Have you ever found yourself tired of saying the same thing repeatedly to the men you are leading?
You have a massive vision for ministry, and you find yourself talking about it so much that you are dreaming about it. You’ve taught or hosted a men’s study on sexual integrity so many times that you are getting bored with it. Inevitably, an inner battle begins:
“If I’m getting bored with saying the same thing over and over, surely everyone else is getting bored with it, too.”
I remember feeling the same way numerous times as a leader. Then, one day, Andy Stanley said something that made me stop and think deeply:
“When you get tired of saying the same thing, people are just starting to hear it.”
I have to admit, at first, this made me even more frustrated. After all the work a leader puts into communicating things, how is it possible that people are just starting to hear it?
You’re Not Alone
As a leader, you can take comfort in the reality you are not alone in this problem.
Jesus Himself faced this challenge in His leadership. His disciples spent every day with Him for three years and often did not remember what He had said to them.
Jesus told them at least three different times He was going to die and rise from the dead (Matthew 16:21-28; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). Their reaction varied from rebuking Him to being confused by what He meant (as if “I’m going to die” is hard to understand). Then, when He was crucified, they completely forgot how He promised He would also rise from the dead.
On another occasion (John 14:8-9), Jesus was teaching about God, and Philip asked Him about seeing God. Jesus’ answer starts with, “Have I been with you all this time, and you do not know me, Philip?”
Even Jesus had the problem of people not hearing His repetitive message.
Should we give up if we are tired of repeating the same message and people are not hearing it?
What Marketing and Brain Science Can Teach Us
After one hour, people retain less than half of the information provided. For pastors and event organizers, that is a depressing statistic. Marketing experts will tell you that it takes someone having had 5 views of an ad before they read it, up to 10 views for it to become memorable, and up to 20 views for it to become a conversion.
In other words, we are wired for repetition to be a crucial part of how we hear, learn, and act.
In the world of discipleship, we don’t just want people to hear a message; we want them to act on it. This is part of the process of sanctification in a person’s life. According to various sources, a healthy habit can take anywhere from 21 to 66 days to build.
Either way, repetition is critical for something to stick.
Don’t Give Up
Fortunately, repetition has also been built into the fabric of the Christian faith. We are taught to take communion together regularly so that we keep proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). When you read the Bible, you see a variety of messages repeated over and over again (count how many times sexuality is taught, or the ultimate command to love God).
We all fall into the temptation to think everyone needs to hear what I am trying to say right now. But what if the more important thing is for people to hear what God wants them to hear? Yes, what you are trying to communicate is hopefully God’s heart for men, but sometimes, your words are simply seeds being planted while someone else will water them.
When you feel tired of repeating the same messages again and again, don’t give up. You never know when or how God will use that message to change someone’s life.
You are doing good work, and the Bible promises in Galatians 6:9 that you will reap a harvest in just the right season.
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