10 Easy Ways to Keep Tony Morgan Awake and Engaged During Your Entire 30-Minute Message

When people ask me why Granger has experienced continued growth through the years, the one area that probably rises to the top of the list has to be the quality teaching that happens week after week. It's filled with biblical truth. It's engaging. It's relevant. I'm biased, but I think I get to listen to and learn from one of the best teaching teams in the country.

I took the time recently to figure out what it is, in my mind, that makes our guys so effective in their communications. This might not apply to anyone else, but I listed what really works for me. With that in mind, here are the:

10 Easy Ways to Keep Tony Morgan Awake and Engaged During Your Entire 30-Minute Message

1. Be real. Let people see the actual human inside you. Most times that will occur through your personal stories.
2. Talk like normal people talk. I didn’t grow up in the church, so I don’t understand when you talk with a Christian accent.
3. Use humor. If you don’t make me laugh, I’m probably going to tune you out. By the way, the best humor is revealed through your everyday life.
4. Don’t tell me what to think. Lead me on the journey toward truth, but let me reach my own conclusions. In other words, don’t try to sell it.
5. Be honest. If I think you’re credible, there’s a better chance I’ll think your message is credible.
6. Avoid being too polished. In fact, I love it when you leave your prepared statements and share anything off the cuff.
7. Reveal your weaknesses. As silly as it may seem, it makes me smile when I hear about your mistakes. It helps me to respect the areas where you are gifted.
8. Be brief. Shorter is better. I’m probably only going to remember one or, at the most, two things that you say.
9. Make me smart. I don’t care how smart you are, but I like it when you make me feel smart. That’s easier when you use small words and make it easy for me to apply what you’re teaching.
10. Tell me why I should care. Help me understand why I should listen. If you don’t help me understand why it’s relevant to my life, I’ll to be thinking about my next blog post or my next tee time or my favorite 80s slow dance songs.

I've never had a seminary course on preaching, so I really don't know anything about what it takes to prepare a good sermon. This list probably only works for me, but at least you'll know how to keep me awake if I ever visit your church.

Comments

[Geoff Surratt]

Great article! This will be required reading for anyone who I have to listen to not named Ed, Andy, Bill or Rick. Thanks!

[sarge]

great post and I agree.

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Tony - I think this is the way most people really want to be, but are afraid to admit it. Awesome post!

[Big Chris]

I think most/all are transportable to other churches and speaking applications. I'm pinched for time, but I would guess others could add to this list a few more ideas. Nice post!

Big Chris
http://mrclm.blogspot.com

[Gary]

Great Post. Consider it stolen.

[Brian]

Good post... you know the whole church accent thing... too funny.

Drives me nuts sometimes when the speaker slips into preacher mode. I sort of stop listening to what he is saying and only hear how he is saying it...

[Johnny Leckie]

Actually considering whether the message is connecting with the listeners? Now there's a novel idea!

Great Stuff.

[Jason]

Tony,
People never hear their own accent. What exactly do you mean by a Christian accent? Help me understand.

[Tony Morgan]

Jason, I think you can get at it by asking this question: "Will what I'm saying make sense to someone who has never read the Bible and never attended church?" By asking that question, it forces us to put theological principles in normal, everyday language and remove our Christian accent. It helps us remove the churchy lingo that could potentially become a barrier for people who are unfamiliar with God's Word. Frankly, I think that practice also helps us better understand what God's trying to teach us in the process. In other words, we also gain wisdom and understanding by trying to help "normal people" grasp Biblical teachings.

[Mark]

Great stuff. I think humor is the shortest distance between two people. Nothing brings a pastor and congregation closer together than a little laughter. Especially when it's at the pastor's expense :)

Thanks for the thoughts!

Mark Batterson
www.theaterchurch.com
www.markbatterson.com