A Brigada reader needs our help. He would love input on one or both of these questions in relation to a missionary speaking at a partner church:
- How do you make the most of your local church platform time? or stated another way, How do you maximize the impact of your platform time at a local church?
- How do you make the most of your local church visit if you don’t get platform time?
Please comment!
As a couple who have raised support for 30+ years, we’ve learned the best thing you can do is ASK QUESTIONS, then LISTEN! You could plan to meet with the church leader (or leadership team) before you speak, in order to ASK what would the congregants want to know about your work? The leader is the best gauge of what’s already been shared (snippets from your newsletter, postings of your news on their website for their congregants, recent global news impacting your target area, etc). His/her area of interest will suggest to you the segment of your work to highlight when you address the congregants. We all know it’s impossible to “tell it all”, so it might be better to focus in on a single area of information (or perhaps two at most). Use a story of a single individual your ministry has impacted as a representation of the larger work you do. And always tie it to a Bible truth, for His Word is eternal. Wishing you good success!