Nobody Understands Religious Babble

The 7 Secrets of Church Communication that Works

Nobody Understands Religious Babble

by William Cowles

“The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.” Proverbs 16:23

Can the people in your pews accurately and clearly define the following bolded terms to someone who’s never or seldom been to church?

“Proclaim the Gospel every day.” “Celebrate the Eucharist.” “Meet us in the Narthex.” “Christ’s resurrection redeemed your sins.” “Advent/Lent/Epiphany/Pentecost is coming!” “Place your offering on the altar in the chancel.” “Accept the grace of the Holy Trinity.” “Righteousness is the mantle of true disciples.” “Join us in reading from the Psalter.” “Lift your concerns in intercessory prayer.”

Maybe you think you’ve got a room full of lifelong, experienced, faithful, sit-in-the-same pew-every-Sunday-except-on-game-day Christians out there. But we all know the latest and greatest studies tell us otherwise. 

Still, it doesn’t really matter how many years someone’s attended church because the majority of Christians haven’t had a religious education beyond a confirmation class. Even the most practiced among us can get confused by scriptural, liturgical, and theological terminology. (See what I mean?) 

People who are still trying to figure out what church is all about will shut down in a heartbeat when you pummel them with terms such as Eucharist, justification, and narthex. Not because they reject the terms or the beliefs, but because they don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s all babble to them – lots of noise; no meaning.

Church terms and religious-speak limit understanding. That limits faith growth, and that does not equip people for effective discipleship.

I’ve heard in sermons and read in newsletters terms and language that would make even seminary students throw up their hands in supplication. (There’s another one!) When a church doesn’t communicate clearly, the searcher simply walks away confused. 

In a previous blog, Coming to Terms with Church Terms, I offered a list of the Top 12 Most-Needing-To-Be-Replaced Church Terms, and urged church communicators to adopt a more user-friendly style. Many have and are enjoying the renewed interest of unchurched people who find common ground with church leaders because of their mutual use and understanding of common language.

Communication experts in all fields agree that simple, clear, correct communication always gets the best results. It’s time to communicate that way in church.