A Sticky Gospel

I recently finished listening to a fantastic book on CD entitled “Made to Stick.” The premise sought to examine why some ideas are more “sticky” – i.e., more memorable or magnetic – than others. For example, would you be more likely to remember to apply sunscreen by hearing an individual's vivid story on how they developed skin cancer from overexposure, or by hearing a lecture in a university biology class on the biological and health consequences of overexposure? You would likely be more apt to remember the story, which is not to say that the lecture doesn't have its place. Rather, the story simply has more “stickiness” to it than the lecture. Stories often contain emotional and sometimes visual stimuli which we are more likely to connect with than simple facts or info. This means that a great deal of “stickiness” has to do with how ideas and messages are structured.

As a preacher, many of the book's suggestions have caused to me to reflect on how effectively I have been constructing and delivering my messages. Additionally, small group or one-on-one communication is where a large majority of evangelism takes place, and where we all need to be as sticky as possible.

So, take a moment (in fact, even 20-30 minutes) and ask yourself, “What are the 'sticky' points of the gospel for me? Why do I care? Why should others care?” Write down your answers. Then, condense these to their most simple and concrete forms. You may get answers like, “Life and death,” or “Honest-to-goodness unconditional love,” or “The battle against good and evil.” These are concise ideas that connect with people, and often have the stimuli – especially when coupled with your conversion story – that stickiness requires. A sticky gospel story, so others can stick to Jesus.