Language 1.8.2026

    My goal as we start 2026 is to spend a little time “under the engine” of writing. Most of us need occasional reminders, in various areas of our lives, to keep us focused. For example, those of us who are married likely hear words all the time like “Pay attention!” “Please get the trash.” Or “What are you doing?” 

    This is not just a reality at home or in our personal lives. There are times we simply become comfortable with inattention or an unfocused approach to our work. Ministry requires concentration in all its aspects. I will get to specifics regarding writing and preaching shortly but let me also remind you that words are a currency you spend outside of sermons and lessons. We are always communicating. Most preachers are not shy or withdrawn. We meet people in our communities. People come to us for pastoral care and counseling. We write cards and letters—often addressed to people we don’t even know. People will make judgements about us based on whether the words we use match our high calling. 

    It is reflexive to think “What does it matter?” I am befuddled by those who do not want to do well at all aspects of their chosen profession. A short conversation at the gas station or dollar store may have eternal consequences and your ability to be articulate, friendly, and unthreatening is in fact, a part of the task. No one wants to be accused of being a boor or a bore. Be neither. Speak well. Don’t be a know it all but also don’t be a closeted ignoramus. You don’t engage in conversation in public to create conflict or to draw inordinate attention to yourself. You are there as an ambassador for Jesus. Ambassadors must work in contexts that they might not personally choose, engage with people that they would not personally seek out, and interact in situations that make them feel personally uncomfortable. If you are never in any of those contexts, how are you showing the character of Jesus or telling His story? How are you doing your job?

    If you have read the title of this essay, you might be wondering when I will get “off the soapbox” and say a few things about language. First, I have been taking about language. Secondly, Let me now move on to the context(s) of writing and/or speaking. 

    Every time you speak you are either communicating or not. There is a connection or a disconnection. That is reality. So, all those ambassadorial opportunities outside of pulpit, classroom, or study should are a part of your work and can help you as a speaker and writer. Regardless of context or even content there are at least two criteria for what we write or speak.

Clarity

    Clarity speaks to the quality of our communications. Do people understand us? Are we able to make concepts simpler or more complicated depending on evolving circumstances? Do we offload the work of understanding on our reader/auditor, or do we do the hard work on our side of the conversation? 

    If you struggle with these issues, I have good news and bad news. First the bad news. If you recognize this is an issue, it is worse than you think. Many bad communicators don’t even know. So, kudos to you! You have made the first step toward improvement. 

    Now the good news. You can improve how you communicate by paying attention to your language. Step number 1; Read. A lot. Read lots of different kinds of books, periodicals, and online materials. If you want to be a good writer which is the first prerequisite for being a good speaker you need to find a variety of good models and that means reading. 

    Some might advise to read lots of sermons. I do not agree. Rather, I would recommend you Read history, biography, and contemporary fiction. I would say your local paper…good luck with that. What we must understand is that language is a system—or rather a series of systems depending on the contexts in which we communicate. And each of us moves in and out of different systemic circumstances. Many of our problems with language come from not seeking clarity where we are immediately embedded. How I speak in the pulpit and how I speak at the gas station, senior citizen center, or dollar store are not the same. How does one move seamlessly across the different contexts?

    Well, to begin with you need to listen closely. Pay attention. That’s the first step. In fact, many of our latent communication problems are actually listening problems. Beyond that, always try to be clear. Ask clarifying questions. Own the issue of clarity (Not, “do you understand?”  but rather, “have I made myself clear?”) Too many preachers and teachers place too much of the burden for clarity on those who are listening. It is not the job of the listener or reader to “understand” a sermon or essay. It is the job of the writer or speaker to be clear. We should expect that a congregation or reading audience comes with a basic set of skills. Then, it is our job is to “serve the ball into their court.” To offload the basic work of understanding on our audience is unfair, antagonizing, and boring. This is nothing more than intellectual bullying. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, it has no place in the communication toolbox of a preacher.  The person who inflicts that sort of hubris on reader or auditor is rightly called a boor. Don’t be that person. 

Applicability

    Applicability speaks to the context of our communications. Learn to read the room. Learn how to watch and listen. Develop a good eye and ear and allow those guides to help you choose your language. Not every true thing needs to be said all the time. In fact, true things which are not applicable or timely will be soon forgotten and your words wasted. Learning to choose one’s words carefully is essential to the work of ministry. That often requires knowing what words to omit. Making the right, proper, applicable choice comes down to empathetic listening not just hearing with our ears. 

    Appropriate, accessible, applicable speech requires learning about people. This takes time and it takes an understanding of social space. We often hear that people in the past were more polite, while others think of many lost social mores as backward or reticent. One of the things that we have clearly lost is an appreciation for what speech forms are applicable in given circumstances and how to discern the shape of those circumstances before we are embedded in them. 

    Much of contemporary informality is just impolite. It breaks down barriers before we even know if it is actually appropriate to breach them. Applicable speech uses words that “look people in the eye” with an authenticity born of shared human experience. In a word, relationship. When you meet me for the first time, I will introduce myself as Bob, but I will address you as Mr., Mrs., Miss., Ma’am, or even Rev., if you prefer. Why? Intimacy is to be earned not expected. When we show respect for people and earn their trust we will be invited into that space where virtually anything we say is appropriate. When we rush in uninvited, we risk being shut out, shut, down, or told to shut-up. 

     Clarity and propriety do not make words truer. They are guides for discerning how effective they will be in context. We have grown accustomed to the idea that saying what needs to be said is never out of place. This is not only wrong it can be singularly unhelpful—even hostile in come contexts. Saying the right thing at the wrong time is just as pointless as saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…we just don’t feel as bad about it because we have grown accustomed to an impolite cultural norm. Once again don’t be a boor! Don’t use your words as weapons. Don’t speak in such a way that Jesus would be unable to work through your words to change people’s lives. We should speak and write in the right way, at the right time, with the right attitude. Or as our mentor Paul would put it

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

(Colossians 4:6 ESV)