“Pastors, preach the word boldly and shut the mouths of your listeners!” That was an actual comment from a pastor in response to one of my blog posts. My article encouraged pastors to enhance their preaching with effective communication techniques–such as those that Jesus used. These include listening to your people, and encouraging people’s questions […]
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Tag Archives: preaching
You’re Not Called to Preach
March 6, 2013 
13 Comments
The young man was puzzled. He heard me and other panel members cite the inherent limitations of regular lectures and sermons. After we encouraged the audience to insert some experiential elements into their teaching, he raised his hand. “But what about the biblical mandate to preach?” he asked. Now I was puzzled. First, I wondered […]
Read more The Perfect Length for a Sermon
December 12, 2012 21 Comments
A denominational executive recently chided pastors in his tribe for inflicting “spiritual starvation” on their flocks. The crime? Brief sermons. After skimming a sermon on a pastor’s blog, the denom leader wrote: “It could not have been more than eight minutes long, if that! This is, sadly, not some exception. It is in keeping with […]
Read more Sunday Morning Fantasies
September 19, 2012 25 Comments
Bear with me as I fantasize. About Sunday morning. At church. The worship leader begins the service with: “Everybody please be seated. I don’t know why I’ve asked you to stand every time we sing. But whatever the reason, I realized it’s become just another cliche´. So please be seated.” The pastor begins the sermon–and […]
Read more Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
March 7, 2012 52 Comments
Most people don’t go to church anymore. And the minority who do regularly attend and appreciate weekly services fit a certain profile. They’re the church-inclined. This shrinking minority differs from the majority in several ways: Audience-Oriented. They appreciate a good presentation from the stage. They prefer to passively listen while the paid professionals on the […]
Read more Those Who Find Fault with Your Innocence
February 29, 2012 18 Comments
“Christians are a bunch of judgmental witch hunters. They find a way to vilify anything that anybody enjoys.” Increasingly, that’s the reputation attached to Christian folk. And, sadly, some church leaders and teachers go out of their way to promote their holier-than-thou judgmentalism. As a publisher of Christian resources, I frequently hear from squinty-eyed conspiracy […]
Read more 6 Keys to Power Up Your Message With Video
January 26, 2012 22 Comments
You can move—or distract—your audience with video. The motion picture can help you drive home a point, or drive aimlessly into oblivion. I’ve seen churches make good use of video, and not so good use. I’ve watched the searing story of a faith-filled church member who was dying from a terminal illness. And I’ve sat […]
Read more How to Waken Comatose Listeners
October 26, 2011 11 Comments
The 30-minute lecture (a.k.a. sermon) anesthetizes the audience every week. As I reported in my last post, most people remember very little of the typical sermon after a few days. Few show any life change as a result of the oratory. Yet preachers keep following the same old protocol week after week. A pastor friend […]
Read more Your Last Sermon: Memorable or Forgettable?
October 19, 2011 6 Comments
What was the point of the last sermon you heard? Over the years, I’ve interviewed church-goers on Wednesdays. I asked them what they remember from the previous weekend’s sermons. Their answers are pretty similar. I’ve seen little difference in their responses due to parishioner demographics, or church size. You can see what they said. Watch this brief […]
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Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
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Church Abusing Kids with Root Beer
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Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
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Acts of a Suicidal Church
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Sunday Morning Fantasies
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9 Ways to Me-Too Your Ministry Heroes
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“Life Change Happens in Circles, Not in Rows.” Are You Kidding Me?
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To Become the Best Church in Town
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How to Silence Your People
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Why the Easter Christians Won’t Be Back
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descriptivegrace: Churches can’t survive because they can’t figu...
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Joan: "Preachers" who wave the Bible in the air. Why do ...
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Rocky: What's up with all the "big beards" I see on youth...
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Sherry: Music that is so loud that anyone who has not alre...
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Steve-Gaitha Athans: Thanks Thom for "renting the veil" of our "Me too"...
