A Synopsis: How to Exhort

How to Exhort is a series of insights I have learned on how to exhort over the years, a starting point where you can fit your own interests, abilities and presentation style into.

Not everyone wants to, or should be, an exhorting brother, but circumstances can thrust a brother into that role. When I gave my first exhortation, some sixty-five years ago, I had only the vaguest idea how to do it. Over the years, thanks to a useful education and absorbing many critical comments, I have improved.

Some suggestions were kind and helpful, and others were sometimes rude. Either way, I took in the valuable feedback from listeners to improve my presentations and have become comfortable (most times) with giving an exhortation. What follows is a brief outline of a series of insights I have learned on how to exhort over the years.

This article is a compendium on exhorting, only a starting point for the reader to dig much deeper into the subject to fit their own interests, abilities and presentation style. It is not a definitive model that all should follow—I have learned, by observing many speakers in my lifetime, that one size doesn’t fit all. Many approaches can end up satisfying an audience, making them feel they have received the benefits of a good exhortation. Thus, please keep this in mind as you read this article; it intends to be a starting point that leads to continued learning on the subject.

This article will focus on the following points for discussion:

• What does the word “exhortation” mean, and what is its purpose?
• How to pick a topic.
• How to research the topic.
• How to deliver the message—style and substance.
• How to conclude the exhortation.

Exhortation vs Sermon.¹ I assume almost all my readers know how to “Google” the definitions in the title of this section (see endnotes one and two). Christadelphians have always used the term “exhortation” because “sermon” can apply to almost any church talk, even including the need to raise money to repair the furnace!² By contrast, the term “exhortation” is what best describes what occurred in Acts 13:15 when Paul and Barnabas visited the synagogue in Pisidia: “After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’” (ESV).

The bold-faced words in endnotes one and two succinctly epitomize the difference between an exhortation and a sermon. The keyword in the passage cited above from Acts is “encouragement.” All attending our Sunday meetings face a week of challenges, both past and future. Some will be concerned about their finances, or their job security, some about their health, others about how they are doing in school and tragically, there may be some bereaved who need comforting. These are just a few possible issues troubling our brothers and sisters.

By understanding the meaning and purpose of giving an exhortation, we can appreciate why our pioneer brethren preferred that word rather than sermon. What follows will have obvious overlaps with advice for a good Bible class. Still, it is essential to realize that, while a good exhortation might make a good Bible class, the opposite is not necessarily true. Now let’s move forward and consider some ideas on how to develop a good exhortation.

How to pick a topic. Since a good exhortation could start by focusing on a topic derived from Scripture, I have frequently tapped an idea from the Daily Readings on the Sunday in question or from what we had read that week. With this approach, I am assured most, if not all, of my audience is familiar with the reading and its antecedents. But that doesn’t always work for me. Sometimes, one just cannot develop good ideas for that juncture in the readings.

A second habit is to make a note from time to time of a particular passage that comes up when doing our readings. It could be recently or even years before—in other words, I keep a journal of passages that seem particularly interesting to me that would make a good subject to focus on for an exhortation. I try to keep these ideas in reserve and always use ones that predate (and not by much time) the readings scheduled for the Sunday when I am to exhort. This way, the idea will resonate with most of the congregation that has been doing the daily readings.

I try to avoid ideas that come from readings after my scheduled date. Another way to focus on a theme is to use something in the news with spiritual significance. Again, the more current the idea that becomes the focus of the talk, the better chance that your audience will be familiar with the topic. Finally, someone in my family, or ecclesia (or elsewhere if I am a visiting speaker), might suggest something they would like to hear as an exhortation. I especially welcome and often encourage this input since it guarantees at least someone wants to listen to a talk on that topic.

Researching the Topic. Many years ago, in a speech class I had in college, the instructor wanted to emphasize the importance of doing comprehensive research for a presentation. He did this by paraphrasing the Apostle Peter. He said, “Thorough research for a presentation covers a multitude of sins that one may make in delivery.”³ Today, the Internet gives us abundant information that can flesh out almost any topic we choose. Concerning exhortations, the ultimate resource is the Scriptures. Hence, I always start by checking every reference associated with my chosen verse.

One must be careful to avoid any bias that steers one to sectarian interpretations of a given verse. I don’t think it is appropriate to endorse a particular product, but the two I particularly like are free and available for most computers.⁴ I also like the cross-references in my Oxford print Bible and rely on it as a good starting point.

Digital technology has made print Bibles somewhat of an anachronism; I am fully aware that all the younger members of my congregation use Bibles and study resources on their computers and cell phones! These technological tools make for good research, but one must carefully separate secular and clerical wisdom from Internet search results and Bible study programs.

One of the best ways to use the Internet is to search Christadelphian sources to learn how to give a good exhortation and find material relevant to a talk one plans to present. One obvious source is naturally to search the tidings.org website, and another is the Christadelphian Magazine website at thechristadelphian.com. The latter publishes a monthly feature, “Sunday Morning,” a current exhortation. When I first started exhorting in the late 1950s, I went through my grandfather’s stack of old Christadelphian magazines and studied the exhortation section intently. It helped me enormously to appreciate what comprises a good exhortation.

How to deliver the message—style and substance. We meet on Sunday morning to remember the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a “memorial” service, and thus, the object of the memorial is Jesus. An exhortation that fails to prepare us to memorialize Jesus when we partake of the emblems has missed the point. I have often heard exhorters give talks that would better serve as Bible classes or even public lectures, which somehow missed the point of a memorial.

An exposition on the design of Ezekiel’s temple might make an excellent Bible class. Still, without spiritual encouragement and the linkage to our Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, it is not appropriate for an exhortation. Having done proper research, the question becomes how to use it in an exhortation so that one engages the audience, and they benefit from the message. I will outline several possible ways of delivering the message.

First, many excellent speakers write outlines of their talks, noting key points and references. I personally use this approach because it allows me to deliver the message with good eye contact with the congregation and note their reactions. Thus, if I sense a point needs more elaboration, I get instant feedback to add more to what I just said. Now that works for me because I spent my life as a teacher, and it was how I always approached lectures in the classroom. It can work for most with practice (I certainly was dreadful early in my career!).

A second approach is to write the whole exhortation in detail, just like an essay. Then there are two ways to proceed: one can memorize the entire text and give it in a way that seems entirely extemporaneous. I have known some very fine speakers in our community who have followed this method.

A third approach is to simply read the exhortation to the meeting. This approach can be effective by pausing to look up and engage the audience, before continuing to another section. Again, I have seen this done with good results.

What doesn’t work is when a speaker hasn’t done their homework. Practicing and having others listen to your presentation before giving it is always a good idea. My wife and sometimes others have been my practice partners over the years, and I am immensely thankful for their critiques.

How to conclude an exhortation. I am not a big fan of someone saying words like “in conclusion” to end a talk. The fact one is concluding should be obvious if the speaker points to the key takeaways he wants his listeners to remember. For a Memorial Service, that should be the connection between what the speaker has talked about and the significance of the life and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, embodied in the emblems the congregation is about to share.

Epilogue. The great concert pianist Arthur Rubinstein was told by an admirer how impressed he was by how effortlessly he performed. The pianist replied it was 12 to 16 hours of practice, seven days a week, that was the secret of his performing without apparent effort. If you remember nothing else, after you have read this article, there are two key thoughts I hope you will not neglect: 1) always spend the time to do your research thoroughly and 2) practice—practice—practice. If you do these two things, you will appear to give exhortations effortlessly!

John Bilello,
Ann Arbor Ecclesia, MI