Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that once heard a pastor preach against a beard fad. Hundreds came forward afterwards and asked, “What must I do to be shaved?”
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But Podbean, Apple podcasts, Amazon Audible, TuneIn, and Castbox should have every episode. (If you find any missing, let me know.)
I’d recommend the podcast as a supplement to these UNFILTERED articles.
They cover different material and also feature conference messages and interviews, along with a number of creative spoof episodes (for those of you who possess a funny bone).
Now for today’s feature.
“Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”
~ Luke 8:18
This past weekend, I met with two fellow Christians who are also in ministry, and I shared an insight that I think is worth passing on.
This applies to everyone reading—whether you’re creating content, doing ministry, or consuming and receiving it.
After speaking in countless conferences and delivering hundreds of messages over the years, I’ve identified four distinct types of people in every audience.
This pattern holds true for all speakers (as well as writers and other content creators), though I’ll use my own experience as the reference point. And I’ll use conferences where spoken ministry is delivered as the prime example.
You can apply these observations to reading books, blogs, listening to podcasts, and consuming any other content.
The Four Types of Hearers
- The Disengaged
These are people who are physically present, but mentally elsewhere. Nothing lands. Nothing registers.
While others sitting right next to them at a conference are having mind-blowing insights listening to the exact same message, these folks only hear background noise.
I’ve explained the reasons why this happens in Some Said It Thundered.
- The Predisposed
These audience members listen enthusiastically but filter everything they hear through their existing frameworks.
They unwittingly reinterpret your words to fit what they already believe, distorting your words without realizing it.
It’s the person who says to you after you’ve spoken, “I loved your message! My pastor preached the exact same thing last week.”
When you listen to their pastor’s sermon from last week, you’re stunned to discover that the message was completely different.
They just happened to use the same Bible verse in their talk and some of the same words (like “Jesus,” “God,” “Bible,” and “disciple”).
Baffling.
- The Engaged
These people genuinely connect with your message. Their hearts are stirred. They receive real insight. Their conscience is pricked. They might even change the direction of their lives.
However, when the conference ends, they begin listening to other voices that contradict what they just heard.
They tune into different channels, so whatever impact your message initially made on them gradually fades. The results don’t stick.
- The Enrolled
These people start out as engaged but take the crucial next step—they continue the journey.
In my case, it’s the person who listens to the podcasts, reads my books, and subscribes to get the weekly articles. They may even join The Deeper Christian Life Network.
Through consistent exposure to the core message, which is comprehensive, they don’t just experience temporary impact.
They undergo genuine transformation due to the cumulative “drip-drip effect” that I’ve talked so much about.
Where my ministry is concerned, these are those who are enrolled on “the deeper journey.” They’ve joined the Insurgence.
The Four Audiences Speak
To recap:
The Disengaged hears a spoken message and says, “What was that? Sorry, I was deep in the rabbit hole of viewing vacation photos and avocado toast art on my Instagram feed.”
The Disoriented says, “Oh yeah, my favorite preacher just talked about this exact thing! So thanks for the reminder.” (Narrator voice: This preacher absolutely did not. It wasn’t even in the same zip code.)
The Engaged exclaims, “This is revolutionary! I’m having a spiritual awakening. I’m reevaluating my entire life!” But thirty days later, they’ve chased the next spiritual dopamine hit from voices that are teaching something completely unrelated, and even contradictory.
The Enrolled says, “Mind. Blown. This changes everything. I need to dive deeper into what I just heard and hear more from this person.” And they do. In time, genuine transformation takes place.
The Takeaway
For those who of you who preach, teach, write, or create:
Understand that your audience contains all four types.
Don’t take it personally when some people don’t “get it.”
If other people in the same room are deeply impacted, one thing can be said about the person who had a different experience:
What you said wasn’t for them.
For those of you who consume content, including ministry – which is ALL of you since you’re reading this article:
The above framework explains why different people react dramatically differently to the same words, words that may have deeply impacted you and even altered your life.
By the way, I’ve never read an article like this anywhere. Nor have I ever heard anyone address it in this way.
And to those incapable of nuance, this is NOT a rehash of the parable of the four soils. That’s a completely different message.
Therefore, if you respond with “Thanks for the reminder, Frankie V.” – which is the ultimate insult to any writer or speaker who has something fresh to say (as well as being the favorite line of the Predisposed) – my monitor might explode and my keyboard might melt into a puddle of toxic plastic!
I hope this article Enrolls the Engaged and the Predisposed.
Until next Thursday,
fv
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