Communicating for a Change Part 12

This doesn't come as a surprise. And the question certainly isn't original with me. But I'm shocked at how few communicators really take this question to heart. Every message you deliver has at least one point of application. Discover what it is and then state it.

What do you want them to do in response to what you've said?

My two recommendations on this point are: Be specific and be creative. Give your audience something very specific to do. Something so specific they will know immediately whether or not they have done it. If it is a lifestyle issue, make a suggestion as to how long they should do it.

For example, if the focus of your message is on the importance of personal prayer, it is not enough to end by saying, "So pray!" That may be what you want them to do, but that's not specific enough. At the same time I would not suggest that you stand up and ask people in your audience to make a commitment to pray every day for the rest of their lives. That's specific but unrealistic.

When I ask an audience to do something specific, I usually ask them to commit to a specific length of time. Halfway through a series on the Lord's prayer I asked our congregation to begin the next seven days with prayer. Just seven days. Anybody could do that. And hopefully those seven days would begin a habit.

In addition to being specific, be creative. For example, when I challenged our congregation to begin keeping track of their expenses I gave them a ledger sheet and asked them to keep track for one month. Giving them a ledger sheet was creative. Giving them a time frame was specific. They would know immediately if they had done what I had asked them to do. Sometimes a single application can run the length of a series. That way you have several weeks to instill the value of what you suggested they do.

Once you have narrowed the application to something specific it is time to answer the fourth question.

4. Why do they need to do it?

The first time you answered why you inspired them to keep listening. Now you've got to inspire them to action. Why should they do what you have suggested?

"It should be obvious," you object. And you are right. It should be. But go ahead and spend a few minutes thinking through exactly what's at stake if they don't follow through. Make a list. And then put it in your outline. Then tell 'em. After you explain what, tell them why. Answering why at this juncture serves as the perfect segue into the WE section of your message.

"Imagine what would happen if all of us went to work tomorrow with renewed commitment to serve those who usually serve us."

"Imagine what would happen in our families if every one of us made a list of the relational debts we felt that others owed us and then cancelled those debts."

"Imagine how much joy we could generate as a congregation if every one of us sat down this week and wrote a thank-you letter to the person who introduced us to Christ."

Once I answer those four questions I'm not only unstuck, I'm excited. The first two get me to the text. The last two get me to the finish line. But there is one additional question I always ask. This isn't really part of my unstuck strategy, but it is part of my preparation. So here it is. The fifth and final question.

5. What can I do to help them remember?

What can I do to help them remember either my point or my application? The ledger sheet I referenced earlier was an answer to that question. We almost always hand out memory verse cards to go with our series. When I finished my series on Jonah, I gave everybody a flower and asked them to a.s.sociate that with whatever it was in their lives that was more important to them than people's souls. Then I asked them to put it somewhere where they could watch it slowly die. It was a way of remembering.

We've given away refrigerator magnets, doughnuts, pieces of canvas, paint brushes, compa.s.ses, stickers, CDs, books, bottles of beads, water bottles, and money. We don't do that every week. Again, I don't always have a good answer to this question. But I always ask it. And every once in a while something surfaces that makes a big impact.

Here they are again: 1. What do they need to know? INFORMATION 2. Why do they need to know it? MOTIVATION 3. What do they need to do? APPLICATION 4. Why do they need to do it? INSPIRATION 5. How can I help them remember? REITERATION Here's my suggestion. Make a copy of these questions and keep them where you study. When you get stuck, start at the top. When you are finished, check and see if you have answered the first four. If you have, pull together a team and chew on that last one.

Everybody gets stuck. Sometimes it has nothing to do with our ability to organize content. That's why we need to stop and pray. Sometimes we just get lost in the information. That's why we need some questions to get us going and keep us going until we have discovered the one thing that the people G.o.d has entrusted to our care need to know.

a Don't allow the pressure to get the sermon finished override your pa.s.sion to bring something fresh to your audience.

a When you get stuck, pray!

a When you get stuck, go back to basics: What do they need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? Why do they need to do it? How can I help them remember?

CONCLUSION.

Writing a book about communication is a bit like writing a book about playing the piano. It has its limits. We sure hope you found something here that you can begin applying immediately. And perhaps in the near future you will try your hand at developing and communicating a one point message. With this approach, multiple points will give way to mileposts that mark your progress towards a single destination. Introductions will create the tension you want to resolve or raise the question you intend to answer. Application will be the driving force of the message, rather than a section tacked on to the end. In my experience, this is a much easier and more effective way to approach communicating the Scriptures.

The church needs your voice and your insight. As does your community and the world. For that reason, never stop growing and developing as a communicator. Find what works. Find what works for you. And every time you have an opportunity to communicate G.o.d's Word, communicate for a change!

Q & A WITH ANDY.

When do you study?

All day Wednesday and half-day Thursday. Then I review and internalize the message on Sat.u.r.day evenings.

Where do you study?

At the office during the week and at home on Sat.u.r.day night.

How do you get and stay so far ahead?

I preach an average of thirty-six weekends a year. On most of the weeks I'm off, I still prepare a message. My suggestion is to bring somebody in to preach for you for two weekends and use that time to get ahead. It's a good feeling. Your support staff will love it.

What do you take with you to the platform?

My Bible with my printed out Scriptures tucked inside. And usually I will have a note card or two with something I want to make sure I say correctly.

How long do you preach?

Forty minutes.

How long is a typical series?

Four to six weeks.

Are you involved in the creative planning for the service?

Yes. Very. I attend two meetings each week to plan and evaluate the weekend services. In addition I have quarterly meetings we refer to as "content meetings." This is where I gather random staff to brainstorm through a topic. Then Julie Arnold, our service program division director, leads a creative team meeting to flesh out the creative theme for a series.

How far out do you plan?

We plan conceptually for an entire year. We plan a specific series three months out. We do not give all our series equal support. We do three big series each year. Between those we will do more scaled-down series.

Do you ever repeat a message?

I will often repackage a message from a series and use it in a different series. We've never repeated an entire series as it was originally presented.

ME-WE-G.o.d-YOU-WE.

1. What do they need to know? INFORMATION 2. Why do they need to know it? MOTIVATION 3. What do they need to do? APPLICATION 4. Why do they need to do it? INSPIRATION 5. How can I help them remember? REITERATION

NOTES.

1. 1 Corinthians 8:1

Return to text.

2. James 2:20

Return to text.

3. James 1:22

Return to text.

4. John 13:35

Return to text.

5. Randy Pope, "Preaching in the Prevailing Church, An Interview with Randy Pope," Preaching, 21, no. 4 (Jan-Feb 2006): 46.

Return to text.

6. Howard Hendricks taught us to ask, "So what?" Rick Warren is the first person I heard use the question, "Now what?"

Return to text.

7. For the record, I don't see any contradiction between Jesus' and Paul's teaching on the subject.

Return to text.

8. John 6:68