I once heard Pastor Adrian Rogers tell a humorous story about a woman who had approached him after he had preached. She was eager to point out that he had made a mistake in his message. When he asked what it was, she replied that he had used the word “pants” instead of the word “trousers.” A bit humored by this correction, Rogers said he kindly thanked the woman and then asked what she thought about the rest of the message. Flummoxed, the woman shook her head and said that once he had said “pants,” she couldn’t listen anymore. Always ready with a witty remark, Rogers replied: “Ma’am, if I hadn’t said ‘pants,’ you wouldn’t have gotten anything out of the sermon!”
Different preferences for word choice are one thing, but mispronouncing words in the pulpit is another. When preachers speak of the raising of “Lazareth” instead of “Lazarus” or the cross of “cavalry” instead of “Calvary,” for example, they risk losing the attention of some of their listeners.
Thankfully, most listeners are forgiving when preachers mispronounce a word while sharing a spontaneous aside or making a sudden, impassioned plea. And many have been blessed by messages even when they contain mispronunciations or other blunders.
But grace is no excuse for laziness! The call to preach is a call to speak and teach the very words of God. Here are four reasons to strive for proper pronunciation in the pulpit.
1) It Indicates We Take Our Position Seriously
The preaching ministry is a high calling that demands care and precision (see James 3:1). If we fail to take a few seconds to look up a word to ensure we are using it correctly, we may indicate we don’t take our role very seriously. Thanks to the internet, today’s preachers & teachers enjoy immediate access to numerous language apps and sites to ensure accurate word usage.
2) It Shows We Value Education
Preachers who work hard to speak correctly show their appreciation for learning. And teachers in our congregations will especially thank us for modeling good communication skills for our church and their students in our congregation.
3) It Teaches Our Listeners
When we confidently read biblical names, for example, pronouncing words clearly and carefully, we teach our listeners to do the same. They hear the correct pronunciation and are more likely to cherish the words of Scripture.
4) It Lends Credibility To Our Message
Indeed, this is the most important reason. If our hearers cannot trust us to pronounce a word correctly, can they trust we are giving them a correct theological definition or an accurate biblical interpretation?
On the other hand, when our listeners are accustomed to our careful communication habits, they are more likely to trust the study we have put into our messages.
**Resource Recommendation: Check out the practical site Youglish.com. It’s a free and straightforward aggregator that rapidly researches millions of YouTube videos, instantly providing short clips of people pronouncing words in context. This site is especially beneficial for hearing geographical places and other proper nouns, and it takes just seconds to use.
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