In a Rut?

I speculate that most churches do church the same way today that they did a year or more ago -- tailored to the people in the pews, striving to keep them showing up and paying up without too much speaking up.

If you want to know where your church will be two years from now, ask yourself where it was two years ago. If nothing's changed, chances are good that nothing will change.

Who Cares if the Ducks Aren't Lined Up?

I read this in a Seth Godin post today:

Getting your ducks in a row is not nearly as powerful as actually doing something with your duck.

Seems way too many people spend way too much time getting their ducks in a row. They say:

"Let me get out of debt, then I'll preach."

"Let me finish college so I'll have a degree to fall back on."

"I need to get married first."

"Let me get the kids raised."

Yet Jesus scolded the fellow who wanted to say goodbye to his folks and the other fellow who wanted to bury his father.

I think God would tell us what He told Israel, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. (Deut 2:3)"

You've toyed with sin long enough; make a bearing for righteousness.
You've played the blame-game far too long; take responsibility for your own actions and move on.
You've waited long enough; do something now.
Step out of the nest, stretch your wings and fly.

Let the ducks do what they were designed to do - eat, swim, fly, multiply. Who cares if they're in a row or not?

Brain Problem

The CyberSalt Digest sent me this zinger today:

Scientists have finally figured out what is wrong with mankind. The problem lies in the two halves of their brains - the left and the right.

The left half has nothing right in it
And the right half has nothing left in it!

To Get Through, Surprise Them

Here's the final snippet of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

7. Surprise Them

Our brains continually compare sensory input against known data. Certain sounds, like the sound of our own breathing, are routinely ignored. We don't pay attention to typical smells or sights. Dr. John Medina, director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University, puts it simply, "We don't pay attention to boring things."

Other sounds or senses alert us to action. A car horn, or even a footstep, can jolt us to state of alert. A stinky diaper cuts through our mental fog and moves us to action.

Similar things occur during sermons. If we've heard it before, our minds wander. If it's something new, our mind says, "Hey! What's this? I've never seen this before!"

Preachers must continually seek new ways to declare ageless truths. Pray for renewed passion. Use fresh testimonies. Reference pop culture. Change the sermon style from topical to expositional or vice-versa. Change the order of service. Do whatever it takes to keep from doing the same old thing over and over again.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Make Them Laugh or Cry (or Both)

Here's snippet #6 of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

6. Make them Laugh or Cry (or Both)

The best stories of all are the ones that connect on an emotional level.

I will never forget hearing evangelist Lorretta Kelley tell of a drowning (and miraculous recovery) that occurred at her birthday party. Mental images and sound bites of the event are burned into my memory as if I was there. I felt fear, helplessness, and frustration at first, followed by relief after God answered prayer.

I will also never forget Dr. Ron Minor recounting a humorous experience as a director at a youth camp. Dr. Minor's laughter is contagious enough on its own, but when the entire congregation is laughing to the point of tears, it's unforgettable.

Gospel/Folk musicians Steve and Annie Chapman excel at emotional connections, especially in concert. Their songs and stories evoke tears, first from laughter, then from sorrow, then laughter again, and nobody who experiences the concert leaves unaffected.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Tell Stories

Here's snippet #5 of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

5. Tell Stories

I remember seeing a district talent competition where a drama team forgot their lines halfway through their performance. They stopped cold, the curtain closed, and the judges marked the score sheets. But the audience would not be satisfied until the team was allowed to come back and redo their performance. Why? Just to know how the story ended!

I recently bought a Cinnabon cinnamon roll at our local mall. I carried the gooey softball-sized pastry to a café table, where my wife, son, and two other friends divided it up five ways. I loaded a fork with a bit of the soft insides, picked up a little of the brown sugar/cinnamon goo, and just as I brought the fork to my mouth...

Do you want to know what happened next? Why? Because stories, even ones as mundane as this, create interest.

Let me ask something else. Could you imagine the smell of cinnamon? Could you imagine the taste? Could you picture five people around a café table? Could you see the fork headed for my mouth?

Stories are multi-sensory by default. The areas of the brain that handle the senses (sight, sound, smell) kick in and embellish the story. This allows a good story to adhere in one's memory better than facts, figures or principles alone.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Go Multi-Sensory

Here's snippet #4 of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

4. Go Multi-Sensory

Kindergarten and first-grade teachers know this rule well. When they teach the letter "A", they allow the kids to see it, sing it, taste it, feel it, smell it, draw it, and make it -- almost anything goes in teaching that letter.

The ancient Chinese also knew this rule, according to their proverb:

I hear, and I forget.
I see, and I remember.
I do, and I understand.

The ancient Chinese, in their doing, involved at least four senses -- sight, sound, smell, and touch, plus the mental and muscular processes for performing the task. All of this combined to make the task not only memorable but understandable.

In preaching, the more faculties we involve, the more the message will stick. To be unforgettable, let the audience not only hear the word, but see it, smell it, touch it, taste it, experience it, and do it.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Meddle

Here's snippet #3 of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

3. Meddle

Preachers can preach all day long about the evils of Hollywood, Wall Street, or Capitol Hill, and never affect their congregation. Everyone may shout "amen", but they're saying, "I agree that those other people need to change." Soon the audience goes on auto-pilot, mentally checked-out, but still saying amen where appropriate.

Something different happens when the preacher begins to meddle, when he preaches to the main-street crowd. Those struggling with porn listen when the preacher tells how to be delivered. Those in debt listen when the preacher shows the way to freedom. The congregation listens when the sermon is for them and about them.

Peter meddled in Acts 2 when he told the crowd about Jesus being in the midst of them... as they knew... whom they crucified. The pointed preaching affected the hearers who then cried out, "What shall we do?"

Instead of preaching all day about how somebody needs to do something, get specific. Target your congregation. Challenge your congregation. Meddle.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Delete the Fluff

Here's snippet #2 of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

2. Delete the Fluff

I've seen preachers waste several minutes droning about how someone else could do a better job and how they hope the audience will get something out of it. I sometimes think if the preacher isn't excited about preaching the message, why should I be excited to hear it?

If you were playing baseball, you wouldn't step up to the plate and spend 5 minutes talking about how Babe Ruth could do a better job, would you? No! You'd step up and give it your best swing.

Preachers should do the same. Prepare thoroughly at home, and deliver without hesitation in the pulpit. If you're behind the pulpit, that means you're the one appointed for that time. There is no one else. Stand and deliver.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.

To Get Through, Know Your Point

Here's a snippet of my article 7 Ways to Get Through to Your People from the September 2008 issue of Pentecostal Messenger:

1. Know Your Point

Dr. Howard Hendricks says a sign on a lectern once nearly derailed his sermon: "What in the world are you trying to do to these people?" The sign's author told Hendricks, "I've been preaching for twelve years without an objective, and it finally dawned on me one day that if I didn't know what I was doing, there was a good possibility they didn't know what they were supposed to do."

When it comes to a particular audience at a particular time, nothing is more important than knowing what God wants done. The man of God must pray for a word from God. Only then can he craft his sermon effectively.

Imagine if halfway through your sermon someone yelled out, "So what?!?" Would you have an answer?

For best results while preaching, have a point. Have one point. Get that point from God. Know that point. Preach that point.

Note: If you don't already receive Pentecostal Messenger and you'd like to, the Pentecostal Church of God is offering free subscriptions for the remaining 2008 issues. For details, go to www.pcg.org.