One of the first things I noticed was that people were more attentive.

I wish I could take credit for an improved delivery or better material, but I didn’t really change anything. What changed was the congregation’s awareness that they were going to discuss the message later. People who would normally fold their arms and listen paid careful attention—most even started taking notes. Those who missed a point were likely to catch me afterward to fill in what they missed.

I also discovered that attentiveness is contagious. When everyone else in the room is dialed in, it sends a subtle, maybe even subliminal, message that this is important stuff—don’t miss it. So most people work a little harder to hang in there even during the slow (should I say boring?) parts of the message.

Larry Osborne, Sticky Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).

If you would like help writing lessons for sermon-based groups, see https://www.joshhunt.com/2015/12/04/sermon-based-small-groups/

 

Post Views: 285