I’m reading Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley right now. If you’re a preacher, you’ll love the book. If you’re not, you wont find it very interesting at all. I’m really enjoying it. For two reasons: First, I’m finding that a lot of what he talks about in the book, I’m already doing. Second, I’m being challenged to improve a few things in my preaching style. Let me explain both of those:
I am constatly told that I’m a decent communicator. I do believe it’s one of my gifts, but still, like most preachers, I can be rather insecure about it. I listen to great communicators, and all I see in myself are the areas in which I don’t measure up. Preachers can be incredibly hard on themselves, and I’m no different. Stanley points out in the book that the toughest time for most preachers is the few hours following his sermon, and I know that to be very true for me. Still, it’s incredibly encouraging to discover just how much I am doing right (according to Andy Stanley, who I think is one of the best — if not the best communicator of our time). It’s been very encouraging to feel like I’m on the right path when it comes to my communication style.
Still, as we just talked about in the Wisdom series, I can grow more. A lot more. And this book encourages that for me. With each chapter, I think of ways I could personalize the suggestions. Rather than take Stanley’s style and make it my own (Let’s face it, God doesn’t need a bunch of Andy Stanley clones), I can take his style and suggestions, and find key elements that I can learn from. And that is something I love to do: learn from good/great preachers. I’ve been doing it since before I was called into ministry. Every Pastor I have served with has in some way, shaped my style. And hopefully I grow even more through reading about Stanley’s style.
So, here’s a question for the rest of you: what are you doing to grow in your area of expertise? What book are you reading? What leaders are you learning from? How are you growing?
