with pastors and leaders on communication, I provide them a framework from “ideation” through “evaluation.” That’s an 8-week process that creates sufficient margin in the preparation process.
You can use my system or create your own. What matters is that you have a method of deadlines and accountability to get ahead and evaluate along the way.
4. Don’t work against brain science
It’s been proven repeatedly: People don’t want to listen. They are constantly looking for a reason not to listen. If you think people will listen just because you’re talking, you’ll be severely disappointed with the strength of your sermon.
How do you work with the brain rather than against it? Well, it’s simple: Communicate a journey, not an outline. Our brains are wired for stories, so when you take your sermon idea and build it as a journey, your audience can follow along without losing interest.
Again, I take an entire session in the Communication Masterclass to address content construction best practices.
Strong Preaching: Conclusion
If you’re part of the 51% who believe your preaching should improve, there are ways to maximize your God-given skills. You may never be as good as your strong preaching idol, but that’s not your calling or goal. Your goal is to be the best version of yourself. Focusing on interesting angles that lead to a straightforward application is one great way to improve.
If you are in the 49% who feel good about your preaching, here’s my challenge: Have people formally evaluate you. To get the most from the evaluation, make it anonymous and ask them to complete a survey a few days after you preach.
Again … I give pastors evaluation tools in my cohort, but for now, ask this:
- What was the message about?
- How well did I connect to people who may have been visiting our church?
- What about the content was interesting?
- Was there any time that you found your mind wandering?
- What was the “go and do?”
- Did you feel inspired to do it?
That’s an excellent place to start. You must ask specific questions if you want to get helpful answers. “It was good” isn’t beneficial!
I know I mentioned the Communicators Masterclass a few times. That’s not a sales pitch. I really love helping pastors and leaders maximize their potential. I’m constantly launching new cohorts on topics like this. Click here to access more on communication.
This article on strong preaching originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
