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How to Preach Like Andy Stanley

Here are six reasons why Andy Stanley is one of the top communicators of our time.

1. He Understands the People.

I get the sense Andy truly understands the people sitting in the rows. I’ve heard him reference “your first marriage” many times. Recently, one of his application questions was about child support. This kind of understanding and the real-life examples he works into his messages build credibility.

2. He Is a Master of the Content.

Andy doesn’t use notes, and if you pay attention you’ll see him reference a slide on the screen just before it appears. That’s because he’s prepared. He knows his material, and he’s not reading it from a sheet of paper.

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3. He Will Get You to Agree With Him in the First Five Minutes.

I’ve listened to thousands of sermons from dozens of preachers in my life, and I’ve never heard anyone create tension like Andy Stanley. In the first five minutes of a message, you’ll find yourself agreeing with something. He might say, “You’ve thought this …” and you’ll agree in your heart. Even if you disagree with the truth, you’ll agree with the emotion. This is incredible, because if you can get someone to agree with you about something early on, you’ll be far more likely to get them to agree to take an action step in the end.

4. He Speaks to a Broader Audience.

If you were to watch a video of Andy speaking, you probably wouldn’t know when and where he was when speaking. That’s because he’s not just preaching to the people in the room—he’s preaching to people in other rooms. He knows his audience is larger than the people looking at him. You may think, “I don’t have the need to do that because we don’t have other campuses and this message isn’t on the Internet,” but the process of speaking “evergreen” will make you a better communicator.