Communicating For a Change: Book Review
Here’s the question: Out of all the messages, speeches, and sermons you’ve heard in your lifetime, how many do you still remember many years later?
Perhaps you remember a phrase or a visual, but for the most part, we forget the content of these messages. Andy Stanley, in his book Communicating for a Change, let’s us know why.
If you’ve ever taken a speech class, you know the drill. There are three parts to a message. The intro, body, and conclusion. Often in the body of the message there are about three points. In the preaching world, we refer to this classical model as “three points and a poem.” This is a style that’s best exemplified by preachers such as Rick Warren. But is this really the best way to effectively communicate a message? Andy Stanley says no.
Andy Stanley presents what has been called the “one point message.” So the entire message is built around that one point. He says, “With this approach, every message should have one central idea, application, insight, or principle that serves as the glue to hold the other parts together” (p. 103). If this sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because Haddon Robinson, in his classic preaching book, Biblical Preaching, first introduced this basic method.
What’s an example of one of those main points? Here are a few from the book:
- Your friends determine the direction and quality of your life
- Purity paves the way to intimacy
- When you see as God sees, you will do as God says
- Maximum freedom is found under God’s authority
- God takes full responsibility for the life fully devoted to him
When I first started reading about this method, I was worried that my messages would end up being much too short. If you’ve ever heard one of Andy’s messages, though, you know that this is not an issue. What is unique about his approach, though, is how he structured each of his messages.
Here’s a breakdown of the five sections (p. 121) with an example from the book:
ME: “Sometimes I find myself wondering how to respond to situations in my marriage.” In this section, you begin with a question or problem about yourself through which tension is created that begs for resolution.
WE: “I imagine you have found yourself in situations where you weren’t sure what to do either.”
“Having made it clear to our audience that we are wrestling with a particular tension, the next step is to broaden our tension so as to include every body listening” (p. 124).
For example, “Sometimes I wonder why I even bother praying (ME). I bet you’ve wondered about that as well” (p. 124).
For example, “Sometimes I wonder why I even bother praying (ME). I bet you’ve wondered about that as well” (p. 124).
GOD: “The Bible teaches that we are to submit to one another; put the desires and needs of our spouse ahead of our own needs and desires.”
“The goal here is to resolve the tension, or at least some of it, by pointing people to God’s thoughts on the subject at hand” (p. 126).
YOU: Next time you aren’t sure what to say or do, ask yourself this question-”How can I put the needs and desires of my spouse ahead of my own in this moment?”
Conclusion: In a marriage, submission is generally the best decision.
“…this section is typically referred to as the application of the message. This is where we tell people what to do with what they have heard. This is where we answer the questions ‘So what?’ and ‘Now what?’” (p. 127).
WE: Imagine what would happen in our community if all of us began to model that kind of mutual submission before our friends and neighbors.
“WE is really about vision casting. It is a moment you call upon your audience to imagine what the church, the community, families, maybe even the world would be like if Christians everywhere embraced your one idea.”
I’ve really resonated with this book. I’ve thought back on a lot of the sermons that I’ve done, and I have to admit that many of them are this “three points and a poem” type message that I, myself, have forgotten after I’ve preached them. I’m looking forward to re-routing and re-tooling to a method that is easier to preach without notes and is much more memorable in the outcome.
What about you? How have you tailored your messages for maximum impact? Are you using this method? If so, what effect has it had on your preaching?
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Hey Rod, sorry I have not posted anything. I do read your blog, it is awesome. I just barely have any down time. I am in the middle of a church plant and fulfilling a double role in a church. Anyways, cool blog. I have to say that I the points on preparing the message, another one that I really like is the following from a Rick Warren's training on preaching and teaching, hope you guys find this helpful: TEACHING AND PREACHING THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE Summary Rick Warren 1. To whom will I be preaching? 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 says this “Whatever a person is like I try to find common ground with him so he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him. I do this to get the gospel to him.” Luke 11:17 “Jesus knew their thoughts.” What are their needs? What are their hurts? And, What are their interests? Ephesians 4:29 “Speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen.” Circle “only.” 2. The second question you ask is, What does the Bible say about their needs? 3. So the third question I ask is, What is the most practical way to say it? James 1:22, again in the Philips, “Do not only hear the message but put it into practice. Otherwise you’re merely deluging yourself.” Christianity is a lifestyle. So how do you make your preaching and teaching more practical? Here’s some tips. a. Always aim for specific action. b. Tell them why. Why should I make this change in my life? What will it do for me? c. Show them how. 4. The next question I ask myself when I’m preparing a Bible study many times is, What is the most positive way to say it? Proverbs 16:21 “A wise mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words the more persuasive he is.” Colossians 4:5 “Be tactful with those who are not Christians. Talk to them agreeably.” Is this message good news? . Does my title imply that I have good news to share? How do you preach against sin in a positive way? The answer is promote the positive alternative. don’t preach against unfaithfulness as much as I preach for faithfulness. (How to affair proof your marriage. How do you keep it from happening.) don’t preach against dishonesty as much as preach for integrity. I don’t preach against a lack of commitment as much as I preach for commitment. I don’t preach against sin as much as I preach for righteousness. How do you preach on a negative passage? You preach it with a humble, loving attitude. Not that you’re superior to your hearers. We’re all in the same boat. When you preach on a negative passage you confess we’ve all fallen short here. You change your pronouns from “you” to “we.” 5. I then ask myself, What is the most encouraging way to say it? Proverbs 12:25 “A word of encouragement does wonders.” How do you fight a bad idea? I’ll tell you how. You offer a better one.
Part 2 (Too long for one post)
6. I ask What is the simplest way to say it? 2 Corinthians 11:3 “I fear Satan will corrupt you from the simplicity that is in Christ.” So how do you simplify your message? Let me give you some tips and then we’re going to take a break. a. Condense your message into a single sentence. b. The fewer the words the greater the impact. c. Avoid using religious terms in your service for seekers, in reaching out – d. Keep your outline simple. e. You want to make your application the points of your outline. Your points should be present tense, action statements. Make your points something people can do. How do you make people to be doers of the word? Here’s how. You put a verb in every point. When you put a verb in each point then you make your people doers of the word The Application Bridge looks like this. You’ve got to take the Then of the Bible to the Now of today and how do you get from Then to Now? You find the Timeless Principle. Then you take that Timeless Principle and you apply it in your message. What happened then? Where are we now? What’s the timeless principle out of it? You’ve got to go from Nineveh to Now. The Bible we believe should determine the substance of your message. But people’s needs should determine the structure of your message. First establish a need. That’s Why talk about this? Then give personal examples. Then present a plan. Here’s step by step how you can do it too? Then offer hope. You can do this. I know you can do this. God will help you. Then call for a commitment. Ask them to step across the line. Then expect results. I know you’re going to do something about this right now. 7. What is the most personal way to say this? You’re far more effective as a witness than you are as an orator. In preaching, ideas have to become personal to become dynamic. Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes personal. How do you preach and teach with impact? 1. Honestly share your struggles and weaknesses. 2. Honestly share where you’re making progress. 3. Then share what you’re currently learning. 8. The eighth question that I ask myself is What is the most interesting way to say it? Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act toward unbelievers. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting.” Proverbs 15:2 “When wise people speak they make knowledge attractive.” Ecclesiastes 12:10 “For the preacher was not only a wise man but a good teacher. He not only taught what he knew to the people but he taught them in an interesting manner.” How do you keep your messages interesting? 1. Vary your delivery. I’m talking about speed, cadence, volume. Some men speak so slow. It is like Chinese water torture – drip, drip, drip. You know what the difference between a foul ball and a home run is? Timing. 2. Another way to keep it interesting is never make a point without a picture. For every exhortation you provide an illustration. Kind of like layering a cake. Exhortation – illustration – exhortation – illustration – exhortation – illustration. Point – picture – point – picture – point – picture… 3. Tell human-interest stories. 4. Use humor. The Bible says this, “Talk to unbelievers agreeably with a flavor of wit and try to fit your answer to the needs of each one.” Mark 12 said, “The large crowd listened to Jesus with delight.” Jesus was interesting. Jesus was appealing. Jesus was funny. Jesus was delightful. 1. It relaxes people. 2. It makes painful truths more palatable. 3. Then it also creates positive emotion. Joy, happiness, laughter, cheer. 4. Finally, to wrap it up, the most important key to effective preaching is this: Love people. Blessings, Harold
Thanks for the review, Rodlie. I’m glad you got a chance to read Stanley’s book. You compared Stanley’s one point principle to Robinson’s, and I want to comment on that here. It's pretty lengthy (I apologize). Though Robinson emphasizes the importance of a single idea, he still endorses deductive preaching. Stanley, on the other hand, strongly discourages deductive preaching (101-103). The reason behind Stanley’s distaste for deductive preaching is where he and Robinson differ the most, and that reason is found in chapter 11 of Communicating for a Change. Chapter 11 is worth the price of Stanley’s entire book. The chapter is about defining your goal in preaching, which is invaluable. He explains that preachers most commonly subscribe to one of two goals: 1) to teach the Bible to people and 2) to teach people the Bible. (Stanley makes a distinction between the two, but the focus of each goal is transmitting information.) Stanley’s goal in preaching (and the one he encourages his readers to adopt) is that people’s lives should be transformed by God’s Word, not simply informed by God’s Word. Robinson, on the other hand, suggests that there are times when, if people understand God’s Word (i.e., if they’re informed), they will make their own applications. He writes, “A truth correctly comprehended can carry its own application” (118). If this is true, then deductive sermons are quite appropriate, and perhaps the most effective approach. Stanley, however, disagrees: “But if life change is your goal, point by point preaching is not the most effective approach” (102). Though I have much respect for Robinson, I have to agree with Stanley. It is true that some concepts have obvious applications. It’s also true that even when concepts do not have obvious applications, there will be some in our congregations who will be able and willing to apply any message. However, as preachers, we should never depend on this. We will always have listeners who don’t recognize even the most obvious applications. More importantly, we will always have listeners who, though they may recognize the application of a given message, will not be motivated to do anything about it. These are the people who are rarely impacted by deductive sermons—even deductive sermons that are shaped around only one idea—because the philosophy behind deductive sermons is that the transmission of information is enough. Stanley sums up chapter 11 best with advice he gave a preacher who was struggling to keep the content of his message straight in his head just prior to speaking. He asked the preacher, “How would you communicate this message if your eighteen-year-old son had made up his mind to walk away from everything you have taught him, morally, ethically, and theologically, unless he had a compelling reason not to? What would you say this morning if you knew that was at stake? Because for somebody’s son out there this may be his last chance. Now quit worrying about your outline. Go out there and plead your case like your own son’s future was at stake” (99-100).
Wow, you blew it out of the water. Great analysis there….have you noticed a big impact since you changed over to using this method?
I read Stanley's book a couple months before I left my last church, so I was only able to incorporate Stanley's method into two of my sermons. (I only preached once a month at my last church, since I wasn't the senior pastor.) Now that I'm in the Seminary, I don't preach at all (which is strange–I thought there would be tons of opportunities to preach here). Anyway, I did notice a significant difference in the way people responded to my last two sermons. The biggest difference was that more people felt like God spoke directly to them. The reason for this, I believe, is partly because Stanley encourages communicators to apply the one idea of the sermon in specific ways to as many different people groups in the congregation as possible. This is not a new concept, of course, but I find myself putting myself in the place of my listeners more intentionally and more passionately now. (In other words, Stanley motivated me to do this more than any other preaching guru has been able to.) The truth is, Stanley's book has had a greater impact on me as a preacher than on my preaching per se. For one, I am more aware of the enormous responsibility behind the call to preach. This awareness in turn has affected my approach to preaching. For example, this was the basic preparation sequence I once followed: 1) choose a text, 2) exegete the text, 3) define the idea behind the text, 4) define the sermon's purpose (Will I explain the text, prove the text, or apply the text), 5) outline the sermon to fulfill purpose, and 6) write the sermon. Of course, prayer permeated the entire process. After reading Stanley's book, however, I've changed the sequence to: 1) remind myself of the basic goal of preaching (transformation through God's Word), 2) choose a text, 3) exegete the text, 4) define the idea behind the text, 5) define the sermon's purpose and make sure it is aligned with the goal of preaching (in other words, though I may need to explain and/or prove the text in the sermon, the ultimate purpose of the sermon is to apply the text) 6) outline the sermon to achieve the goal of preaching, and 7) write the sermon. Prayer still permeates the entire process. The difference between #5 in the first sequence and #6 in the second sequence is significant. If I outline the sermon to fulfill the purpose of the sermon (even if the purpose is application), I may still be tempted to choose a deductive outline. For example, "This truth impacts our lives in three ways . . .," or "I want you to do three things with this truth . . .." If, however, I intend to outline the sermon according to the goal of preaching (transformation through God's Word), I must avoid outlines that only aid in transmitting information to the listeners. I think the outline Stanley suggests (me, we, God, you, we) really does aid in transformation better than a deductive outline or even the traditional inductive outline. Unfortunately, this is all theory now. When I get back into the field and employ this method more, I will let you know if it really does accomplish what it is supposed to accomplish. Have you had a chance to use Stanley's method in your preaching yet?
I have had a chance to incorporate it in an unlikely way: doing worships for teenagers and young children at our local Christian academy. The funny part is that I feel like those have been some of my clearest and most powerful sermons I've preached. I did my best to make it simple, to teach it form the Bible, and apply it well. So I'm definitely sold on it. For the next series we'll be beginning in Easter, I'm going to use these principles. So I'm looking forward to it. I think that there's great freedom for the preacher using this method. So I dig it.
I completely agree with your comment Rodlie that "The funny part is that I feel like those have been some of my clearest and most powerful sermons I've preached." I highly recommend this book for any preacher.
I have preached the last two sermons using the outline method suggested by the author and I was blown away as to how the congregation remained engaged from beginning to end. In the past I have gone out of my way to keep them engaged through visuals, sometimes taking it to the extraordinary level and I have not always succeeded. But this method is awesome because it works. People remained engaged. I love the challenge to know what my goal in communicating is… and once I figure it to develop my communication around achieving that goal. I thought the Luke Self comments were insightful… breaking down the difference between Stanley and Robinson… that was helpful. But I think that it is not a matter of either or, but rather of having the wisdom to know when to impart information and when to give a message for life change. Both are needed, both are beneficial.
Keep it up! Nothing like quality Biblical preaching!
Harold, I just noticed these today as they were trapped in the comments spam filter. Thanks so much for leaving these comments. A great resource!!