Engage Your Students!

I liked this top 10 list from Pastor Tony Morgan. There is a lot here that applies to your teaching. I've reproduced the whole list below.

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10 Easy Ways to Keep Tony Morgan Awake and Engaged During Your Entire 30-Minute Message

When people ask me why Granger has experienced continued growth through the years, the one area that probably rises to the top of the list has to be the quality teaching that happens week after week. It's filled with biblical truth. It's engaging. It's relevant. I'm biased, but I think I get to listen to and learn from one of the best teaching teams in the country.

I took the time recently to figure out what it is, in my mind, that makes our guys so effective in their communications. This might not apply to anyone else, but I listed what really works for me. With that in mind, here are the:

10 Easy Ways to Keep Tony Morgan Awake and Engaged During Your Entire 30-Minute Message

Be real. Let people see the actual human inside you. Most times that will occur through your personal stories.

Talk like normal people talk. I didn’t grow up in the church, so I don’t understand when you talk with a Christian accent.

Use humor. If you don’t make me laugh, I’m probably going to tune you out. By the way, the best humor is revealed through your everyday life.

Don’t tell me what to think. Lead me on the journey toward truth, but let me reach my own conclusions. In other words, don’t try to sell it.

Be honest. If I think you’re credible, there’s a better chance I’ll think your message is credible.

Avoid being too polished. In fact, I love it when you leave your prepared statements and share anything off the cuff.

Reveal your weaknesses. As silly as it may seem, it makes me smile when I hear about your mistakes. It helps me to respect the areas where you are gifted.

Be brief. Shorter is better. I’m probably only going to remember one or, at the most, two things that you say.

Make me smart. I don’t care how smart you are, but I like it when you make me feel smart. That’s easier when you use small words and make it easy for me to apply what you’re teaching.

Tell me why I should care. Help me understand why I should listen. If you don’t help me understand why it’s relevant to my life, I’ll to be thinking about my next blog post or my next tee time or my favorite 80s slow dance songs.

I've never had a seminary course on preaching, so I really don't know anything about what it takes to prepare a good sermon. This list probably only works for me, but at least you'll know how to keep me awake if I ever visit your church.