Public Speaking

Read the series.

We’ve been looking at some practical issues related to being a guest speaker in a local church. These concepts have been examined with a view toward encouraging those who are involved in some type of itinerant ministry—as well as those who receive them into their churches.

In this final installment, we’ll consider a subject that is distinct from, but related to, those that we’ve looked at previously. It is again presented in the hope that it will be of some help to those who, like me, are attempting to grow in these areas of ministry.

Read the series.

Receiving a call to be a guest speaker in a new church can be a wonderful experience! But, of course, being the guest often means that you will be traveling to get there.

In this article, I will deal with a pair of extremely practical, connected subjects that must be considered by any itinerant minister—the places we stay and the things we eat.

Read the series.

It’s always a great privilege to speak in a new church, but it’s a privilege that also requires precise preparation!

As I have written previously in this series, I strive to ask the following questions before I go into a church to speak for the first time:

Read the series.

Being a guest speaker in a local church congregation is a great honor, but there can also be some very real complexities that accompany such an opportunity. How should we as preachers handle these challenges?

I shared in the first installment that I always try to ask the following questions before I go into a church to speak:

I’ve had the privilege of speaking in many different churches—not only in these nearly five years of serving as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, but also for a number of years in which I did a great deal of pulpit supply. This includes ministering for more than 13 years with a home missions board, IMI/SOS International.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Speak with Purity

In Colossians 3:8 believers are told to put aside obscene speech (aischrologion). While there is no such thing as an inherently bad word, the speech of the believer is always to be seasoned as with grace (Col 3:6) to be able to meet the need of the moment.

Some practical implications

• Deliberately choose words for their impact, avoiding words that would detract or distract.
• Use questionable or culturally taboo terms only when necessary, especially if the text employs such terms (e.g., Zeph 1:17, Gal 1:8-9).

Just as we seek to discover our hermeneutical method from the pages of Scripture and to apply those principles consistently, we also need to recognize that Scripture has much to say regarding how we should communicate God’s word to others. These principles even go so far as to help us think through the appropriate dynamics of communication.

Keep it as Simple as Possible

In John 16:29 the disciples acknowledged that Jesus was speaking plainly or boldly (parresia), rather than with figures of speech, and they responded, “Now we know…” They were not confused about His message, and understood what He was telling them. While certainly there are appropriate uses of figurative language and illustration, it is generally better to communicate simply and straightforwardly in order to ensure the point is not lost in translation through the use of too many rhetorical devices.