Media Outreach

12. The difference between a foul ball and a home run is timing.

The greatest of baseball players have learned this principle from the earliest of years. If one wants to hit the ball over the fence, then the timing will have to be impeccable. People do not come to church today to watch us hit foul balls each week. There are several areas of timing that need our attention today:

1. Sermon series need to be timed correctly. When the pastor is planning a series, much thought needs to be given as to what will be preached before and after the series. If there is a national or international event that needs to be addressed, then the series needs to be interrupted to demonstrate timeliness.
2. Every sermon should not be preached the same way. The story is told of two laymen having breakfast, talking about their individual pastors. One gentleman said, “Our pastor’s message always sounds like, ‘Ding, Dong. Ding, Dong.’” The other gentleman at the breakfast table said, “Well, at least you have some variety in your pastor’s sermons. We only hear, ‘Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding.’”
3. The timing of when the message is to be delivered in the worship service should be varied from time to time. I will say more about this later.
4. The study time of the pastor during each week needs to be developed to be advantageous for the sermon’s success. A successful routine will reduce the amount of time required and increase the level of weekly results.

The preacher who is always accessible to people will not hit many home runs on Sunday.

By: Dr. James O. Davis, Founder of Cutting Edge International and Second Billion Network

Tune-in Monday for the thirteenth law of communication.