Ask Raul Tiosayco who took these photos.

(Quality of photos was lowered for faster viewing.)

Ask Raul Tiosayco who took all the photos.

IMMU was represented by Norman Lao (who led in the opening prayer), Levy Padlan (who did the first public reading of the new translation and was one of those who prayed the dedicatory prayer), Stanly Flores (one of the organizers and dedicators), Apolinario Cubing (dedicator), Oscar Sta. Lucia (dedicator) and Raul Tiosayco (who closed the event in prayer).

Dr. Larry Moyer
President/CEO
EvanTell, Inc.

A church wanted to increase its Sunday morning attendance. They decided to try a new marketing idea. The sign on the front lawn read, “Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons – come hear one.”

No preacher would want that said of his sermons – here is one to sleep by. I know of no preacher who steps into the pulpit and says, “I think I’ll be boring.” The unfortunate truth, though, is that many are. So how do we keep our preaching from becoming boring?

Let’s look at five ideas. These won’t solve everything, but they will be a strong start in the right direction; plus, they are all interrelated.

Communicate, don’t just speak

Speaking is when the words of my mouth enter the openings of your ears. Communication is when what is understood in my mind is understood in yours. Communicators are not boring. Only speakers are boring. I’ve never heard one person say, “He is such a boring communicator.” That means everything we say has to be so understandable, so relevant, so applicable to life where our listeners are living that they are watching us instead of their watches.

That, in my opinion, is why preachers need to be expositors. Our words may not be correct, meaningful, or penetrating; His Word promises to be so. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Your exposition of Scripture needs to be clear. The passage you studied and tore apart, needs to be put back together before you enter the pulpit. The pulpit is not the place to do your exegesis. Our audiences are not impressed with how much Greek or Hebrew we know. What they really want to know is how the passage we’ve studied relates to their lives.

That’s one reason I am personally committed to speaking in such a way that the audience could take the passage I’ve spoken from plus my entire message and reduce it to one sentence. I want them to be thinking about that single truth as they leave the church, enter the workplace the next day, drive home and converse with their family. Among other things, that will assure they come back to hear what I have to say again. Relevant truth powerfully and clearly delivered is never boring.

If you want to keep from being boring, don’t make it your goal to speak. Make it your goal to communicate. Now, here is what that demands.

Study! Study! Study! Work! Work! Work!

It takes study and work, both of which can be tiring, to put together a good message. I became distressed years ago when I came across a survey that revealed the average preacher spends 15 minutes of preparation per message.

My mentor and good friend, Haddon Robinson, has said it well, “Thinking is hard work; thinking about thinking is even harder work.” As a preacher, you have to think: What is the passage of Scripture saying? What exactly does it mean? How can I explain it in a way my audience will understand? How can I get them to think about their lives, their behavior, their needs, etc? That’s hard work.

Speaking takes 15 minutes of preparation. Communication involves hours of preparation that can leave one spiritually energized and physically weary from the work. I personally figure on at least 20 hours per message. A good work ethic is a must in preventing you from becoming a boring speaker.

That’s why, to keep from being a boring speaker (particularly if one has a sizable church), he has to be a good delegator. He delegates things to other people so he can give adequate time to study and preparation for speaking. Remember the principle in Acts 6. Others were given responsibilities so those teaching the Word could give themselves to “prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” (vs. 4)

Study and work will help you in a third area.

Use Great Illustrations

We are not talking to a reading generation; we are talking to a watching one. It’s been said, “People think with pictures in their head.” That means to be an interesting speaker you have to use effective illustrations, a few of which are even spiced with humor. One way speaking has changed from 30 years ago is that the number of illustrations needed per message has increased.

Jesus Christ was a master communicator. He communicated, not merely spoke. How often is it said of him in the New Testament, “And he spoke to them a parable”? He used stories to communicate divine truth. Aggressively build an illustration file so that when it’s time to speak, you have a whole file to draw from. Trying to find the illustration you need without a file to choose from is difficult and often impossible. The internet will “bail you out” but it will not replace your own illustration file. If I’m speaking from a passage about discipleship, I want 20 to choose from, not two. That way, from my vast reservoir that approaches discipleship from different angles, I can choose the “ringer”, the one that fits just right. Illustrations enliven the audience and keep you from being boring.

Understand though, it’s not just content that keeps you from becoming a boring speaker. It’s also how that content is delivered. Two more ideas must be stressed.

Use Variety in Voice Tone and Speed

Variety in voice tone and speed is what helps to keep a message interesting. Avoid developing a rhythm in your speaking. Use pauses for effectiveness. At times, raise your voice for emphasis, at other times lower it. Speak faster in one sentence and slower in another. This allows the audience to enjoy an effective communicator; the audience doesn’t feel like they’re listening to a lecture. They are apt to say to you, “I benefit from what you say, and I also enjoy your delivery.”

Be Enthusiastic

Enthusiasm is engaging and contagious. If you’re not excited about the content of your message, the audience is not likely to be either. You are not a huckster who says, “Take this or leave it.” Excitement communicates, “This is something that could change your life. Here’s how and why.” If you’re not excited about the content of your message, the audience is not likely to be either!

Sustained enthusiasm demands physical fitness. Coach Vince Lombardi was once asked why he drove his players so hard toward physical fitness. He answered, “Because fatigue makes cowards out of all of us.” Fatigue also produces a poor speaker. He may start out strong in his introduction, but his lack of physical fitness produces a lack of sustained enthusiasm. If you want to keep your speaking from becoming boring, the discipline of a regular vigorous exercise routine is essential.

Conclusion

These five ideas will go a long way in preventing you from becoming a boring speaker. I personally do not know of any preacher characterized by these five ideas that I would call boring. May God help us to so communicate that people ignore their watches – and even forget they have one. Your people will probably want to put a sign on the front lawn of the church that reads, “Warning – our pastor’s sermons are so interesting, they won’t allow you to sleep”!

Aesop tells us that there were four bulls which were great friends. They went everywhere together, fed together, and lay down to rest together, always keeping so close to each other that if any danger were near they could all face it at once.

Now there was a lion which had determined to have them but he could never get at them singly. He was a match for any one alone, but not for all four at once. However, he used to watch for his opportunity, and, when one lagged the least bit behind the other as they grazed, he would slink up and whisper that the other bulls had been saying unkind things about him. This he did so often that at last the four friends became uneasy. Each thought the other three were plotting against him. Finally, as there was no trust among them, they went off by themselves, their friendship broken.

This was what the lion wanted. One by one he killed them, and made four good meals.

– Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 1172.

In 1752 a group of men, including John Wesley, who were nicknamed Methodist, signed a covenant which every man might hang on his study wall. The six articles of the solemn agreement follow:

1. That we will not listen or willingly inquire after ill concerning one another.

2. That, if we do hear any ill of each other, we will not be forward to believe it;

3. That as soon as possible we will communicate what we hear by speaking or writing to the person concerned.

4. That until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable of it to any other person;

5. That neither will we mention it, after we have done this, to any other person;

6. That we will not make any exception to any of these rules unless we think ourselves absolutely obliged to in conference.

– Evangelistic Illustration, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 526.

by Norman S. Lao

“How I wish we can have a first-name kind of relationship among ministers here in Iloilo,” said Diana Sim many years ago during one of our CMF meetings.

I never thought much about her statement until recently when the discussion on unity came to the fore. I am convinced that this was more than just a lonely longing for authentic relationships by a single, female Singaporean pastor who had been far from the familiarities of her home for far too long.

There is, I believe, a deeper truth to her sentiment.

If you observe, we never call people close to us with titles of position (such as God*, Bishop, Reverend, Pastor, etc.). We either call them by their first names or with titles of relationships (such as, Father, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Manong, Manang, etc.).

Friendships do not require titles; first names are enough. Sometimes, titles emphasize our differences (Bishop vs. Pastor, Reverend vs. Pastor, Pastor vs. Brother, etc.) more than our commonalities (such as the fact that we are all children of God, baptized into one body by one Spirit, saved by one and the same Savior, serving one and the same Lord, and bound for one and the same heaven). Titles, positions and a litany of achievements sometimes serve as walls that hinder authentic interchanges. First names are enough.

First names are like bridges that make it easier for me to cross over from my side to yours and from yours to mine thereby enriching both of us in far more tremendous ways than when we remained in our own narrow-mindedness.

First names are more natural and less threatening.

A first-name relationship means that I don’t need to pretend or be superficial with you, I don’t need to be suspicious or feel threatened by you, I don’t need to be defensive, and I don’t need to impress you. I can be vulnerable without fear of being used or abused or misused.

First name means that I respect you and not just your title and what it represents. I respect your person not your position. Then friendships among us can truly become authentic and not cosmetic or synthetic.

First name means that we are equal and that our relationship is mutually beneficial and not one-sided.

I want to have this kind of relationship with you.

So, just call me “Norman.”

Copyright © 2007
Norman S. Lao
Iloilo City, Phils.

_________

* It was Jesus Christ who introduced God as “Father,” a term not quite common in the OT. Through His Sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus brought God as close as He can get to us that we now can legitimately call Him “Father.”

Pastor Norman is offering his services, for a minimal fee, to churches who do not have their own website. If you are interested, you can contact him through the following:

Smart Mobile: 09193967517
Globe Mobile: 09276530257
Landline: 3004349
Email: jlrcm@yahoo.com

3rd Floor Viosil’s Arcade MH Del Pilar St., Molo, Iloilo City

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

Date of Meeting: November 5, 2007

Venue: Mt. Moriah Office, CAP Compound Gen. Luna St., Iloilo City

Time of the Meeting: 10AM to 12PM

Attendees:

• Bishop Ed Fernandez
• Bishop Johnny Yasa
• Bishop Oscar Sta. Lucia
• Bishop Pol Cubing
• Ptr. Boy Padlan
• Ptr. Jose Estrebilla
• Ptr. Demie Tidon
• Ptr. Raul Tiosayco
• Ptr. Roberto Pingul
• Ptr. Norman Lao
• Ptr. Arnel Jutis
• Ptr. Wilson Gonzales
• Maj. Jerry Lopez
• Ptr. Nestor Gonzales
• Ptr. Stanley Clyde Flores
• Ptr. Tranquilino Dumdum

Opening prayer: Bishop Yasa

Part I: Preliminaries

Where do we go from here?

The following were agreed upon:

1. At the transition stage we emphasize on building relationships and trust

2. At the time agreeable to the IMMU, we will have a SEC Registration

3. A Bank Account will be made with the following signatories: Padlan, Wilson, and Tidon

4. An Ad Hoc Steering Committee is be formed with the following members:

• Estrebilla
• Wilson
• Padlan
• Tiosayco
• Ibanez
• Pingol
• Tidon

Needs are Communications, Finance, Pastoral-Public Relations, Secretarial, Promotions

5. Identified directions

• Expand the movement
• Build financial base
• Begin planning for the Convention in 2008

6. Report that Issue between Ptr. Philip and Bethel-BCIF was amicably settled in Singapore

Part II: Main

Agenda/s: 1. IMMU Working Committees

2. IMMU next activity – 1st Ministers’ Convention in 2008

3. Others

The following items were discussed and approved during the meeting;

1. The group decided to create committees to improve and enhance IMMU actions and programs. Thus the creation of the following committees;
2. Promotions and Communication represented by; Ptrs. Raul T. & Jose Estrebilla
3. Finance represented by; Ptrs. Boy Padlan & Wilson Gonzales
4. Pastors Relations & Welfare represented by; Ptrs. Demie T., Arnold E., Robert P.
5. That the Bishops with the agreement of the group agreed to function in the Advisory Board with Ptr. Tranquilino Dumdum representing the CPBC (Baptist Convention).
6. That the group/committees representatives will be temporary (interim) and will submit to selection of the entire IMMU members during the convention next year.
7. The group/members of the steering committees will schedule another meeting and draft the specific functions and boundaries in order for them to function more effectively. Also the said meeting/schedule will be determined by Ptr. Demie Tidon being the interim Over-All Chairman.

Email Address of some Pastors;

1. Ptr. Bert Pingul: bertpingul@yahoo.com
2. Bishop Oscar Sta. Lucia: shilohph@yahoo.com
3. Ptr. Norman Lao: jlrcm@yahoo.com
4. Ptr. Wilson Gonzales: gonzaleswilson@yahoo.com
5. Bishop Johnny Yasa: jgyasa@yahoo.com
6. Ptr. Stanley Flores: righteousgen@yahoo.com

Prepared by: Ptr. Raul Tiosayco

Edited for this site by: Ptr. Norman Lao