It is interesting that some preachers who claim to ignore style have great style themselves. They may not "whoop" but they are masters of cadence. They may not use various pulpit devices, but they make explicit use of call and response. Simply put, a "no style" style will turn the people off and make your material almost non understandable. Style affects how the hearers understand your message.
It is true that there are some preachers who only have style, and they don't have a message that corresponds to it. The important thing is for preachers to have a strong message and embody that message in their mannerisms, word choice, style, and yes other areas of content.
The second problem with those who wish to say style is unimportant is that style affects the message itself. We are told that the vast majority of communication is in nonverbal. It is the way you say something. It is the glisten in your eye. It is the strength of your convictions. All of these parts will come through in what we call "style." No content is not something that is totally independent of style. Style is a part of the content.
You can say the phrase "God is a good God" while mocking the statement. How? In the way you say it, the body language could say something else. You can say the same phrase while celebrating it. You can say the same exact phrase while trying to convince yourself of it. You can say the same phrase in many ways, but changing the WAY you say it.
Preaching Style is Important
Preaching style is important. How you say something affects how it is hard. In addition, How you say something affects WHAT is heard. So we should not ignore the question entirely. In any case, all of us should spend some time thinking about this important characteristic of preaching.
About the Author: Sherman Cox is a friend of PreachingWoman.com and his article has been used with permission; He is the CEO of www.SoulPreaching.com. If you enjoyed this article from Sherman Haywood Cox II, then you will love his video providing the number one secret to take your sermon to the next level. Go to http://www.superchargeyoursermons.comto view that video. |