Attending a successful speech is an experience that can be remembered and recalled as a new resource of inspiration. Nevertheless, many of the speeches as regular traditions in local churches can fall into the category of obliged duty either to the listeners or to the speakers themselves. This fact can outline an important part of church speeches which sometimes surpasses the importance of the content of the speech. This part consists of many details that cannot be limited to a single word, such as delivery, reaction, and message. As an attempt to observe and critique these components of a church speech, this paper covers a personal experience of attending a local church and analyzing it from a perspective of inspiration rather than content.
The attended speech was held on Wednesday, March 04, 2009, in Calvary Chapel which is located at 2955 Minton Rd Melbourne. The speech was titled “The Lord Is My Shepherd” and was presented by pastor Mark Balmer. The speech was a part of regular teachings connected with explaining excerpts from the bible and relating them to a particular event. The aforementioned speech specifically was addressed to analyzing Psalm 23 and the context of the phrase “The Lord Is My Shepherd”.
The speaker used as an introduction of his speech a real-life example in delivering the main idea of his speech. The main idea after that gradually shifted into explaining the title of the speech. In that matter, the speaker used imagery, figurative language, and symbolism in relating the bible to the simple events that everyone is facing each day. It also can be sensed that the subject of the speech along with its content indirectly was used as guidelines in assessing certain behavior in the light of the recent difficult financial situation that the country and the world are facing. This the element can be especially perceptible with the emphasis on “a sheep need a shepherd” which can be heard in different interpretations throughout the whole speech.
It can be sensed that the delivery methods used by the speaker were directed mainly toward the younger audience as the pastor used the internet, the blogs, the newspaper, the obituary notice, and especially the staff with the sheep dummy. All of these elements combined with the speaker’s natural and delicate sense of humor can be attributed to the delivery strategies that he used. Although the natural characteristic of the speaker can be mainly attributed to his nature, it can be sensed how smoothly he transitioned from funny subjects into serious ones never letting the audience feeling as the teachings are imposed on them.
The success of the speech can be sensed through the personal reaction and the reaction of the audience. In that matter, it can be said that the speech was very successful. The speaker has perfectly mastered his speech already sensing that this passage will let the people laugh and the other one will make them fall deep in thought. The reaction o the public was predictable, but at the same time there was a strong feeling of improvisation in pastor’s words which can indicate his masterfulness. The most important sign of the speech’s success is that the speaker succeeded in making the audience care and at the same time he never let them feel bored.
If describing the climate in the event in general, it can be said that it was filled with warmth and friendship. This fact was even noticeable in a way as it could be noticed how the people were coming to the church with a look showing the weight of the world on their shoulders and leaving with a smile and a feel of spiritual satisfaction. Such observations were so obvious that the flow of the speech accompanied by the thoughts that ran through the audience’s head could be read from the faces. In a personal opinion, the climate and the success of the speech are all the results of the efforts of the speaker who served as a director rather than a pastor in attracting people’s emotions and empathies and sending away all the troubles and worries.
Presenting a speech is a talent of delivery as much as it is a talent of composing. In that sense, the ability to present a religious speech is a great gift that can be used as a dangerous weapon due to the responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the speakers. Analyzing the aforementioned speech it cannot be said that it was flawless, but it was close to that meaning. The ways that the speaker could have improved his speech consist in omitting some of the symbolism features which might have been a little childish. Nevertheless, the usage of such elements as the dummy sheep and the staff were accepted by listeners of all ages. Another point is the speech’s feel of continuity, as each speech should have been independent. The references to previous speeches as the subject that was previously approached give the absent listeners a feeling of loss, especially if the subject is unfamiliar or requires additional explanation.