The Preaching of Andy Stanley

In Fulfillment of the CERP requirements for PMN52001 Fundamentals of Biblical Communication

Vic Vogt 4/1/2013

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In the class Fundamentals of Biblical Communication at Cincinnati Christian Seminary a working definition of preaching was derived from Austin Phelps. He said, A sermon . . . is . . . an oral address to the popular mind upon religious truth as contained in the Scriptures and elaborately treated with a view to persuasion.1 Phelps definition was written in 1881 but it is no less applicable over one-hundred years later. Perhaps there is no better example of a preacher who embodies that definition than the senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, Andy Stanley. According to Outreach Magazine in 2012 North Point Community Church was the second largest church in America with a weekly attendance of over thirty thousand when all five of its campuses are considered.2 Andy Stanley was recognized as one of the most influential preachers in America by a LifeWay Research poll in 2010.3 He has authored eighteen books and is a frequent speaker in both the Catalyst Conference and the Willow Creek Leadership Summits. Stanley now lives in Alpharetta, Georgia with his wife, Sandra, and his three children: Andrew, Garrett, and Allie. If ever anyone was destined to lead a large church it was Andy Stanley. Andy grew up as a PK (preachers kid) and cut his teeth in the church. His father, Charles Stanley, has been in ministry for fifty-five years and has been the senior pastor of

Austin Phelps, The Theory of Preaching: Lectures on Homiletics (New York, C. Scribner Sons,

1892), 28. Ten Largest Churches in America: November 5, 2012, Christ, Culture. News, http://www.christculturenews.com/10-largest-churches-in-america/. 3 Bob Phillips, Protestant Pastors Name Graham Most Influential Living Preacher: February 2, 2010, Lifeway Articles, http://www.lifeway.com/Article/LifeWay-Research-finds-protestant-pastorsname-Graham-most-influential-living-preacher.
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mega-church First Baptist Church in northern Atlanta since 1971. Charles is internationally recognized for his teaching ministry, In Touch Ministries which has programs seen and heard around the world on more than 2,600 radio and television outlets in more than 50 languages.4 Andy understates about his father, my dad knows a thing or two about preaching. 5 Certainly Andy heard his fathers sermons and learned from him but he did not necessarily feel called to ministry. Andy tells of a conversation he had with his father, Charles regarding whether he was called into the ministry. He told his father that he didnt feel called but wondered if it would be okay to volunteer. Charles thought for a moment and replied, I guess its okay to just volunteer.6 After graduation from Georgia State University with a degree in journalism, Andy earned a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary.7 He applied to Baylor University to pursue a PhD in religion but was denied.8 Anxious to get a job, Andy agreed to temporarily serve as youth pastor in his fathers church.9 That temporary job lasted for ten years where Andy also had opportunity to preach and develop his communication skills. In 1987, First Baptist Atlanta began seeking to move to a more suburban location because of aging facilities. After purchasing a warehouse in north Atlanta the sale of their property fell through and the leadership realized that it would be some time before they were going to be able to relocate. Rather than keep the warehouse
4 5

About In Touch Ministries, http://www.intouch.org/about/about-in-touch Andy Stanley, Deep and Wide (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2012), 22. 6 Ibid., 27. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid., 28.

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facility unused the church asked Andy Stanley if he would like to start holding services in the new facility. He writes, Their rationale was that it would relieve crowding downtown as well as establish a presence on our future sight.10 In 1992 the new facility opened and immediately the new site experienced rapid growth. Within two months there were over two-thousand people attending the satellite church.11There were a lot of differences in the way the new site did church. People began comparing and contrasting the two churches and tried to polarize the two. But Andy insists they were one church with two locations. Andy writes, This was due in large part to the fact that my father and I refused to allow anyone to get between us. We had no tolerance for father versus son. We knew that as long as we were on the same page, we could hold out until the two congregations came back together on the new property.12 But that was soon to change. In June of 1993, Charles Stanleys wife shocked the evangelical world by filing for divorce. Charles had previously pledged that if his marriage were ever to break up that he would resign immediately. However, when confronted with the reality, he decided to stay on and not resign unless asked by the church. Andy disagreed with his fathers decision and let him know that he felt that his father should keep his word and resign, believing that the church would insist that he stay. Andy wrote of the incident, Unfortunately, my dad didnt hear anything I said past the word resignIt looked and sounded as if I was siding with the resign-now crowdhe believed I wanted him to step down. Permanently.13
Ibid., 30. John Blake, Two preaching giants and the betrayal that tore them apart: November 19, 2012, CNN, U.S., http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/17/us/andy-stanley. 12 Stanley, Deep and Wide, 34. 13 Ibid., 39.
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The rift that resulted between Andy and his father led to his own resignation from First Baptist Atlanta in 1995. A feature article on CNN.com spoke of the break-up. The distance between father and son was also philosophical. They had different ideas about church leadership. Andy had discovered another preaching mentor, the Rev. Bill Hybels, an unassuming, genial pastor -- the kind who travels alone without an entourage. He helped pioneer "seeker churches" while leading Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. People tend to focus on the cosmetic innovations of seeker churches: incorporating contemporary Christian music in worship, injecting clever skits and colorful stage props into services. But Andy was also drawn to Willow Creek's primary mission: reaching "irreligious people" who had been turned off by traditional church. After hearing Hybels, Andy says, church made sense "for the first time in my life." Hybels became his hero. "They were more committed to progress instead of maintaining traditions."14 It was this fundamental shift in his own philosophical stance toward the purpose of the church that had direct influence upon his preaching style. It is extremely telling that he says, Church made sense for the first time in my life. Raised by a father who was internationally acclaimed as a great preacher, there was somehow a disconnect between life and the Word. It seems the disintegration of his parents marriage has driven him to an even greater desire to have scriptural principles apply directly to life. After his resignation from First Baptist Atlanta it was not long before Andy began to dream about beginning a church that was less concerned with tradition and more concerned about reaching people who were distant from God. In November, 1995 an organizational meeting was held to talk about starting a new church. Fifteen

14

Blake, Two preaching giants.

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hundred people showed up. It was at that meeting that Andy stepped to the podium and shared his vision. Atlanta doesnt need another church. Atlanta needs a different kind of church. Atlanta needs a church where church people are comfortable bringing their unchurched friends, family members, and neighbors. A church where unbelievers can come and hear the life-changing truth that God cares for them and that Jesus Christ died for their sin. Weve come together to create a church unchurched people will love to attend.15 A church was born. That vision has expanded to five campuses and is shared with more than twenty-two North Point Strategic Partner churches.16 It is that vision that drives Andy Stanley to communicate in a fresh way with his special emphasis upon application of principles found in Scripture. Andy tells the story17 of learning one of his earliest lessons in communication when he was asked to speak to a group of high school students when he was a seminarian. He had prepared a talk that focused on 1 Kings 5 and the story of Naaman. He tells about how he had over-prepared and as he was studying over his notes he came to the realization that these kids were not going to care about what he was saying. So he worked on distilling the message down to one key sentence that communicated the principle that he wanted them to take away. His one thing was To understand why, submit and apply. He says he presented the message in a narrative way but landed on that profound truth. He had the students repeat the phrase several times and felt like he had landed on a principle that would serve him well. Andy relates that years later when on staff at First Baptist a teen who heard him speak
Stanley, Deep and Wide, 47. North Point Strategic Partners, http://www.northpointpartners.org/. 17 Andy Stanley, Engaging Unchurched People, Lecture at Preaching Rocket event at North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA, August 31, 2012.
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couldnt remember his name but said, You gave a talk at my high schoolTo understand why, submit and apply. Ive never forgotten that. Stanley said that event changed him and he committed to doing exactly what he did with that kid for the rest of his life making a truth of God memorable so that it would be applicable in the moment when it was needed.

Philosophy of Preaching When asked what his philosophy of preaching was in an interview with Ed Stetzer, Stanley responded: Preaching on Sunday mornings is such a simple thing and by complicating it, I think we all do ourselves and the audience a disservice. It is very simple. Here is the model: Make people feel like they need an answer to a question. Then take them to God's Word to answer the question. And tell them why it is important to do what we just talked about. And then you close by saying, "Wouldn't it be great if everybody did that?" And that's it. It is a journey. You take people from somewhere to somewhere.18 Stanley lays out a much more elaborate philosophy of preaching in a book he has co-written with Lane Jones called Communicating for a Change which sets forth what he calls the seven imperatives.19 Those imperatives or keys give a good understanding of what is important to the communication process for Stanley and will be used to evaluate his sermons at the end of this paper. The seven imperatives or Keys to Irresistible Communication are: 1. Determine Your Goal

Ed Stetzer, Andy Stanley on Communication (Part 1) : March 3, 2009, Ed Stetzer, The LifeWay Research Blog, http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/03/andy-stanley-on-communication.html. 19 Andy Stanley and Ronald Lane Jones, Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication (Colorado Springs, Multnomah, 2006), 88.

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2. Pick a Point 3. Create a Map 4. Internalize the Message 5. Engage Your Audience 6. Find Your Voice 7. Start All Over Determine Your Goal Stanley says that one of those critical things is to know where youre going. Stanleys number one key is Determine Your Goal. He shows that many preachers primary goal is to teach the Bible. He challenges that goal, even if their intent is to turn the focus of teaching the Bible toward people. Stanleys objection to this approach is that success is measured by the amount of information transferred.20 The goal of preaching, instead, should be changed lives. Stanley says his is to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible.21 The goal is not just to teach truths, but to have people actually act on what they have heard. If life change is the goal of communication, Stanley exhorts preachers to change how they communicate. Stanley drives this point home frequently when he discusses his philosophy of preaching. In a Christianity Today interview he clearly stated, Preaching today should be less about defending the truth and more about applying the truth.22

Ibid., 95. Ibid. 22 Invite Them Into the Kitchen: An Interview with Andy Stanley: Winter, 2000, Leadership Journal Online, http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2000/winter/1.22.html?start=6.
21

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Pick a Point The primary change he advocates is to Pick a Point. In spite of being raised by a father who employed a point-by-point preaching Andy Stanley seems adamantly opposed to preaching multi-point sermons. In fact, most people would identify Andy Stanleys preaching approach as being a one-point message. He strongly discourages what he calls point by point preaching. He insists that preachers try to communicate too many things in that traditional approach. Rather, the communicator should narrow down his message to one central idea, application, insight, or principle that serves as the glue to hold the other parts together.23 This sounds much like the principle that Haddon Robinson espouses in his book Biblical Preaching, where he states, an effective speech centers on one specific thing, a central idea.24 Stanley and Robinson agree: Every part of the message needs to be built around that one point. Interestingly enough, Andy Stanley notes his indebtedness to Haddon Robinsons book. He was asked in an interview by Ed Stetzer why he was so intent upon narrowing the focus down to one point. His responds, at Dallas Seminary, we studied Haddon Robinson's book on preaching which all of us have been exposed to or was a textbook, and the thing is, Haddon taught us to preach one-point messages. I mean, if you look at biblical preaching or you look at his text, he teaches "What's the one thing?" The problem is: nobody did it. Even when I was in seminary and we were using that book as a textbook, even in class, nobody drove us to, "Hey, what's your one thing?" So, I feel like I'm doing what I was taught to do in seminary because I felt like that was the model.25

Stanley and Jones, Communicating, 103. Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2001), 36. 25 Ed Stetzer, Andy Stanley on Communication, Pt. 2a May 27, 2009, Ed Stetzer: The LifeWay Research Blog http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/05/andy-stanley-on-preaching.html.
24

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Narrowing the focus of the message to one point is difficult for many. Stanley says that the biggest challenge preachers face is notfinding the one, but eliminating the three.26 Having too many things that you are trying to communicate is a recipe for disaster because no one will remember what the points were. Stanley says, lists go on paper. Single, powerful ideas have a way of penetrating the heart.27 He advocates crafting what he calls a sticky statement, a short, memorable statement that keeps the message from drifting off course. Create a Map Stanley advocates an approach to preaching that he calls mapping the message. He suggests a framework he calls, Me-We-God-You-We. Briefly, this approach seeks to connect the communicator with the listeners, look at what God has to say about the topic and then apply Gods truths to the audience, both individually and collectively. Stanley insists that all the elements of the message must wrap around the objective for the sermon -- changed lives. ME The Me of the message is introducing the speaker as well as the topic to the audience.28 While this sounds rather egotistical, Stanley specifies that the ME isnt really about me. ME is about finding common ground with THEM.29 He emphasizes that the speaker that does not have a rapport built with the audience cannot

26 27

Stanley and Jones, Communicating, 105. Ibid., p. 109. 28 Ibid., p. 121. 29 Ibid.

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communicate effectively. He states, An audience has to buy into the messenger before they buy into the message.30 Later in the analysis of Stanleys messages it will be observed that this is the element of his message that he most often leaves out. While this may seem like a glaring omission, Stanley qualifies the necessity of this part of the sermon by observing that the inclusion of this part is largely determined by the makeup of the audience. If they are not familiar with the speaker, it is essential. Whereas if the speaker is talking to a group that hears him regularly it is not as essential the ME be included.31 That being said, Stanley tries to create a bridge between him and the audience at every opportunity. He observes that in any given week there are people who have no idea who he is. He writes, So I go out of my way to lay my humanity and frailty out on the front of the stage. Doing so tears down walls. Besides, if you preach from your weakness, you will never run out of material.32 WE The next part of Stanleys map is WE. It is in this section that Stanley urges the speaker to include the audience in the tension that he is experiencing. The speaker has identified his own tension with the topic he is sharing; now he wants the audience to identify with the tension by including them in their own understanding of the tension. Stanley explains that this step is crucial otherwise the speaker will be answering questions that nobody is asking. He writes, Dont transition from WE to
30 31

Ibid. Ibid., p. 124 32 Ibid.

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the next section until you feel like you have created a tension that your audience is dying for you to resolve.33 A definite advantage to this approach is that application is wrapped up in the entire message. It makes people hungry to hear an answer to a tension that everyone feels. Stanley explains, If you open the message with your struggle (ME), and relate it to their struggle (WE), youre already in the arena of applied truth.34 GOD The next section is what Stanley calls the meat of the message GOD. It is the scriptural part. It presents Gods thoughts and how they answer the tension that everyone is experiencing. Stanleys challenge is to Engage the audience with the text.35 This call to Engage Your Audience is one of the seven keys and will be examined more fully later. YOU Again, Stanley utilizes the word YOU to describe a step in the map. While this can be somewhat confusing this time the YOU refers to giving the individual listener a way to apply the truth of the GOD section. Stanley writes, My preference is to find one point of application that I can challenge everybody to embrace.36 Andy suggests being as specific as possible and making a direct suggestion as to how to apply the truth of the message. WE

33 34

Ibid., p. 125. Ibid., p. 126. 35 Ibid., p. 127. 36 Ibid.

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The last section of the message is the WE section. It is the challenge to the audience about what a difference Gods truth would make if it was truly applied as God intended. Stanley comments about this section: WE is really about vision casting. It is a moment of inspiration. It is the point in the message when you paint a verbal picture of what could be and should be. In this closing moment you call upon your audience to imagine what the church, the community, families, maybe even the world would be like if Christians everywhere embraced your one idea.37 Internalize the Message Stanley is an advocate for the speaker knowing the substance of the message so well that he can explain what he wants to communicate without notes. If the preacher cannot do that, he has not owned the message and is probably trying to communicate too much. Stanley writes about how disingenuous it is when a speaker says, This is very, very important, and then reads something from his notes.38 He continues, Constantly referring to notes communicates, I have not internalized this message. I want everybody else to internalize it, but I havent.39 The key seems to be in not having too much to say. It is much easier to internalize one important point than a list of points. Stanley is persuasive when he says that internalizing a message is making it the preachers own story. Engage Your Audience It is in Stanleys teaching on engaging the audience that he gives many stylistic principles that he follows. However, it is not just in presentational style that engagement with the audience is found. Primarily it is making sure that the audience
37 38

Ibid., p. 129. Ibid., p. 135. 39 Ibid.

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travels with the speaker throughout the presentation. This is done through introductions that make the listener want to discover what answers Scripture has for the dilemma that is faced. As noted, Stanley has a heart for reaching people that are unchurched. That is the purpose around which North Point is built. He goes deeper into Engaging with the Audience in his teaching about how to engage with unchurched people. Engaging Unchurched People People who are part of a church body have a natural affinity toward listening to a sermon. Sermons are a part of the church culture. Yet, increasingly American culture is growing post-Christian. There are people that have no patience with what they perceive as an authoritarian discourse. In the post-modernism of our age, Andy Stanley has found that he can connect with the unchurched and gives multiple tips that he recommends for engaging unchurched people. These guidelines were presented at a conference held at North Point in August, 2012.40 Guideline 1: Let them know you know theyre there and that youre happy about it. He says that often unchurched people dont feel like theyre welcome, especially if the sermon is going to be critical of a lifestyle decision they have made. Andy points out that the preacher has to make extra effort to acknowledge them and let them know that the sermon has them in mind. Guideline 2: Choose a passage of Scripture and stay there. Stanley makes the argument that people who are unfamiliar with the Bible are intimidated by preachers

40

Stanley, Engaging Unchurched People.

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who jump from one biblical passage to another in the course of a sermon. He says that people need to engage with one simple truth from Scripture. Guideline 3: Give them permission not to believe or obey. Non-Christians do not have the responsibility that Christians do to submit to Scriptural teaching. Stanley says, Nothing offends non-Christians quicker than to put on them some standard that they never agreed to. To impose a scriptural guideline upon them violates 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 because they are not accountable to the same standard to which Christians are. Rather, he says to give them an out and let them know that it is a principle of God that they can try. In one sense this guideline could be an extension of Guideline 1 that recognizes where non-Christians are and speaks directly to their needs. Guideline 4: Avoid the phrase, The Bible says. Stanley points out that the Bible is not a book; it is actually a collection of manuscripts each has a particular story. He suggests that preachers cite authors, not the Bible. Non-Christians, for the most part, do not accept the inerrancy of Gods Word, so he advocates that we not make acceptance of the authority of the Word a stumbling block to becoming a Jesus follower. This guideline of Stanleys has been widely misunderstood. Many have interpreted Stanleys statement as meaning he discounts the authority of Scripture. However, that is not what Stanley is communicating. He points out that the nonChristian no longer accepts the Bible as a credible authority, so he is attempting to remove the barrier from hearing the message of Jesus. Stanley rightly says that early Christians did not have a Bible to refer to. In fact, non-Jewish believers did not even

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have the Old Testament. Yet, belief in Scripture was not a requisite to them coming to Christ. Guideline 5: Acknowledge the odd as odd. The preacher discredits himself if he does not acknowledge what the non-believer is thinking about when he hears something supernatural. Stanley writes, We do ourselves and the unbelievers in our congregations a disservice when we forget to pause and consider how weird some of whats in the Bible must sound to someone who wasnt raised in church.41 When the preacher acknowledges that something does not line up with our rational experience, it demonstrates that it is okay to read the Bible critically and that it is difficult for the modern mind to accept. He writes a sample of what he means when he follows this guideline: For those of us raised in church, its easy to believe these things took place. But if you are new to Bible study, I can understand why you may have questions or even doubts. You may be interested to know that some of Jesus own followers had a difficult time believing some this stuff. Youve probably heard the phrase Doubting Thomas. Thomas was one of Jesus followers who didnt believe Jesus rose from the dead. Thus the nickname. Apparently Jesus own brother, James, didnt believe for a long time either. So you are in good company. No pressure.42 Find Your Voice Andy stresses that the communicator must not try to imitate someone else, but must be who God created him to be. He stresses that this is not an excuse for poor communication habits but rather it is a challenge to make the best use of the skills that God has given. He challenges the preacher to be a lifelong learner in the field of

41 42

Andy Stanley, Deep and Wide, 253. Ibid., 255.

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communication43 and to explore the techniques of a variety of communicators. But then there must be self-evaluation. He encourages preachers to listen to their own sermons and then to ask others for constructive criticism.44 Start All Over The last Key to Irresistible Communication is what Stanley urges for preachers to do when they get stuck in their preparation. He urges the preacher to pray, not just for emergency help, but as an appeal to the foundational source of change in people. He points out, If I dont stop and pray, the pressure to get the message finished will override my passion to bring something fresh and clear to my audience. When I ignore the impulse to pray, I find myself churning out information rather than creating an easy to follow journey for the listener.45 Stanley then urges the communicator to ask himself five questions which are basically just another way of applying the previous six keys: 1. What do they need to know? 2. Why do they need to know it? 3. What do they need to do? 4. Why do they need to do it? 5. How can I help them remember? What do they need to know? After all the research and study what is the one essential thing that needs to be communicated? Again, this is Stanleys one-point message concept re-emphasized. If

43 44

Stanley and Jones, Communicating, 178. Ibid., 179. 45 Ibid., 185.

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the speaker is trying to force everything into his message, he will fail at communicating the one thing that the audience needs to hear. This is the information that is essential for change. Why do they need to know it? What difference would it make if the hearer never understands the principle that is going to be communicated? Again, this is the tension that has to exist for the audience to desire to hear Gods answer to their dilemma. If the audience members are not convinced they need to know what you are about to tell them, it is perceived as irrelevant. What do they need to do? Obviously this is the application of the biblical principle that is being communicated. Stanley says that the preacher should be specific and be creative.46 This demonstrates the application for change. Why do they need to do it? By answering this question, the speaker inspires the hearer to action. What would be the result if the hearer would apply the truth presented? This creates the inspiration for change. What can I do to help them remember? What are the techniques or objects that could be utilized to help the listener recall the message later in the week and apply it? Stanley advocates the use of easily remembered object lessons or take-home items that can help reinforce the message. He points out that such tools are not always appropriate but encourages the preacher
46

Ibid., 188.

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to take advantage of them whenever possible. Almost always, North Point utilizes Scripture memory cards that reinforce the key principle of the morning message. They also encourage small groups to discuss the sermon and to create accountability for application of the truth of the message.

Controversy Any high-profile figure is bound to face criticism. Mega-church pastors seem to be especially vulnerable. Andy Stanley is certainly no exception and has endured disparagement for his perceived views on topics like divorce and homosexuality to his participation in Presidential Inaugurations. It is not the purpose of this paper to examine his orthodoxy. But there is a particular controversy that surfaced because of some of Stanleys comments in an interview about effective preaching. In an online interview with Ed Stetzer, Andy was asked, What do you think about preaching verse-by-verse messages through books of the Bible? Andys response created a firestorm of controversy: Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible-- that is just cheating. It's cheating because that would be easy, first of all. That isn't how you grow people. No one in the Scripture modeled that. There's not one example of that. All Scripture is equally inspired, but not all Scripture is equally applicable or relevant to every stage of life. My challenge is to read culture and to read an audience and ask: What is the felt need? Or perhaps what is more important, what is an unfelt need they need to feel that I can address? Because if they don't feel it, then they won't address it. 47

Ed Stetzer, Andy Stanley on Communication (Part 2): March 5, 2009, Ed Stetzer: The LifeWay Research Blog, http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/03/andy-stanley-on-communication-1.html.

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Many readers of the interview expressed their disagreement with Stanley. Some were offended that Stanley would impugn their method of preaching. In fact, some even went so far to express that if a preacher is not preaching verse-by-verse it is not biblical preaching at all. In a follow-up interview Stanley clarifies his statement. He states, my point was, from my perspective, it's easier to do that than to do what I do and what people who do what I do in terms of spending lots of time trying to create a context for Biblical truth. And I didn't mean, obviously, cheating like they were doing something wrong. What I really meant to say was I think it's easier. And honestly, as I work through books of the Bible in my private devotional life, there are so many timesI think, "Gosh, I wish I could just go in next Sunday and say, 'Okay, here's what I read this week and here's what I got out of it.'" It would just be so much easier and so much simpler, but then I think, you know what? For people who are where I am, for people who just can't get enough of God's Word, that would work, but for the audience I'm trying to reach, I'm going to have to create some sorta creative environment . . .I'm going to have to create a hunger. And that's difficult. That just takes a lot of time. While Stanleys statement was somewhat provocative, it demonstrates his key underlying philosophy to communication. As already noted, Stanley says his goal is to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. He repeatedly emphasizes his commitment to communicate with an expectation of life change in the hearer. Stanley fights against preachers taking an approach that does not go beyond a theological analysis of text and does not attempt to apply it to the hearer. Actually, exegesis of the text is one of Andy Stanleys strengths. In most of the sermons analyzed, he spends significant time explaining the context behind a text and the meaning. He comments,

Vogt 20 I think anyone who listens, not to a sermon I've preached, but anyone who listens to a bunch of sermons I preach know that I, my favorite thing is to take a passage and to work through a passage word by word, verse by verse. I love to do that. That's what I was trained to do. So, I think on any given Sunday, I preach exegetically. What I don't do is pick up where I left off last week with the very next verse. Now, I've done that through the book of Jonah, done that to the book of Nehemiah, but typically, we're picking a topic, and then I'm picking passages that I think speak to that topic, and then I'm exegeting those passages.48

Attempting to synopsize such a broad range of teachings is always difficult. There are fundamental elements that are left out and principles that are overemphasized. The effectiveness of Andy Stanleys sermons is seen through the rapid growth of the North Point congregations and through his increasing influence among Christian communicators. Recently it was reported that the North Point web site has 1.2 million downloads of messages each week. People are listening to what Andy is preaching.

Analysis of Sermons But does Andy Stanley practice what he preaches? This is asked not in the sense of whether his lifestyle lines up with his message (though that is an important factor). Rather, does Andy Stanley follow his own advice and teaching about preaching? That is the purpose of this analysis. Ten sermons of Andy Stanleys were accessed from North Points website.49 In an attempt to have a good cross-section of Stanleys preaching different types of messages were examined. Two of the messages were stand-alone sermons with special purposes. One was a Christmas message entitled, The Perfect Christmas; the
48 49

Stetzer, Andy Stanley on Communication, Pt. 2a. North Point Community Church Sermons, www.northpoint.org/sermons .

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other entitled, Bridging the Gap was a message that was used for recruitment to small groups. Two message series were also analyzed. One was a topical series called, Breathing Room. The other was a series called Free, an expository series from Romans 5-7. The sermons will be collectively analyzed based upon Stanleys Keys to Irresistible Communication. Stanleys first principle, Determine Your Goal speaks to his philosophy that the sermon should challenge the hearer to application of the message. While it is impossible to determine whether that goal is ever met (and would be a discouragement to most preachers to find out how few people truly do apply the message) it is evident in every one of Stanleys messages that the objective is that the hearer apply the scriptural truth. In every sermon there was a call for putting into action the biblical principle that was presented. The intensity of this call varied from sermon to sermon but in all the examples there was a clear statement of the expectation. Never was knowledge the objective. The second principle, Pick a Point is perhaps the easiest to analyze. Every sermon revolved around one essential concept. Stanleys main objectives were easy to discern because they usually could be stated in a statement that Stanley was careful to emphasize. For example, in the message, Ex-Squeeze Yourself the main point was Dont trade peace for prosperity.50 In the sermon, Bridge the Gap the purpose of the message was to demonstrate the importance of small groups. Stanley

Andy Stanley, Breathing Room: Part 1, Ex-Squeeze Yourself: January 6, 2013, North Point Community Church Messages, http://www.northpoint.org/messages/breathing-room.

50

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stated, The bottom line is we dont want you to go through another season of your life without being a part of a group. 51 This was the application of the scriptural truth found in James 1:22-25 which focuses on being doers and not only hearers of the Word. In that same message, Stanleys sticky statement was Groups bridge the gap between hearing and doing.52 In the sermon, Breathing Room: Money he makes the memorable statement, Creating breathing room financially may lower your
standard of living but it will raise your quality of life.53

Stanleys third key principle is Create a Map. The template that Andy advocates is what he terms the Me, We, God, You, We map. For the most part, Andy holds to this format through the analyzed sermons. The elements that are consistently present are the middle three sections, We, God and You . Frequently absent is the Me section. Stanley explains that he uses the Me section to establish a rapport with the audience. He says that this is not as necessary when the speaker has an established relationship with the listeners because they are familiar with the speaker. In the two sermon series that were analyzed, Stanley made extensive use of the Me section in the first sermon of each series. In the Breathing Room series, Stanley related how his father and mother were extremely different in their attitude towards clutter but that no one desires to live a life with emotional clutter.54 He used a

Andy Stanley, Bridging the Gap: August 5, 2012, North Point Community Church Mes sages, http://www.northpoint.org/messages/bridging-the-gap. 52 Ibid. 53 Andy Stanley, Breathing Room: Part 3: Money, January 20, 2013, North Point Community Church Messages, http://www.northpoint.org/messages/breathing-room. 54 Stanley, Breathing Room: Part 1.

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physical object lesson on stage with two different closets one cluttered and stuffed with too many things and the other clean and organized. In each of the other sermons of the series Stanley refers back to that image of a cluttered versus uncluttered life but did not utilize the Me section again. Similarly in the Free series, Stanley utilized the first sermon to describe how he could have something go wrong with a car no idea how to fix it.55 He transitioned to the first We section relating how we all have instances when we know theres a problem but have no idea how to fix it. The last We section is also missing from many messages. He often spoke with a sense of urgency what might happen if individuals would apply the scriptural principle but rarely did he describe what the effects would be if everybody applied it. In the sermon, Bridging the Gap Stanley closed the sermon with some hypothetical what if scenarios. After imploring people to join small groups he asked the audience to imagine how their lives might have been different if their own families had been involved with small groups that helped them develop their faith. He stated,, Imagine what it would have been like . . . if you had been raised in a home where your mother and father were not content to sit in rows feeling like God was putting a check by their names because they went to church., but they were actually in circles with like-minded people dealing with and grappling with the real issues of life. For some of you it would have meant growing up with a father in your home instead of a father who left because there would have been a group of men in his life who would have tracked him down and said, We cant let you go. For some of you, you would have grown up with a mom who would have had less issues . . . maybe less chemical addictions . . . because there would have been a group of women in her life who would have been empowered to say, Weve got to talk about this.56
Andy Stanley, Free, Part 1: Its Worse than You Thought: October 14, 2012, North Point Community Church Messages, http://www.northpoint.org/messages/free. 56 Stanley, Bridging the Gap.
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He went on to paint a picture of how life would have been different and can be different now if they would just avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in small groups. Stanleys sermons all followed his suggested roadmap to some degree. What differs often between the sermons is the placement of the proposition. There are times when Andy does not state the proposition until the end of the sermon making those more inductive in form. These sermons moved inductively toward the take away, which was the point of application arrived at and emphasized by the sermon. Other times he utilized a more deductive form as he stated the proposition at the very beginning of the sermon and then used Scripture to more fully explain his statement. But most often his form would have to be labeled as inductive/deductive as inductively he would help the listener explore their own need and together discover an answer in Scripture. He would then take a more deductive approach as the proposition would be fleshed out in application. One sermon utilized a form that was not normal for Stanley. In Breathing Room: Choosing to Cheat Stanley communicated a personal narrative of his own life to demonstrate and lead to the take away statement, Dont trade whats unique to you for something somebody else will do.57 Stanley never read a scriptural passage straight through without comment in the analyzed sermons. As he reads a text, he would highlight and elucidate upon difficult words or concepts. He seemed to have a running commentary on scriptural
57

Andy Stanley, Breathing Room, Part 4: Choosing to Cheat: January 27, 2013, North Point Community Church Messages, http://www.northpoint.org/messages/breathing-room.

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verses as he unpacked what they meant. Andy seemed to have a high view of Scripture and took great effort to explain and apply the meaning of the text. Andy Stanley utilizes a very conversational approach in his delivery. He consistently employed words that were non-technical and easily understood. His voice is of normal timbre, unlike the deep baritone voice of his father, Charles. In many ways, this every-man quality enhances his approachability. No doubt many people view his preaching style as not authoritative but more as a friend giving advice. Stanleys vocal expression shows variety through his sermons. Andy speaks rapidly and has good articulation. He used voice inflection, tempo, and pace to emphasize ideas words, or phrases. Stanley did not rely on volume for emphasis or variety as much as he relied on diversity and accentuation through pace, inflection and pitch. Stanley has a characteristic quality of emphasizing the main punch line by slowing down his words and pausing between each word for emphasis. He would often accentuate his words by pointing or moving his finger or hand to match each word especially at the end of a sermon when he was emphasizing the take away. Adding to the conversational quality of Andy Stanleys sermons was his aversion to relying on notes. Through the analyzed sermons no podium was used nor were any notes evident. As already stated, Stanley holds a high view toward preaching without notes and this ideal was obvious in his sermons. One rhetorical device that Andy frequently uses is repetition. When he explains a concept it is common for him to repeat it several times in different ways or

Vogt 26

with varying terminology. Certainly this would be consistent with his desire that the preacher cover less material and go deeper. Stanley frequently uses self-deprecating humor and seems to be very at-ease with self-revealing comments. Andys use of humor is very intentional. He believes that the use of humor lowers listeners resistance to the message. He states,
I want everyone who comes to our church services to have laughed within the first five minutes. To unchurched people, that's a shock. They walk in assuming they're not going to enjoy themselves. They're asking, "How long will this last?" So right up front we tell them, "You're going to be here about an hour and five minutes." Then I want them to enjoy themselves, up until the point when they're confronted with truth. That might not be enjoyable, but by that time they've bought in. The gospel is offensive. We just don't want anything else in the church to be offensive. Let's let the gospel be the stumbling block, not what happens in the parking lot or hallways or announcements.58

In all the examined sermons Stanley incorporated humor. In some sermons it was more frequent but never seemed out of place or crude. Frequently through the messages Stanley utilized visual aids. In the Free series, clear cylinders were used with the words, Adam and Christ printed on them. Andy used balls placed in the cylinders to illustrate how we were placed in Adam because of our sin and in Christ because of Jesus sacrifice. It served his purpose well as it created a great visual of a difficult concept. In the Breathing Room series it has already been noted that two closets were set up on stage. One was cluttered and overflowing with items while the other was organized and spacious. Each week Andy made use of these visuals culminating with the final week when he attempted to place one more item of clothing into the cluttered
Drew Dyck, Balancing Acts: Tim Keller and Andy Stanley explain what it takes to get ministry right: Fall, 2012, Leadership Journal Online, http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/fall/ balancing-acts.html?start=3.
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closet and the whole closet gave way. It was an effective visual in that it illustrated how the hearer can pack so many things into their life that life can fall apart around you.59 One tool that repeatedly comes up in his sermons is the simple phrase, If you only get one thing out of this sermon . . . . This phrase reflects his undying devotion to the principle of speaking with only one objective in mind. Andy is very up front with the audience about communicating the main idea and he spells out what the crux of the message is. Stanley typically preached for forty minutes. While that seems long in comparison to many contemporary preachers, Andy defends the length of his sermons. When asked if todays audiences have a shorter attention span he replied, My dad preaches an hour, and they can't get everybody in fast enough. The attention span thing is a myth. We've all listened to communicators, and, number one, we couldn't believe the time went by that fast and, number two, we wish they wouldn't stop because they're great communicators. It has nothing to do with attention span. It has to do with the environment, the type of chair you're sitting on, what happened before, what your expectations are, the interest, the content, the visuals, the pace. We have to be as clear as MUDmemorable, understandable, and do-able. Can they remember something? Do they understand it? Can they do it? Most of the time that means the preacher should just make one point, communicate one thing well.60 Perhaps the main reason that Andy Stanley can preach longer than most preachers and has such a large audience is because he communicates one thing well. Stanley has developed an effective way to communicate with the modern

59 60

Stanley, Breathing Room: Part 4. Stanley, Invite Them Into the Kitchen.

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audience. He does not seem to try to impress his listeners with how much he knows. Rather he follows his own simple rule of saying less with greater depth. His sermons are rooted in Scripture as Stanley attempts to create a bridge to modern application. While some may find Stanleys approach lacking in depth because they desire more content in a sermon, it is this writers view that Andy Stanley masterfully and elaborately persuades the hearer to apply Scripture to life. Austin Phelps would have been impressed.

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Bibliography
About In Touch Ministries. n.d. http://www.intouch.org/about/about-in-touch (accessed January 24, 2013). Blake, John. CNN U.S. November 19, 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/17/us/ andy-stanley (accessed January 24, 2013). CCN Admin. Christ, Culture, News. November 5, 2012. http://www.christculturenews.com/10-largest-churches-in-america (accessed March 12, 2013). Dyck, Drew. "Balancing Acts: Tim Keller and Andy Stanley explain what it takes to get ministry right." Leadership Journal Online. Fall 2012. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/fall/balancing-acts.html?start=3. "Invite Them Into the Kitchen: An Interview with Andy Stanley." Leadership Journal Online. Winter 2000. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2000/winter/1.22.html (accessed January 5, 2013). North Point Community Church Sermons. n.d. www.northpoint.org/sermons (accessed January 7, 2013). North Point Strategic Partners. n.d. http://www.northpointpartners.org/ (accessed March 13, 2013). Phelps, Austin. The Theory of Preaching: Lectures on Homiletics. New York: C. Scribner Sons, 1892. Phillips, Bob. LifeWay Articles. February 2, 2010. http://www.lifeway.com/Article/LifeWay-Research-finds-protestant-pastorsname-Graham-most-influential-living-preacher (accessed March 13, 2013).

Vogt 30 Robinson, Haddon W. Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. Stanley, Andy and Jones, Ronald Lane. Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication. Colorado Springs: Mulnomah, 2006. Stanley, Andy. Part 1, Ex-Squeeze Yourself." North Point Community Church Messages. January 6, 2013. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/breathing-room. . "Breathing Room: "Breathing Room, Part 2: Time." North Point Community Church Messages. January 13, 2013. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/ breathing-room. . "Breathing Room: "Breathing Room, Part 3: Money." North Point Community Church Messages. January 20, 2013. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/ breathing-room. . "Breathing Room, Part 4: Choosing to Cheat." North Point Community Church Messages. January 27, 2013. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/ breathing-room. . "Bridging the Gap." North Point Community Church Messages. August 5, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/bridging-the-gap. . Deep and Wide. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. . "Engaging Unchurched People." Lecture at Preaching Rocket Conference. Alpharetta, GA, August 31, 2012. . "Free, Part 1: It's Worse Than You Thought." North Point Community Church Messages. October 14, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/free.

Vogt 31 . "Free, Part 2: Now You Know." North Point Community Church Messages. October 21, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/free. . "Free, Part 3: Staying Dead." North Point Community Church Messages. October 28, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/free. . "Free, Part 4: Lawless." North Point Community Church Messages. November 5, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/free. . "The Perfect Christmas." North Point Community Church Messages. December 23, 2012. http://www.northpoint.org/messages/the-perfect-christmas. Stetzer, Ed. "Andy Stanley on Communication (Part 2)." Ed Stetzer: The LifeWay Research Blog. March 5, 2009. http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/03/ andy-stanley-on-communication-1.html (accessed December 12, 2012). . "Andy Stanley on Communication, Pt. 2a." Ed Stetzer: The LifeWay Research Blog. May 27, 2009. http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/05/ andy-stanley-on-preaching.html (accessed December 19, 2012). . Ed Stetzer, The Lifeway Research Blog. March 3, 2009. http://www.edstetzer.com/2009/03/andy-stanley-on-communication.html (accessed January 7, 2013).