I’m sure you’ve heard some variation of the old joke about the preacher who only works one hour a week? If you’re serving in ministry or involved heavily in the life of the church, you know just about how much of a joke this really is.
But in some ways, that Sunday hour is the best shot for teaching, reaching and building up your people. It’s all the more reason to continue to craft your message to be the best possible.
This list of easily fixable pitfalls doesn’t focus on content as much as presentation. There are countless ways and workflows for preparing for sermons.
No matter the size of your congregation or the worship style, here are some important, easily fixable, common mistakes that you can be sure to overcome. It will help you remove any barriers that may be preventing a clear and compelling message.
- Mispronunciation – double check words to make sure you are saying them correctly.
- Not being heard – speak up, loud and clear.
- Equipment malfunction – double check tech things before you go up to preach.
- Non-fluency – uh, umm, mm, “you know”, “right” “ok” “so” – take a look at a recent video and nitpick yourself a little.
- Conflicting messages – don’t say, I’m happy to be here as your posture indicates otherwise – body language is critical.
- Ineffective gesturing – be conscious of hand movement, hands in pockets, gripping the podium, pacing.
- Uninteresting voice – use an energetic voice.
- Inappropriate dress – dress the way a majority of your people are dressing.
- Poor eye contact – make eye contact, don’t just read or look down.
- Weak intro – the intro should set the stage, ask the question, open the wound and set the pace for the message.
- Weak conclusion – know where you will land. Don’t take your listeners on an endless journey. Call them to action or response.
- Innapporaiate humor – if it’s too edgy, misplaced, or used for entertainment only, it can backfire quickly.
Some of this list was inspired after reading, Speaking With Purpose by Author Koch.
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