What are people looking
for when they walk in your church? The
results of a recent Gallup survey might shock you and certainly flies in the
face of most of the conventional wisdom.
I recently watch a TED
talk by Saturday Night Live writer Will Stephen on how to give a great TED
talk. As I listened to his presentation,
I couldn’t help but think that he has served as many preachers’ homiletics
professor. I strongly recommend you view
his TED talk for comic value. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0FDjFBj8o
For the moment, I will
sum up his comments with the following outline:
·
Begin with “Nothing” to say.
Compensate for having nothing to say with style.
This can be accomplished by gestures, voice inflection,
and facial expressions.
·
It is important to connect emotionally with your audience.
Do this by asking a question that involves obvious audience
participation.
Tell a personally embarrassing story that will allow you
to appear humble.
·
Make your sermon sound intellectual, even if you have no clue what you are talking about.
The aggressive use of multimedia can keep you from having
to work hard to develop
something meaningful.
The use of attractive stock photos with vaguely ethically
sounding but pointless words will give you a strong, moral appeal to your
audience.
·
Move to a strong conclusion.
Having said nothing your conclusion needs to be nothing.
Make sure you audience leaves with a feeling.
It doesn’t matter what that feeling is.
Sad to say, I have heard
more than a few sermons developed with this system. Sermons that are higher on entertainment
value than they are substantive.
Preaching done based on relating to the target audience. We have been told that people want church
teaching to be relevant to life and under that guise we slip to the lowest
common denominator of what is trending now.
Someone once said to me, “We have to do the newest, new thing.”
But
there is good news and a second approach. In a recent Gallup
survey the most important reason for people attending worship was “Sermons or
talks that teach you more about scripture”.
Stop and let that soak in. The
reason people come to church is to be taught scripture. Not how to feel good, how to get wealth, peace
and prosperity, not to find a positive thought to carry them through the
week. They come to learn from and about
scripture. They do want relevance. The second most common answer as to the most
important reason to come to worship was “Sermons or lectures that help you
connect religion to your own life”. Even
in the quest for relevance people want it from the Word of God.
For
the last generation the evangelical church has made a head long rush to be
relevant. So much so, that in some cases
relevance has edged out scripture entirely.
The list of substitutes that have slipped into the teaching and
preaching in America is almost endless. But apparently what people are hungry for in a
preacher is someone who will, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God
as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of
truth.”
I
am not opposed to PowerPoint in sermons.
I think video can sometimes help prove a point. I believe that a great story is
priceless. But more than any of these
things the modern preacher needs a Bible, a notebook and pen, a few good study
aids and a lot of quiet time with the Lord we claim to proclaim.
For
more information on the Gallup Survey follow this link:
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