As part of my pastoral internship, I have to read and apply the principles of communication in Andy Stanley’s really good book, Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication. I won’t give you the 7 keys this time, but what I do find interesting is his method for organizing a sermon (or any other type of motivational speech), based on the Me, We, God, You, We pattern.
Here’s my brief synopsis, very nice.
- ME – Connect with the audience, share personal relationship with the subject matter.
- WE – Reveal the felt needs and tensions that we share – discuss a shared difficulty that you will be addressing.
- GOD – What is the biblical viewpoint and/or solution for the problem revealed above?
- YOU – Personal application, challenge, and call to action.
- WE – Paint a motivating picture (vision) of what we will look, feel, and BE like when we take action on God’s truths. Inspire them to see a desired end and take the action you are recommending.
He also shared a great set of two questions to ask yourself while preparing a sermon. These act as plumb lines to keep you focused and effective:
- What is the ONE thing you want them to know?
- What is the ONE action you want them to take?
This book is a great gift for aspiring pastors, it really impacted and helped me for sure.