Do you always write your sermons by yourself in your office? Most likely you appreciate the lack of distractions and easy access to your bookshelf of commentaries – but what if you wrote your next message from your favourite café?

Here are eight reasons why you should considering preparing your next message from your favourite local coffee shop:

1. Caffeine

If coffee is one of your love languages, then chances are the coffee is better at the café than your church offices. And anyway you tell yourself according to ‘scientific reports’ it will help you focus.

2. Disconnect

Avoid the temptation to check your inbox every five minutes, answer that phone call, respond to the knock at the door or even turn the TV on.

3. New environment

Struggling with “preacher’s block”? Encourage fresh ideas to flow by getting out and about in a new environment of sounds, smells, temperature, light and views.

4. See your audience

After reading commentary after commentary you can easily get stuck in academic and religious language, but just by looking around the café you’ll be reminded of the real faces of your community. Let’s not write sermons just to impress our peer group of pastors.

5. Know your audience

Overhearing real conversations will help you know what your community cares about and struggles with. This will ensure you apply the message to where they are at, rather than where you and your staff are at.

6. Births compassion

When you see people in their everyday life and hear what they are going through – it creates a natural opportunity for compassion to be birthed, leading you to develop a message that connects emotionally and not just intellectually.

7. Invite someone to hear your message

Here’s something you may not have done in a while – but what if you struck up a conversation with someone in the café and invited them to church? That’s unlikely to happen holed up in your office.

8. Caffeine

Did we mention coffee?

This thought was inspired from a webinar entitled ‘Preaching for Change hosted by Christine Caine during Online Open Week in February 2017. Online Open Week is your opportunity to receive impartation and leadership training direct from the Hillsong team through live webinars.

If you would like to watch the full recording or find out more about future events from the Hillsong Leadership Network, click below.