Your Message Matters

A local priest and pastor stood by the side of the road holding up a sign that said, “The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!”   They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car.  “Leave us alone you religious nuts!” yelled the first driver as he sped by.  From around the curve they heard a big splash. “Do you think,” said one clergy to the other, “we should just put up a sign that says  ‘bridge out’ instead?”

  

How can you say your message without looking like a parrot?  Here are four quick things Graham Johnston observes you need to remember:.. 


1. Don't engage listeners at the expense of the message.  Methods may change, but message has not.  
2.  Follow the rules of effective communication.  Your role is to supply both meaning and relevance to people. 
3.  Risk getting involved with the listeners.  Listeners become involved as they sense the speaker's involvement in their lives.  
4.  Address the real world in which your listeners live.  What is on the mind of people living today? What is of value and interest to them in relation to the topic? 

You may follow Graham Johnston's article at Ministry Today entitled "Preaching In A Postmodern Culture."  

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