What I have learned from preaching

I preached yesterday, the first time in months after preaching nearly five years.

It felt amazing.

Truly, preaching is one of the most awesome experiences of my life. It is a moment in which I feel completely wrapped in the presence of God as I present what the Spirit has been working over in my heart. It is a moment in which my time in the presence of God crashes into my love for the people in the community. I speak from the depths of my being, doing my best to craft every line while also presenting the Gospel in a way that reveals the change it has made in my life.

What I have learned from preaching applies to public speaking, and I hope some of these ideas transfer into your line of work or are applicable in some way to the life you are living.

People love to feel things, and they especially love to laugh

Church can be a stuffy place sometimes. It should be a place that is serious, after all it is a place where people are gathered together to experience the presence of God. But sometimes, in our attempt to be serious, we actually are just boring.

I think God made people funny, and laughter is truly the best medicine. I make it my goal to make people laugh nearly every sermon.

I have found that this helps people pay attention to your speech as well, especially in crowds where the people do not know you. If you start off with a funny story that makes people laugh, it bonds the crowd to you.

People listen if they like you.

Know your material, don’t read a speech

We live in an age of authenticity. The younger generation wants you to present your heart. The listeners want to hear you speak with conviction. A good crowd will give grace to stuttering and structure as long as you have a good point and a lot of passion.

I will read my sermon if I feel like I need to say things exactly right. This is especially true in a wedding or a funeral. But there also have been many parts of sermons where what I am saying is going to upset people, so I need to make sure it comes out exactly the way I intend it to.

Understand who you are speaking to

This is one of the basics of speech giving. It is fundamental for a reason.

For a pastor like me, it is a goal of mine to live alongside the people I will be preaching to. I hear their stories, their concerns, their questions, and their victories. All of these are data points in my presentation of the Gospel.

Refuse to make your speech applicable to anyone. You have an audience captivated in a specific place and time. Speak to their needs, wants, loves, and frustrations. Your speech can offer life to the people staring back at you. Give it to them!

But to give it to them you have to know them.

Be adaptable even while on stage

I always have a plan before I go up on stage. I write a manuscript, then sticky notes, then on my hand. I memorize things. I keep it organized.

But even the best plans are changeable, and you need to be able to add to or subtract from your speech on the fly.

In preparing my sermons, I actually have multiple plans in place for most sections of my sermon. I do that so if the crowd is not understanding something, I know what I need to add to the speech to bring them up to speed.

But if the crowd is getting it, I also feel comfortable to push into the spot that is being received by the crowd. If I hear “Amen” or see some nodding heads, I am sure to add in that area to feed the hungry crowd.

Do it over and over and over again

The only way to get better is to keep doing it.

I have preached hundreds of times in my young life and I have had dozens of sermons that I would call “really bad”. I’ve said things I shouldn’t have said. I’ve attributed verses to the wrong authors. I’ve spoke too long, rarely too short. I’ve preached with my zipper down. I’ve preached when the tech doesn’t cooperate. I’ve preached to packed houses and empty rooms.

If you want to become a good speaker, you have to do it. Do it afraid. Do it when you are tired. Do it when you feel sick. Do it when you don’t feel like you have anything to say.

Stand there. Take a breathe. Thank the Lord. And speak.

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