Preaching on the radio differs greatly from preaching in front of a live congregation, but its benefits are numerous. Radio is capable of reaching an incredibly wide audience – more than would fit in your church. It’s also suitable for those unable to attend your Sunday service. This wide audience is full of potential volunteers and donors ready to help your ministry.
Below are tips for effectively broadcasting your sermon:
Radio sermons can reach audiences across the globe.
Find the necessary software
Good fundraising software will help you get started in increasing the value and frequency of donations from listeners. You’ll be able to manage subscribers, track payments and monitor your efforts over a period of time. Preachers should choose a service that offers media software capabilities that allows them to track listener responses and donations to individual sermons.
Keep your sermon simple yet interesting
These days, most people listen to radio while on the go – commuting to work, walking down the street or while at the gym, for example. While it’s fantastic that they’re incorporating a sermon wherever they can, the fact is there are countless distractions competing for their attention. Thus, it’s important for preachers to keep their language simple and easy to understand. Scripts should be written in short sentences, Media Helping Media said, and the content of your sermon should be accessible to as many as possible.
Still, this doesn’t mean you’re forced to repeat “Thou shalt not kill” for half an hour. In fact, Media Helping Media noted a broadcast’s most crucial information should appear within the first few sentences. In this case, that information is the overarching theme or summary of your sermon. You should break deep subject matter down to simple metaphors, and have your sermon finish as strong as it started.
Be original
By taking another’s sermon, you imply you haven’t done the research to create your own, Ministry Magazine said. Copying sermons damages your credibility. Repetition may occur for daily preachers, Ministry Magazine said, but those on a weekly schedule have ample time to come up with a fresh sermon every week. Even if the theme of your sermon matches that of another preacher’s, use original elements. Come up with your own stories and metaphors, and find new ways the listener can apply your sermon to their life.
“Project as much power into your speech as possible.”
Practice your speaking voice
Live preaching has the added benefit of body language. Even if you mispronounce or skip a word, your actions and physical presence carry the message through. Radio preaching relies solely on your voice, so project as much power into your speech as possible. There’s no need for ministers to be embarrassed about hiring a voice coach or speech therapist.
Advertise
As Pro Preacher mentioned, radio advertising is wide open for churches. You may not be able to get your sermon onto a secular station, but a radio ad about your church spreads awareness and reaches ears you may not have gotten otherwise.
Radio is an effective tool for preaching to audiences worldwide. With the right voice, message and software, you can spread the gospel and increase your ministry’s efforts to alleviate human suffering.