You’ve preached, but the response was mixed. The young were excited and enthused, but the old fell asleep. Or perhaps the old were rejuvenated, but the young were checking their texts and emails. And that seems to happen most Sundays. Why?

In some ways the “odds” are stacked against the preacher. Schools have separate classes for different age groups so that age-appropriate lessons can be taught in the most efficient manner. Preachers don’t have that luxury. We have to to preach one message to one audience ranging across the entire age-spectrum.

We might connect better if we better understood the Five ages of the brain. This New Scientist article contains some amazing facts:

• During the prenatal period, up to a quarter of a million new cells form every minute
• By the time we are born we have 100 billion brain cells
• We start learning in the womb at around 22-24 weeks
• By age 6, the brain is 95 per cent of its adult weight
• The peak of your brain’s power is around age 22 and lasts for just 5 years
  
• At age 27 our processing speed begins to slow down, but our “wisdom” keeps growing with our waistline
• Good diet, exercise and sleep can slow down mental decline

However, the main takeaway for the preacher is how the article highlights the different way we are “wired” at these different stages of life:

• Gestation: Setting the stage
• Childhood: Soak it up
• Adolescence: Wired and rewiring
• Adulthood: The slippery slope
• Old Age: Down but not out

Normally, preachers will connect best with their own age group, because they process information in similar ways. However, if we desire to connect with younger or older hearers, we may have to consciously adjust our preaching to maximize our usefulness. Some questions to get you started:

• Is my preaching reaching all ages? Or is there an age group I am regularly switching off?
• What preacher is successfully connecting with the young/middle-aged/old?  What can I learn from him?
  
• Should I have some sermons that are tailored to a specific age group? Or can I, in one sermon, find ways to get the same truth to different age groups? 
• If a sermon was especially appreciated by one age group, what did I do differently?
• Who is sufficient for these things?

Our sufficiency is of God (2 Cor. 3:5).

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Carmine Gallo analyzes Steve Jobs’ presentation techniques in this fascinating video:

Here are some of his points:
1. Make the theme clear and consistent
2. Provide the outline
3. Open and close each section with a clear transition
4. Demonstrate passion and enthusiasm
5. Make numbers and statistics meaningful
6. Analogies help connect the dots for your audience
7. Paint a simple picture that doesn’t overwhelm
8. Identify your memorable moment and build up to it

One question does niggle me: At what point does learning from accomplished public speakers pass into the “wisdom of words” or the “enticing words of man’s wisdom” which the Apostle was so anxious to avoid (1 Cor. 1:17; 2:1,4,13)?

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How long will you spend on sermon preparation today? Of that time, how long will you spend on crafting your sermon title?

My good friend Steven Lee, President of Sermonaudio.com, says that the key to increasing sermon-downloads is an attractive sermon title. We may prefer people to click “download” because of the theological content in our sermons, but the reality today is that many will not listen to our wonderful theology unless we put some careful and creative thought into the title. What’s the point in spending 10 hours preparing a sermon and only 10 seconds on the title, if the title is perhaps the primary factor in attracting and engaging listeners - both in the virtual and in the real world?

Brian Clark’s article about blog headlines can apply equally to sermon titles for listeners in your “real” and in your “virtual” congregations:

Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader. Without a headline or post title that turns a browser into a reader, the rest of your words may as well not even exist.

But a headline can do more than simply grab attention. A great headline can also communicate a full message to its intended audience, and it absolutely must lure the reader into your body text.

At its essence, a compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit or reward for the reader, in trade for the valuable time it takes to read more.

So how can we write better sermon titles? Clark lists Bob Bly’s eight time-tested headline categories. Here are some of them:

• Direct Headlines go straight to the heart of the matter, without any attempt at cleverness. Bly gives the example of Pure Silk Blouses – 30 Percent Off as a headline that states the selling proposition directly. 

• An Indirect Headline takes a more subtle approach. It uses curiosity to raise a question in the reader’s mind, which the body copy answers. 

• The How to Headline is everywhere, online and off, for one reason only – it works like a charm. Bly says that “Many advertising writers claim if you begin with the words how to, you can’t write a bad headline.”
  

• A Question Headline must do more than simply ask a question, it must be a question that, according to Bly, the reader can empathize with or would like to see answered. 

• The Command Headline boldly tells the prospect what he needs to do, such as Exxon’s old Put a Tiger in Your Tank campaign. Bly indicates that the first word should be a strong verb demanding action, such as Subscribe to Copyblogger Today!

• Another effective technique is called the Reason Why Headline. Your body text consists of a numbered list of product features or tips, which you then incorporate into the headline, such as Two Hundred Reasons Why Open Source Software Beats Microsoft.
  

Fellow-laborers in the Gospel, let’s maximize the usefulness of our prayerful labors in the Word by investing more time in our sermon titles.

Picture: 2008 © Robert Hillman. Image from BigStockPhoto.com

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Stuart Olyott made the following points:

Take care of your voice

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