Connecting

First and foremost in any form of teaching, it is imperative that you make a connection with your people. It is a huge mistake to think of them or refer to them as an “audience.” If they are merely that, you will likely never really connect. You and I are people who love those we speak with. We don’t speak to them - we speak with them. Mostly we connect with people at a heart-to-heart level.

How many times have you either heard or given a mind-to-mind message and that’s as far as the message went? Of course, there is an intellectual aspect to all messages, but if that is the mainstay of what is going on in a message, a lot is being conveyed about the communicator and those who would appreciate such a message.

One simple step that will aid in connecting:

- Ask God to give you a heart for the people and keep asking for that heart to increase. The measure of a person’s true maturity is the size of their metaphorical heart. That size is determined by the diversity of people a person feels at home with. If you are naturally comfortable with a small piece of the “population pie” - i.e., those who are pretty much like you, who think like you, dress like you…you are still small-hearted.

- As you prepare to speak, picture as clearly as possible several regulars who are in different places in life who are likely to be in attendance, for example, a single mom, a college student, a young couple, or a widow.

- For me, the central connecting factor is partially the above issues, but even more central is the draw to live outwardly. This attractional message has little to do with age groups or educational backgrounds - it is an amazingly magnetic factor. I see this message as being absolutely central to the gospel. If you don’t see that - whatever. But do invest the time needed to hear from God your distinct message as a church.

Passion

Passion is a factor that shines through in many ways that are virtually impossible to measure because they tend to be personalized to each communicator.

Each person has his or her own way of connecting with a particular group. Passion is something that cannot be taught to communicators. Passion is, as has been said, “more caught than taught…”

Practical

Without making what is being taught applicable are you really doing anything worthwhile? Head knowledge is nearly always a dangerous thing without a number of practical ideas for how one can put what is being talked about into practice. Be sure to use yourself as the example of the failure, by the way.

Biblical Insight

Offer your people one or two biblical insights you have come to in the text you are teaching from. Though I have read through the scriptures many times over the past 35 years, I still come to a completely new insight several times each week. For me, those insights come as I slow down the metronome and ponder just a couple of verses, their context and the original intent the writer had in mind in his writing. As you share, even briefly, something completely new each week, you will be flipping on the light that causes your people to become hungry for more of God’s word.

Challenge

Think of this as something akin to a friendly, non-parental assignment. If that word is too strong, re-phrase it in a way that makes sense in your church’s culture. Without a weekly challenge, people will eventually become simply bored with what you aren’t saying. All teacher-pastors have been complained to about the lack of “meat” in their messages. If one were to ponder the difference between “meat” and “milk” the distinction has nothing to do with the topic or the presentation of the teaching but in the doing or not doing of what is taught. All “meat” is the application of the teaching of God’s word - it is raw food. When a mother digests food which is raw, that food is broken down and shared with an infant, it becomes milk - it nourishes the infant, but it is milk. Milk is always the hearing without the doing. All doing is meat. All hearing is milk. Challenge with love and share your doing stories.

Give Station Breaks

We are now communicating with the 3rd and 4th generation that has been fully raised in a TV culture. Most of those present at your services this weekend don’t even remember when TV was free!

In the TV culture people are conditioned to get a “break” about every 6 to 7 minutes. You too need to provide some sort of break from the talking head you are doing otherwise. There are many ways to do this. In my upcoming ebook about raising your communication skills by several points, I will give you a number of easy ways to do this without being corny.

Humor

Some communicators are naturally humorous. Some try to connect via humor but find this challenging.

A word to the wise: Keep experimenting with humor until you find your niche.

Most Importantly: One Point Only

I’m giving away the storehouse with this week’s entries, but it is for a great cause - to raise the effectiveness of your messages.

When I write here “Make one point only per message” don’t get me wrong. If you are going to give a message that people track with, it is vital they are engaged. Instead of calling them points and diffusing the messages punch, have 2 or 3 or even 4 “Considerations” or “Pointers” - you get the idea.

But make it clear from the beginning that at the end you are going to make your one and only point. Before you make your point tell all those assembled “If you don’t hear anything else I say today, hear / remember this…” Take your time assembling this point. Make it so simple, hard-hitting, memorable and as short as you can make it that your people will take it home in their hearts and minds.

The goal - that this one point will endure with them throughout the week.

Surprising as it may seem, I have people on a regular basis who tell me, “I still remember the message you gave (they will name a year that is more than a decade ago - I can’t remember the series much less the week!) - and the take home point you gave. I can’t tell you how many times that has helped me come to a point of wise decision making.”