What Does Your Podium Preach?

Like it or not, before you ever say a word your audience will make a judgment about you based on appearance alone.

Right or wrong, it is simply human nature.

People who have been in your church for a long time may get used to the way things are and begin to overlook appearance. But they still notice.

And first-time visitors will not miss a thing. They are analyzing everything.

People will judge you on the way you dress, your age, your gender, your weight and even what kind of podium you have on stage.

Most pastors think about what they communicate to the ear, but they don’t always think about how they communicate to the eye.

For example, people wearing glasses are often judged to be smarter, and men with bald heads are often judged to be tougher.

In this sense, your appearance preaches before you do.

Warning: You can take this too far. There is nothing wrong with being intentional in the way you present yourself, your church, and the gospel of Jesus, but you have to keep your motives in check.

I won’t go too deep into clothing because many of us have already thought about this. But here are a few things to think about.

Possible Judgments Based On Your Clothing:

Formal

• Educated
• Serious
• Confident
• Successful
• Stiff
• Stuffy

Casual

• Relaxed
• Artistic
• Down to earth
• Authentic
• Not successful
• Sloppy

Note: This is far more complicated for women than men. Women will be judged on their appearance more strictly—and often unfairly—than men.

Most people think about the clothing they wear on stage. You probably look yourself over a few times in the mirror before leaving the house.

But few give the same level of thought to what their podium says.

Possible Judgments Based On Your Podium:

Traditional Podium

• Formal
• Traditional
• Presidential
• Steady

Modern Podium

• Formal (but less than a traditional podium)
• Modern
• Authoritative

Table

• Casual
• Modern
• Conversational
• Relaxed

Nothing

• Energetic
• Engaging
• Confident
• Casual

Which should you choose?

I don’t think there is just one correct choice. You have to pick the one that is best for you and your audience.

If you are a youth pastor, you probably want to avoid preaching from a traditional podium in a suit. You won’t relate well to the average teenager.

If you are a senior pastor in a traditional church, throwing out the podium and wearing jeans on a Sunday could cost you your job!

Where are you speaking?

Who are you speaking to?

What do you want to communicate?

How do you want people to feel?

Think through these questions and be intentional about everything you communicate from the stage both to your audiences ears and their eyes.