You’re Competing In A Visual Medium


When I launched The Online Preaching Coach, I got some pushback from a pastor who didn’t think he could learn anything from a television producer like me. Frankly, he didn’t see the need to reach people online. He was focused on rebuilding in-person church attendance — which had fallen by some 50% since 2020.

I gently reminded him the typical U.S. adult spends more than 70 hours a week interacting with electronic media. Online is where the people are. Not just the unchurched – even committed disciples of Jesus are spending nearly every free moment they have glued to their screens. Any pastor who wants to reach the world MUST improve his ability to communicate online.

It’s the biggest mission field in history. We need laborers in that field.

 

Online: The Biggest Mission Field in History

Picture a missionary in the 1800s, dropped into a foreign land. Before he can share the gospel he must learn the language. Familiarize himself with the culture. Build an audience

What they see > What you say

Humans are visual creatures. Studies show that 90% of the information our brain processes comes through our eyes.

Yet the typical sermon contains ZERO visual content. That’s what a television producer can teach you: how to make your sermons more visual without distracting from your core message.

It starts with sermon preparation. The first question most pastors ask themselves is, “What am I going to say?” That’s the wrong question.

Instead, you should be asking, “What am I going to show?” Then build your sermon around that visual.

This article is reposted with permission from David Murrow.
Check out his blog over at DavidMurrow.com
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