Ten tips for improving your sermons

Being in the ministry puts you in a delicate position. Your work involves reminding people of their mistakes, yet when you could use some improvement yourself, your best friend might not tell you. Who can you count on to say, "Pastor, I love you, but your sermons are putting me to sleep"? Church people are usually too kind to say things like that; they just go somewhere else.

You would be wise to assume that, like every other public speaker, periodically you need to make some improvements. It's too easy to get into a rut. Over the years you might have developed an annoying habit or two, or at least lost some of the enthusiasm and charm that came more naturally in the earlier years of your ministry.

It takes courage to ask for objective, constructive criticism, but it might be worth it—especially if it has been years since your classmates in Speech 101 pointed out your flaws. In addition to getting someone else's critique, you can evaluate and upgrade your speaking ability yourself.

1. Be your own worst critic. Watch for ways to improve your presentations. Trying something new may make you feel self-conscious at first, but the benefits are worth it.

2. Tape some of your sermons and listen to them. On the printed or type written page anything tends to look good. Don't be fooled. Listen, and ask yourself the following:

• Would I listen to this if I didn't have to?
• Can what I said be summarized in three sentences or less? In other words, did I convey a clearly identifiable theme?
• Am I having trouble concentrating on what I've said?
• Does the audience react to my voice? Do they laugh in the right places, or do coughing and squirming indicate that I've lost them?

• Would the average bright 12-year-old be able to grasp the content, the vocabulary?

3. Be honest. If you borrowed a joke or anecdote from the Reader's Digest, don't try to "personalize" it by pretending it happened to you or someone you know. Comedians can get away with that, but ministers can't afford to lose credibility.

4. Give credit where credit is due. If you quote someone, quote him or her accurately or not at all. And be sure you don't take credit for someone else's wit and wisdom.

5. Be yourself. For some strange reason, ministers talk friend-to-friend with us when we're on the street, then don a pompous, superior air as soon as they step into the pulpit. Guard against the tone of voice that seems to say, "I'm OK. You're not OK."

6. Be interesting. It takes work to convey the same message of love 52 weeks a year without repeating yourself or using worn phrases, cliches, professional jargon, or pat answers. Do the faithful who have listened to your sermons for years know what you're going to say almost before you do? If you're playing the same record you played Easter after Easter, Christmas after Christmas, look around for a fresh slant, a new angle, an unusual viewpoint.

7. Improve your story telling technique. Telling is more effective than reading. We all love to hear a story told well. When you intend to relate an incident or anecdote or repeat a Bible story, give special attention to your presentation. Here's your opportunity to add vocal color to what might otherwise be a black-and-white speech.

In effect, you are a professional story teller. Be an honor to the tradition. Make the telling of your story—even a Bible story your congregation has heard hundreds of times—a thing of beauty. If you can, attend a storytelling convention and observe how the masters work. Here are a few tips of theirs you can borrow now:

• Visualize the characters and setting so fully that your listeners can see in their mind's eye what you are seeing.
• Know the material well enough that you can lay your notes aside.
• Don't be afraid to move and gesture.
• Use your voice the way an actor would. Change voice characterizations as you convey the words of the different speakers in your story. Vary the speed, tone, and volume you use.

8. Examine your content. Are you trying to say too much in the time allowed? Or have you said too little, running on with empty phrases and repetition to fill your 20 minutes? Are you serving empty calories or nutritious, satisfying food?

9. Be sensitive to audience reactions. If conditions in the room are uncomfortable or circumstances warrant a change, don't be afraid to alter your course to fit the occasion. And don't be afraid to go over or under your time limit—depending on the reactions of your audience.

10. Put love in your voice. The most effective ministers are those whose relationship with God shows in all their ways. They are gentle people who, however firmly they may speak, temper their words with kindness.