PREACH WITH CLARITY
Free sermon writing courses are available through the Christian Leaders Institute. Just sign up and take a free admission course. Today Bruce Ballast is talking about how clarity helps the listener tune it and stay there.
We’ve looked already that effective sermons are Therapeutic, that is, that they are geared to address peoples’ felt needs. We’ve also discussed that people will tune into your preaching more effectively if you do something unconventional or attention-getting. In this post, we turn to the topic of clarity, or Lucidity (in the TULIP) an acronym. Here is a truth: clarity helps hearers tune in and stay there.
WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS?
I heard about a research project that was done in a university. The goal was to find out what impresses people in a speech. So they gathered a group of young, smart college-age young adults and had them listen to two speeches. The first person who spoke did what was the equivalent of a college lecture, informing the group about a period in history and the forces that created it. The students then rated the speaker. He rated pretty well as being knowledgable about his subject and fairly interesting.
Then came the second speaker. The designers of the project chose this man because of his ability to memorize strings of words that sounded impressive; they weren’t part of a normal vocabulary. He weaved a bunch of nonsense with those words during his twenty minutes, but did so with passion, while he made a diagram on the board. The students then ranked him after his speech. To the surprise of the researchers, the students rated the non-sensical speech higher than the other one!
WHAT'S THE POINT?
The point is this: if you are trying to impress your hearers, then use the biggest words you know, and talk about obscure topics. But if you want your hearers to draw closer to God and to have a deeper understanding of his will for them, then know that clarity helps hearers tune in and make that connection.
ORGANIZATION IS THE KEY
This principle is always true when you speak in public, not just when you preach. Clarity helps hearers stay tuned in to you and your subject. This quote is from NBC news in a short on-line article that makes this same point.
Plan ahead. Take the time to figure out the best way to tailor your message to your audience — what approach will keep your listeners attention and resonate with them? North asks. Think of a strong introduction that will grab listeners’ attention. And craft a thoughtful conclusion, so listeners leave remembering what the key points you want them to take away.
Preparing for less formal conversation — such as a dinner party with new neighbors, a networking event, or a meeting at work — is different from preparing for a formal speech, Fleming adds. But planning can still help. Thinking about points, you might want to make about a project at work before a meeting with the higher-ups will help you feel more confident when it’s time to voice your opinion. And knowing a little bit about fellow party guests ahead of time can make it easier to land on conversations you’re both engaged in.
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
How do you maintain clarity and lucidity in your message? It’s not difficult. It involves these things:
Know Your Main Plot
Later we’ll get into the mechanics of writing a sermon, but for now, let me suggest that you read the passage that you are preaching on prayerfully more than once. Then reflect on your subject enough so that you have one, or at most two main ideas you want to get across.
Outline Supporting Points
Steve Brown, the one from whom I got the TULIP acrostic, says, “If people can’t take notes on what you say, you should not have said it.” And, “…The organization is desperately important in any presentation.” (Steve Brown, How to Talk So People Will Listen, p. 117). Now for some fun. Here’s a clip of a speech that will remind you again that clarity helps your readers tune in and stay tuned in. The target is business speakers, not sermon-makers. But it shows the tendency to wander confusingly. Just watch part of this, and picture what it might look like for someone to do this with bad sermons.
Women’s Ministry Training Journey Led to CLI
My name is Laysha Trejo, and I have been on a women’s ministry training journey. I currently live in California. I joined the U.S. Navy after high school at 17 years old. There I met the love of my life, my husband, Miguel Trejo.
Being military for more than 20 years now, we have been continuously moving from place to place. Because of moving often, I have seen many women’s ministries. Those women’s ministries have been an enormous resource to me. They helped me grow in the Lord. They helped come alongside the church to fill the hunger I had to learn the Word of God.
Dreams and Goals on My Women’s Ministry Training Journey
My dream and ministry goal is to become a trained Christian leader women’s ministry leaders trainer (that was a mouth full). Providing practical advice based entirely on God’s Word is vital. Also, I want to provide tools for women to serve God’s way. The Lord delivered me from the most challenging times in my life, being away from home in the military and later a military wife. He used women’s ministry as a tool to reach me. The Bible studies, conferences, and fellowship helped me to stay plugged in.
I must admit I was a little concerned about not following through with my studies. Honestly, I have been going to college off and on for many years and still am not done. I have used all of my GI Bill college funds. So, tuition costs scared me as a stay home wife and mother of five children.
Finding CLI as God Opens Doors
However, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to search online. Thank the Lord He revealed the Christian Leaders Institute. My scholarship at CLI has allowed me to receive the credibility and training that I crave to do ministry God’s way. Thanks so very much for your obedience, CLI!
Praise God! He goes before us. Mentors, training, and opportunities are now coming to me. Furthermore, it’s no coincidence that I am going to CLI professor Gena McCown’s women’s leadership conference. I didn’t even realize it was her conference. I “happened” to find it and felt I should go all the way to Florida from California for just one day.
Please pray for me as I continue on this women’s ministry training journey!
Learn about ordination with the Christian Leaders Alliance.
Youth Ministry Training at CLI
I am Tafara Passmore Sairai, and I am receiving youth ministry training for free at CLI. A Zimbabwean national, I currently reside and work in South Africa. I grew up in a Christian home in the small town of Chinhoyi. As a young boy, I remember being fascinated by the Biblical stories of, among others, Moses, David, Joshua, Gideon, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What made it more fascinating to me was the colorful illustration that accompanied the storybooks as my sisters would read the stories. I couldn’t wait for the day I could read them for myself.
Most of those images are still embedded in my memory. I wanted so much to be like David and Joshua. Those memories are why one of my ministry goals is to find those colorfully illustrated Biblical storybooks and put them into as many young hands as I can.
Addiction and Freedom in Christ
The troubled years came when, as a teenager, I had to go to boarding school for my A levels. Away from parental and societal control, I became rebellious and spiraled out of control. Alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana took over every part of my life.
Therefore, it was a struggle to get rid of the associated addictions. It took all of 20 years! It is by the grace of God that I am free of these addictions. I tried countless times on my own, but I would relapse after a few weeks of trying. I thank God every day for breaking the yoke of addiction in just a moment. That moment happened when my brothers invited me to attend a revival crusade. There, I surrendered it all to Jesus, and I was set free.
Youth Ministry Training at CLI
Another of my ministry goals is to pioneer programs that will keep teenagers and adolescents interested in church activities. Then, that will keep them from seeking entertainment elsewhere. I am here at the Christian Leaders Institute to get the necessary youth ministry training to enable me to confidently and competently shepherd young people. Also, hopefully, I can connect with other like-minded leaders.
Learn about minister ordination options with the Christian Leaders Alliance.