Pastor Stephanie Williams Obrien is one of the co-founding pastors of Mill City Church. This congregation meets for worship in the auditorium of the Sheridan School in Northeast Minneapolis. They seek to be part of the community, see what God is doing, and join God in it.
She is an adjunct teacher of preaching at Bethel Seminary.
Church planting with Michael Binder

Her new book is Stay Curious.

This is a great interview, you won’t want to miss it. Here are some highlights and links from the conversation:

The Medium is the Message

  • She is a Missional Preacher (joining God’s work in the world) She would have a different challenge if she was in a religious building. The space in which you stand to preach is a big part of the visual in preaching. The fact that she stands in a public school changes the words that she says.
  • How you look matters. It is, unfortunately, more challenging for female preachers, in our culture.
  • Your choice of clothing will impact how people hear you.

Have a Creative Team

  • Not everyone on the team needs to be a preacher
  • Image Storming

(I searched this term and found it in the book Choosing to Preach. Here is the page…) 

What are the things you want this book to address:

  1. Make sure the image (on screen, describing a scene, or prop) support the point and don’t distract from it.
  2. Be very cautious with the use of videos.
  3. Think about your context and how your visual will come across.
  4. Listen to people. They will give you the visuals very often. You’ve got to be with people and listen. She uses Evernote and writes it down. She simply makes the connections.

Live a Life Worth Talking About

The best illustrations come from a preacher who is living among the people and experiencing what God is doing in the neighborhood. 

Join the Visual Preacher Community and get resources for becoming a better visual communicator.

Listen to the Podcast

Get Art and Spirituality in your Inbox

This field is required.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This