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Five Advices for Preaching in a Postmodern Culture
Senior pastor Michael Slaughter, who calls himself the chief dreamer of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio, has written an informative chapter on Preaching in a Postmodern Culture in The Pastors Guide to Effective Ministry. Here are five key ideas. Try interacting with each idea and then intentionally apply at least one of these concepts to next Sunday s sermon.
Post moderns are open to the supernatural . . . The harvest is ripe with seekers who are exploring the possibilities of spiritual meaning from communicators who understand how to connect biblical truth with their felt needs. (p. 79).
Agree ____ Disagree____ Apply____________________________________
Twenty-first century communicators of biblical faith will include the demonstration of contagious faith in authentic community expressed through compassionate service. (p. 80).
Agree ____ Disagree____ Apply____________________________________
Effective communicators of the twenty-first century understand that post modern people are seeking an experience of God, not just a cerebral explanation. (p. 81).
Agree ____ Disagree____ Apply____________________________________
Seekers are not i dotters or t crossers and are least likely to be reached by those who are. (p. 83).
Agree ____ Disagree____ Apply____________________________________
Passion is the deep fire within the leader that burns consistently . . . It is the inner drive that motivates a leader to expend himself, to deny herself, to focus on the goal, the objective, the mission, the vision. (p. 90).
Agree ____ Disagree____ Apply____________________________________
The Pastors Guide to Effective Ministry, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City
NBW
The Magnetic Attraction of Love
Bill Hybels, Willow Creek pastor, gave a presentation entitled Bold Love--Magnetic Attraction for Seekers and Believers at one of the Beeson Institute for Advanced Church Leadership Seminars at Asbury Theological Seminary. Several key ideas follow; however, the full presentation can be found in the book, Making Church Relevant, published by Beacon Hill Press.
The work of God at Willow Creek goes forward with love, acceptance and grace. That's as it should be and that is what we want. As pastor, I need to set the relational temperature of the amount of love that flows in the circles of my influence. But how?
1. Drink often from the fountain of God's love. Use scripture, devotional readings and worship CDs at the start of your day.
2. Fellowship with loving people. Ask them how they learned to be loving.
3. Pray to be more loving. Try praying regularly that the fruit of the Spirit will increase in your life.
4. Intentionally confront ouch situations. Ask others what you do or say that creates an ouch for them and then work to overcome that behavior. Soon others will ask the same question and that builds a communications bridge.
5. Learn to express love. No one receives much good from unexpressed love. Cross the line of silence and bless someone with the short sentence, I love you.
6. Recognize and use the power of a note. They do not have to be long.
7. Touch those you love. Be careful not to cross the boundary between an encouraging and a sensual touch.
8. Do small acts of kindness. Take a few minutes to take some action that will encourage someone you love.
9. Carry another's burden and enjoy their victory. Let others know of your loving support in both their times of need and blessing.
Bold love does not cost more money. You don't need anyone's permission to start. Just start--do it now. Noting else will help your church as much and nothing else will bring you more satisfaction.
Phrases and Words that Influence My Thoughts and Preaching
Years ago, I starting copying interesting phrases or unusual uses of a word or words that I heard others preach or I saw in print. I have jotted these precious jewels on scraps of paper, printed them on tear-out sheets from newspapers or scratched them on the back of church bulletins. Some are scribbled on a restaurant napkin or on the note pages of my calendar. Most are what I heard and others are spin-offs from what others said.
Let me list a few to see if they get your preaching-motors running. You likely have your own list. Try these:
Antics with semantics.
Answer to ambiguities.
A truck load of consequences.
The obligation of privilege.
Live steadfastly in hope.
Live sensitively in holiness.
Gazed into his soul as if by x-ray.
A colony of heaven.
A lifelong quest to match behaviors and beliefs.
A theological freshness.
A hunger-seeking sustenance.
The sheer stupidity of self-sovereignty.
A rake was reformed.
How did I get to be me?
A straight jacket of conformity.
Love and learning liberate.
He lived a self-centered life always at the mercy of his appetites.
The first omen of a catastrophe.
A victim of another's selfishness.
Ferociously fast information flow.
Church a holy family.
Pleasure in infirmities.
Deaf to truth and blind to mercy.
Addicted to urgency.
This age of acceleration.
The best-looking bad luck I ever saw.
NBW
Making Sure Communication Works at Your Church
Having trouble getting your message through? Can't figure out why? Outcomes from your board or leadership team never seem to be what you expected? Communication breaks down for many different reasons. Good solutions start with a correct diagnosis of the problem. Use the following outline as a diagnostic tool when you suspect communication might be a problem for your group. See if these categories can help you spot the trouble so that you can adjust the process.
Key reasons the experts say communication fails:
1. Key One: Something is objectionable about the messenger.
The messenger:
lacks credibility
lacks status
appears hostile
2. Key Two: The method of delivering the message is creating problems.
The media:
is too technological or too rudimentary
is inaccessible--the electricity doesn't work
overwhelms the message
3. Key Three: The message itself is creating the problem.
The message:
is unconvincing
is poorly prepared
is irrelevant to the perceived needs of the audience
is distorted by interference or contrary messages
lacks an adequate goal
4. Key Four: The audience is not open to the message.
The receiver:
typically rejects innovation and new ideas
associates message or messenger with earlier negative experiences
requires superior authority to receive the message
Knowing which part of the process is creating a communication problem is the first step on the path to correcting it. After the problem has been identified, develop a specific strategy designed uniquely for your situation to correct the problem. Many churches limp along for years with the excuse, We have a communication problem. Like every other problem, communication problems can be remedied.
Cross-Cultural Communication, Modular Course of Study, p. 47.
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