May 20, 2013
Communicating Inside and Outside
Speaking with compassion means thinking not only about what you mean to say, but about how others might hear you.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own talking points and jargon (and even quoting scripture), especially for those of us who work and volunteer in the church. These can be useful, of course, for talking with our friends inside our church community. But Pentecost reminds us that we are called to get out of the upper room and speak to those outside our doors. We must be careful to move beyond the language of our community and speak to those who may never have read the Bible, who might not know, much less care, whether we are a missional church or what our atonement theology is.
Of course, these theological differences are important, but it’s equally important to be conscious of who we are trying to reach when we speak. There’s a difference between making your point and making sure your point is understood. You may say all the right words to mean exactly what people in the church know them to mean; but if you are using jargon or quoting scripture to someone not familiar with the Bible, your tone may come off as combative or condescending and your message may not be heard.
This is especially important to remember as we use social media more often. Are we speaking to insiders or outsiders? Do you refer to events without giving the details, or post pictures of people without any context? Would someone who isn’t part of your community be able to join in the conversation?
Our focus is to preach the good news and welcome others into community with us, not just speaking to each other in the church. If our conversations, whether online or in person, are filled with insider talk and impenetrable to those outside, it will be easy for them to dismiss us and turn away. We should speak so we can be understood, in the language of those we are speaking to, who might be broken or confused or simply outside our community.