ArticleBlog | How to preach so people can hear you – applying the principles of effective teaching to sermon delivery
How to preach so people can hear you – applying the principles of effective teaching to sermon delivery
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 23.10.17
In the early 1940s a rather strange experiment took place on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. In a time of food shortages, the Government wanted to persuade people to include whale meat in their diet, so they set out to discover the most effective way of persuading them to do so. One group listened to a lecture on the value of whale meat, while another was involved in a discussion covering the same material. Of those at the lecture, only 3 per cent subsequently decided to try to whale meat, while of those in the discussion 32 per cent did so.1
The ‘straight talk’, such as the traditional monologue sermon that takes place at most churches on a Sunday morning, is good way of achieving some goals, but not others. Talks are a helpful way of confirming people’s beliefs and reinforcing attitudes, and they also play a role in persuading the almost persuaded. However, when it comes to changing people’s attitudes or inspiring them to action, they are not so effective. Sermons are therefore a good way of keeping people faithful by reinforcing their beliefs and attitudes. However, if we are hoping to see transformation in the lives of individuals and churches, t
