The late Robert Delnay was a master teacher in Bible colleges and seminaries in fundamental circles for several decades, teaching various courses. I was privileged to sit under his tutelage when I pursued an M.Div. degree at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in the mid-1960s. He also published articles that were helpful to those in ministry. One such series on preaching appeared in Piedmont Bible College’s Daybreak publication in the early 1980s. I saved these excellent articles and want to share some of what Dr. Delnay advised preachers when he wrote them—as he was, at that time, serving as the Dean of Denver Baptist Theological Seminary. Were he still living, I would surely ask him for permission to share his wisdom. I know he would consent. So, just know that none of the following is original from me. It is from Dr. Delnay, who reported some of his class’s responses to the question, “What turns you off?” Here is what he found:
- Organization: “He loses me. He has us turn to passages all over the Bible. I can’t follow his transitions.” Delnay: “Comments of this sort speak for themselves, but the faults are hard to correct. To preach from one passage ought to be easy, especially if the preacher has truly mastered it. The more time he spends on a given chapter the more riches he ought to find, and the less impulse to use his concordance to find numerous other passages for people to find.”
- Explanation: “All explanation; not enough concrete examples.” Delnay: “Over-explanation is especially a problem with young preachers. They need to go back to the rule of thumb of using about as many illustrations as subheads.”
- Manner of Delivery: “Too loud—uses amplifier but doesn’t need it.” “Can’t hear him; lack of enthusiasm, no fire.” Delnay: “Both sets of problems ought to show up on tape, but only in extreme cases…but if a man has become comfortable with his mistakes, the audition will give him little help.”
“Talks down to us. Scolds. Parades Greek words.” Delnay: “Since a sermon may serve as an ego trip, these problems are easy to justify to oneself…at each point we need to examine our heart and motive. I never heard of a congregation that liked to hear foreign words worked in. To them the original Greek is less information than self-congratulation. The wise preacher simply explains the Greek without quoting it.”
“Repeats almost everything he says.” Delnay: “There is such a thing as a calculated repetition…for most of us, however, repeating is an indication of either lack of preparation or a feeling that our phrasing is weak.”
“Articulates pauses.” Delnay: “The practice is a common one, best dealt with by determining to quit, and by better preparation of our remarks.”
- Mannerisms. Delnay: “Here I received an extensive list of such things as pacing, fiddling with glasses, forced gestures, too much movement, or too little. Some remarked about bad grammar or coarse choice of words. At this point, however, another factor begins to emerge. If a congregation loves and respects its pastor, it will forgive and overlook a great deal. If on the other hand it doubts his sincerity, it will tend to magnify the faults it would forgive in someone else. But such mannerisms do annoy people. To this list I would add a few more: (1) The affected delicacy that makes ‘paddle’ come out ‘pattle.’ (2) Such expressions as ‘now in closing,’ or ‘I must hurry on.’ It is better just to close. (3) The ministerial ‘we’ as in ‘Tonight we will be preaching on the subject….’ (4) Preaching in the prayer. (5) Betraying confidences from the pulpit. As a former pastor of mine remarked, during a long pastorate, your best illustrations are the ones you can’t use. The pastor who yields to the temptation to discuss confidences, even if he disguises some of the circumstances, must pay a terrible hidden charge for his little luxury: loss of trust, even loss of members.”
As Paul said in II Corinthians 6:3: “Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed.”
So, preacher (teacher) friends, there you have some instruction given almost half a century ago by a teacher wholly dedicated to making preachers better communicators. One might say that the world of 21st technology has changed the “playing field” entirely. But has it? There are some fundamentals in effective communication that will never change. We who handle God’s Word regularly as we proclaim “Thus saith the Lord” need to make sure—just as any seasoned athlete or artist would—that we still respect the fundamentals of our trade. Interested audiences are too hard to come by today. Selah
A final note: Remember, that the above material is from the heart and lectern of Dr. Robert Delnay, who, in his day, was esteemed most highly for his ability to teach with success.
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Cor. 1:21)
YOU and GOD 