Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Good to Great: Speaking How You Speak, Not How You Write


Meet Jon. Jon is a great pastor. He really is. He loves Jesus. He loves people. He is intelligent. He is witty. He is calm under pressure. He leads Bible study well. Not only does he tell people he will pray for them, he actually does! But after four years of paid full-time vocational ministry, Jon is still battling with a key part of his work as a pastor. His preaching just isn’t where he wants it to be. And if his church is honest, it isn’t quite where they would want it to be, either.

It is not his exegesis. He has clearly spent hours in the books. He has translated the Greek, he has read the commentaries, he has cross-checked what Calvin has to say. And it isn’t the length of his sermon. He has read Saving Eutychus, and doesn’t want to be the guy who kills a parishioner! Yes, he is a 20-minute man through and through. But something isn’t quite right.

Here is the problem: when he speaks, it feels like he is reading an essay, rather than talking to people. The words are always good. The logic is always sound. It is just… well, let’s be honest… a bit boring! Read More

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