When you stand before your congregation each week and begin to preach, do you ever think about the fact that those listening to what you have to say make value judgments? Yes, I realize you intend to share an important truth from God’s Word and that fact alone gives a credibility to what you plan to say.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that your congregation does listen to what you say. And, as they listen, their minds begin to process and place a value on the words you use, the manner in which you speak, the level of enthusiasm or passion that you convey, the eye contact you make, and a host of other aspects of your presentation.
As you move through your sermon, the thought process of your listeners follows along the pathway you have laid out for them. Each step of the way, the minds of your listeners continue to process and place a value on what you say and how you say it.
Now—and here’s the difficult part—have you ever telephoned a trusted member of your congregation on Tuesday or Wednesday and asked them to tell you what they remember from what they heard during your sermon on Sunday. Of course, you have to ask this question in a very open, humble, and non-threatening way.
“Hi, Sarah. This is Pastor Bob. I’ve been thinking about my sermon on Sunday and what I plan to preach this coming Sunday. I was wondering if you could help me a little bit. Would that be okay? Good. I’m wondering if there’s something I may have said on Sunday that you’ve been thinking about during the week? Of course, I understand if you haven’t. But, it would help me to know if you have and what particular thought or idea grabbed your attention.”
Then you wait for a response. No matter what Sarah may tell you—and especially if she can’t remember anything—you thank her for her help. It may well be that Sarah has, indeed, remembered a key truth from your sermon. But, if she hasn’t, maybe it’s time you give some additional thought as to how the listeners may be judging your sermons.
Our website, Sermon-Coach.com, exists to help pastors create life-transforming sermons. If I may, I would like to suggest that you take 13 minutes or so to listen to this week’s Sermon-Coach.com Podcast by clicking the link on this page. We talk about this very subject: “Better Judges.” You may find that those listeners in your congregation represent a resource that you can plug into and find ways to improve how much of what you share from the pulpit “sticks” during each following week.
Sometimes when we talk to the people listening to our sermons, we find out they are better judges of the effectiveness of what we’ve proclaimed. After all, helping these dear folks along the way of their spiritual formation is why we preach to begin with—isn’t it?
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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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