I put a small alarm-radio into my suit case when I travel. Sitting alone in a lonesome corner of the world, I sometimes try tuning in some local music and news. Often, however, I'm at a church institution far away from cities and radio transmitters, and what I get is mostly static. Usually I'll fidget and tune for a while trying to get rid of the noise, but if it is too persistent, eventually I'll simply turn the radio off.
In church any of several forms of "static" often prevents people from hearing the good news about Jesus. This static might be unfriendly worshipers, a poor sound system, a crying baby, a stuffy room, or one that is too hot or cold. But the static I want to focus on here is that created by the preacher's physical appearance, dress, and gestures. These externals always cause some static—they always interfere to some degree with what the preacher is saying. Sometimes the static becomes so loud the congregation hardly hears the sermon. And when there's too much static, people simply turn the preacher off.
Externals matter
Research indicates that when you preach, your listeners are more influenced by what they see than by what you say. Dr. Albert Mehrabian of ULCA found that 7 percent of what speakers communicate comes from their words, 38 percent from their manner of speech, and 55 percent from the expressions on their faces and from their bodily movements. You may not like it, but your body language can speak so loudly your people hardly hear your sermons.
Now, if what people see in you rein forces what you say, all is well. The dilemma comes when your external communication interferes with what you are saying. You can hardly teach neatness and self-discipline while dressed like an unmade bed. You negate much of what you preach about self-control if you are grossly overweight. You can't portray the joy of following Christ if you preach with a frown on your face.
You might argue, "But appearance doesn't matter much to me." Does preaching matter to you? If it does, then appearance must matter, because what your people are seeing may speak so loudly they cannot hear what you are saying.
Your physical appearance should make Christ look attractive
The pasty-faced preacher is a horrible representative of the robust Jesus. Male preachers who look sickly or anemic create horrible static for the macho males in their congregations. The typical teenage boy will likely react, "I've got to fight off Christianity, or it might make me like that!"
Be deadly in earnest, but don't often look as if someone just died. Your face is an advertisement for what you are preaching. If there's a shine on your face, your people will try like everything to believe whatever is in your sermon, because they assume that following what you're saying will make them be like you.
Your dress should go unnoticed
I can't tell you whether or not to wear a gold watch, gold-rimmed glasses, sparkly tie clasp or brooch, cuff links, or trendy hairstyle or beard in the pulpit. The rule is that preachers should dress so nobody notices. If your appearance is cheap and shoddy, people notice. If your appearance is either too gaudy or too elegant, people notice. If you dress like 20 years ago or like 20 years in the future, people notice. Don't make noise with your clothes—dress so your appearance does not detract from or interfere with your message.
Preachers ought not to dress too differently from their congregations. Speaking of our Lord, Hebrews 2:17 says, "And therefore he had to be made like these brothers of his in every way" (NEB). Morally, Jesus was head and shoulders above us all, but in every other way His goal was to be associated with, not separated from, His people.
Three helpful criteria for the preacher's dress are neatness, good taste, and simplicity. Nobody will ever criticize you for having your shoes shined and your suit pressed. But if you don't, the precise and fastidious in your congregation may be so aggravated that they can hardly hear what you say. Now you can com plain about their overemphasis on externals, but you'll likely solve the problem a lot faster by shining your shoes and pressing your suit.
We'll consider the third external, gestures, in the September issue.
