It has been three weeks since I read this post by Glenn Packiam, and I’m still chewing on it. The more I think about it, the more its implications continue to expand in my mind. Ultimately, I couldn’t help but share it with you because of how what Packiam is saying could change the way you approach being a communicator.
When we’re crafting a message about spiritual truth, we need to think bigger.
Glenn Packiam’s post starts this way:
“The past few Sundays, I’ve found myself saying to my congregation that if they could leave a service and apply what I’ve just preached, then I’ve failed them.”
If you’re like me, you re-read that opening line to make sure you didn’t get it backwards. Then maybe you wondered if Packiam got it backwards. Do me a favor and read the entire post.
I don’t think he got it backwards. I think he’s right on.
“As pastors,” Packiam writes, “we are not merely dispensers of good advice; we are proclaimers of the Word of Christ.” As such, we have the opportunity to tell stories and share messages that transcend acrostics and step-by-step sin management strategies. The kind of message Packiam is talking about doesn’t inspire action items, but rather it inspires surrender and acknowledgment of weakness.
Like I said, read the post. And the next time you preach (regardless of whether you’re working on a sermon, a video, or whatever), think bigger.
Scott McClellan is the Editor of Echo Hub and the Director of Echo Conference. You can follow him on Twitter: @scottmcclellan.