Learning to Communicate

As Pastors we always want to be certain that we're connecting with the audience in front of us. We bust our tails week in and week out to bring something of value to our people. I haven't met many Pastors who don't take seriously their responsibility to exegete God's word. It's a monumental task and one we should all continually work on. . Far too many Pastors aren't very good communicators. Sure, there are many guys who can tell you how many rivets there are in the Titanic but the real question is "Where are the life rafts?"

Really from an outsider's perspective it's a simple task... just tell people what the bible says. But then there is the complicated part of knowing what to say and how to say it in such a way that the Holy Spirit has something to work with. I look at my job as pointing people to the life rafts.

Yes it’s also my job to steer the ship, check on the crew and be sure that people are connecting with Jesus in a relevant way. Behind the scenes it's also my job to know the ins and outs of the word so that we can navigate the seas of life with confidence.

Because I take so seriously my task to communicate I always try to improve. I want to hit a home run each week not for me or for anyone to say how good I am... but rather so that Christ can be given full glory for all he's done. If people understand how the word all ties together, they can worship a God far bigger than a cosmic Dr. Phil. In the end really it's simple... We have God's word... He wants his people to know and obey it... it's simply my job not to screw up the translation to this culture. If I can get out of the way and take my idiosyncrasies out of the way, God gets glory.

Simple in theory, difficult in practice week after week.

That's what I love about the book I'm reading (the book I read about HERE with Gary, HERE with Bob and HERE with Todd. Andy Stanley's book "Communicating for a Change" with Lane Jones is a great book for any communicator. In my opinion, a good book should grip both my mind and heart. This book does that.

If you speak, go pick up Andy's book and work on your communicating. It may take a while but you'll improve. Your people will thank you and God will get greater glory through your work.