Comments on: Communicating For a Change: Book Review

By: rodlie

rodlie — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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!!

By: Rodlie Ortiz

Rodlie Ortiz — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Keep it up! Nothing like quality Biblical preaching!

By: Fidel Soto

Fidel Soto — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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.

By: matthewgamble

matthewgamble — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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.

By: Rodlie Ortiz

Rodlie Ortiz — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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.

By: Luke Self

Luke Self — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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?

By: Rodlie Ortiz

Rodlie Ortiz — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

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?