Issue 05 Preaching to the unconvertedBlog | Stand and deliver SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION INTERACTIVITY
Stand and deliver SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION INTERACTIVITY
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 10.12.15
When you preach, do you listen as well as speak? To what degree do your listeners determine what you say? In what ways, if any, do you give space for anyone other than you to speak?
The sermon has traditionally been delivered in the form of a monologue, and in the past, churchgoers have been ready and willing to sit quietly and listen. The societies in which Christianity flourished operated within a hierarchical structure in which there were individuals who had the authority to speak. The idea of receiving teaching on the Bible from someone at the front would have been perfectly acceptable.
But there has been a shift, both within culture at large and within the church. We are no longer so willing to be spoken at; we want to be part of a conversation. This is evidenced in classrooms, where school children are encouraged to explore, question and discover information for themselves. It is seen in the healthcare system, where we now ‘take control’ of our treatment and make our own choices. It is seen in politics, where our leaders must listen to the people and respond or be summarily expelled from power. As Richard Bauckham writes, ‘we seem to have reached a point in Western cultural history at which for many people
