10 Ways (Plus One) to Keep Me Engaged in Your Message

Tony Morgan, one of my favorite bloggers, recently offered a post suggesting to preachers ten ways "to keep guys like me (who aren’t as smart as guys like you) engaged in your message." See the whole post here, but below is the ten things he lists:

1. Be real.
Let people see the actual human inside you. Most times, that will occur through your personal stories.

2. Talk like normal people talk.
I didn’t grow up in the church, so I don’t understand when you talk with a Christian accent.

3. Use humor.
If you don’t make me laugh, I’m probably going to tune you out. By the way, the best humor is revealed through your everyday life.

4. Don’t tell me what to think.
Lead me on the journey toward truth, but let me reach my own conclusions. In other words, don’t try to sell it.

5. Be honest.
If I think you’re credible, there’s a better chance I’ll think your message is credible.

6. Avoid being too polished.
In fact, I love it when you leave your prepared statements and share anything off the cuff.

7. Reveal your weaknesses.
As silly as it may seem, it makes me smile when I hear about your mistakes. It helps me to respect the areas where you are gifted.

8. Be brief.
Shorter is better. I’m probably only going to remember one or, at the most, two things that you say.

9. Make me smart.
I don’t care how smart you are, but I like it when you make me feel smart. That’s easier when you use small words and make it easy for me to apply what you’re teaching.

10. Tell me why I should care.
Help me understand why I should listen. If you don’t help me understand why it’s relevant to my life, I’ll tend to be thinking about my next blog post or my next tee time or my favorite 80s slow dance songs.

I’ve never had a seminary course on preaching, so I really don’t know anything about what it takes to prepare a good sermon. I think I’m pretty knowledgeable, though, when it comes to keeping people like me alert and engaged. Hopefully, this helps you help people like me.

It's a good list. I think it hits most of the things that make for good preaching. I think he left out one of the most important, for me, at least, and that is:

11. Help me encounter God in and through his Word while I'm listening.
This is easier, of course, if you have done so first, in the study and preparation process. But make sure it is not just a self-help message, and not just a cute or clever compilation of good ideas. Pray and fast and study and prepare for God to show up as I'm listening, and to do something in me that will change me now...and change me in the week to come.

If you can do those things, then I (and pretty much anyone) will be engaged and stay engaged.