One of the great opportunities I’ve had since joining the NewSpring team is to get an insider’s look at how Perry prepares his messages. In the process, I’ve learned a few things and had a few other previous learnings reinforced. Here’s some of what I’ve discovered…

  • Prepare your messages weeks in advance. Tomorrow we’re talking about the message for June 24. You’d be amazed at what the Holy Spirit will reveal in a month compared to what he reveals in a week. And, you’d also be amazed at what your artists can create to support your message with more time to brainstorm and execute.
  • Speak the truth. The Story is intriguing. The Message is dangerous. People want to be challenged. Deep down, we all crave truth. People will respond when we deliver the truth of God’s Word. (Of course, this also assumes you’re being transformed by God’s Word.)
  • Keep it simple. Perry teaches on one topic in every message. He typically highlights no more than three subpoints on that topic. The less you teach, the more your audience will retain…and (more importantly) live out.
  • Sweat the outline and not the manuscript. This is a new learning for me. When you sweat the outline, you pay more attention to focusing the content, providing supporting illustrations and creating a good flow. Because you’re not preparing a manuscript, you also have more time to prepare/rehearse your message. And, when you speak from an outline, you have more freedom to engage your audience.
  • Tell stories. The story is just as important as the truth. This is the way Jesus taught. He used parables to reveal the truth. People will tune out unless you engage their emotions. (By the way, take time to rehearse your stories. How you deliver a story is just as important as the story itself.)
  • Invite others into the process. Perry talks about "evaluating the message on the front end." It’s amazing what the team contributes in the way of additional biblical content, illustrations, stories, arts elements, visuals, etc. Perry is a phenomenal communicator, but one of his secrets is that every message is prepared with the input of a team.