Have you ever watched a panel discussion on television where one person on the panel seemed to dominate the conversation? Sometimes that person even talks so fast that it’s obvious the other panel members can hardly squeeze a word into the conversation. In fact, more than a conversation, the discussion becomes a monologue.

Sadly, I don’t even have to tune into a television program to observe this behavior. I simply have to join a small group where a pastor is present to observe the phenomenon of someone who wants to dominate the conversation. As a pastor myself, I understand how this happens. In fact, in my long ago past, I did the very same thing.

We pastors become so used to being the one sharing information with the members of our congregation that, in almost any setting, we tend to dominate the conversation. Fortunately, I learned very painfully, but early on, in my ministry that it is far better to respond to an inner voice that says, “Stop! Don’t talk! Listen!”

Because I want to share with other pastors what I’ve learned regarding this important topic, I have made it the focus of Podcast 224. If you would like to hear my suggestions regarding the importance of listening, rather than talking, I urge you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and listen to this Podcast.

We pastors must do everything we can to help those God has placed in our charge become better disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. In some cases, that may mean we need to stop talking and listen carefully. Because I know you care about your calling, I’m certain you will find what I have to say quite helpful. So, please listen to this Podcast, won’t you?

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I continue to receive many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in your church.

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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When you first hear a new piece of information, do you immediately know how it might impact your life? Or, are you more like most people, who need some time to digest and process new information before they are ready to find a way to use that information in theirown lives?

It’s true that every time we pastors preach a sermon, we give those listening to us key pieces of information that will help them with their spiritual formation. We’ve likely spent hours studying the Scriptures and preparing a sermon to meet the very real needs our congregants struggle with in their own spiritual lives.

Is it unreasonable then to set aside some time during our sermons to allow the very people we are trying to shepherd to receive, digest, and process the truths that we share? I not only think that’s a reasonable suggestion, I believe it’s so important that I’ve made it the topic of Podcast 223.

If you think what I’ve suggested may be worthy of some additional consideration, I urge you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website. Once there, you can click to listen to this Podcast. If you do, you will hear me share some real examples of when a pastor should have given his congregation a chance to process what he said during his sermon. And, you’ll hear other examples of when such a “processing time” proved exceptionally valuable to those who took advantage of it.

“Even good preachers should allow time for listeners to process their sermons.” That’s the key sentence for this Podcast. Once you listen to it, I think you will agree that certain of our sermons definitely lend themselves to allowing our congregants some processing time.

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I continue to receive many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in your church.

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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It’s fair to say that watching television and listening to radio discloses that the vast majority of the media reporters and pundits in the United States clearly do not understand Christianity. They especially do not understand those individuals who have seriously devoted themselves to following the Lord Jesus Christ and the principles of His Kingdom here on this earth.

I wonder, though, if we pastors have created some of that confusion by insisting on using insider language when we describe the principles of spiritual formation that we communicate to our congregations through our sermons. This insider language, or jargon, permeates virtually everything I hear and everything I read about Christianity.

I also wonder if we pastors have created some confusion for those God has placed under our care in our congregations when we sprinkle jargon throughout our sermons. Of course we mean well—we would never want to cause any confusion or leave our congregants wondering what in the world we meant by what we said.

Nevertheless, using jargon can prove deadly to effective communication. Because of my concern about this subject, I’ve made it the focus of Podcast 222. I invite you to click the link on this page to take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and then listen to this Podcast.

Once you hear what I have to say, I sincerely believe you will resonate with my suggestions and determine to make the words of your sermons even clearer than they are up to now. I think you will find that scrubbing jargon out of your sermons will prove very helpful to everyone who listens to them.

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I continue to receive many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in your church.

 

---

Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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Recently, I’ve experienced the way two quite different pastors have responded to a very serious split in each of their churches. In the one case, the pastor failed to exercise a proper leadership role and the church has dwindled to practically nothing in terms of its effectiveness on behalf of Christ and His Kingdom.

In contrast, the other pastor not only endured the split in the church, but through very decisive leadership has built on the previous difficulties and with God’s enabling has created an ever-more-effective and nurturing church. This pastor has promoted healing among the people of the church. And, through this healing has come significant growth and overall improvement in spiritual formation for the people of that church.

In Podcast 221, I have the opportunity of sharing in greater depth what I have observed about the importance of pastoral leadership in a church. If you would like to hear my thoughts, please click the link that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website. Once you reach that site, you may click the link to listen to this Podcast.

Jesus was obviously a skillful leader. As pastors, we want to follow in our King’s example. I hope my thoughts will help you continue to develop these necessary leadership skills to the glory of His Name.

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I continue to receive many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in your church.

 

---

Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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