Guide to Preaching Overseas
November 2, 2024
I’ve logged over a million miles visiting mission fields in dozens of countries on all six inhabited continents. But no matter how many mission trips I take, I return every time a better man. When encouraging others to visit a mission field, I always tell them it will be a life-changing experience. And I’ve seen this happen time and time again. I encourage everyone to go on a mission trip at least once in their lifetime. The value it adds to you and its blessing to our mission fields are immeasurable. Visit www.worldmissions.aljc.org for upcoming opportunities.
One doesn’t have to be a preacher to go on a mission trip. There are many ways of being a blessing to our missionaries and their mission fields. Just a few examples are:
Often, just your presence as a guest in a mission field is an incredible encouragement to our missionaries. Missionaries experience loneliness and homesickness. When friends from their home country visit them, that is a huge blessing.
If you are a preacher, the missionary may ask you to preach or teach while visiting the field. If you are not given the opportunity, do not be discouraged. Be supportive and pray for those who are preaching during that trip. You will be a blessing in many other ways. And you may be asked to preach on a future trip.
If you are asked to preach, it is a great honor. Such an opportunity will greatly enhance your ministry and allow you to be a blessing to the mission field. However, preaching overseas is very different from preaching in the United States. There are some important points to keep in mind as you prepare to preach and as you deliver your message. These suggestions come from years of experience preaching overseas, including mistakes I’ve made and lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Stick to the task assigned to you. The missionary or field supervisor will likely give you some direction about the service you are preaching. Honor those instructions by fulfilling the assignment given to you. The leadership in that field knows best the audience, setting, culture, and goal of the conference or service. Don’t assume you know more than them. For example, if you are asked to minister to the young people, then do so. If you are asked to cover a particular topic, then honor those instructions. You are there to minister to the needs of the mission field, not to highlight your preaching ability or make your overseas debut!
Unless specifically requested otherwise, stick to preaching themes like faith, hope, encouragement, Holy Ghost, and revival. Preach Jesus – that always works! You are not there to correct problems, rebuke the saints, or preach your personal convictions or controversial subjects. You do not know the culture of that field, its maturity level, or the issues the missionary is dealing with.
Be considerate of the local mission field’s teaching about standards of dress and conduct. You certainly don’t want to be a stumbling block or cause confusion in a local congregation. Your impact will be adversely affected if your attire or conduct is not in harmony with the local teaching. When in doubt about whether something is acceptable, ask the missionary.
Preaching with an interpreter takes about 40% longer. If you normally preach in English for 40 minutes, the same message will take roughly one hour. Adjust your message to be considerably shorter. Trim down 3-4 pages of notes per 10. Always honor the amount of time that is given to you for your session.
Keep your message simple. Not only does preaching with an interpreter take longer, but it is much more difficult for an interpreter to convey complex themes, thoughts, and sermon structures. Keep it simple. Not not because people overseas are unintelligent, but because translation works best with simple messages and themes.
Avoid English cliches, acronyms, slang terms, or a “play on words.” English cliches are rarely understood in other countries. English acronyms or slang terms rarely translate well. Plays on words can add an element of humor in English, but rarely make sense in other languages. I was in Latin America, where a visiting U.S. preacher was teaching a session on the importance of God’s Word. He used the word, BIBLE, as an acronym for various points of his lesson. He said, “B” stands for “bread,” and then preached about the Bible being bread. The preacher went on to teach that “I” is for infallible and preached about the Bible being infallible. That works well in English. The problem was, in Spanish, it didn’t work at all. Bread in Spanish is “pan” – it doesn’t start with the letter “B.” Most, if not all, of his letters in the acronym BIBLE didn’t match with the Spanish words. After he got through a few letters, the interpreter threw up his hands and said, “I quit. This makes no sense. I can’t interpret this!”
Don’t refer to your financial difficulties, suffering, or sacrifices you’ve made or have experienced in the U.S. This could be offensive and undermine your connection to your audience. Even the poorest citizens in the U.S. would be considered wealthy by those in a third-world country. A young American testified overseas about how devastated she was when her car broke down. She shared how she prayed that God would help her get it fixed. What she didn’t realize was that 99.9% of the saints in that mission field didn’t own a car and probably never would. They walk to church and work or, if they’re fortunate, avail themselves of public transportation. Whining about the woes of a broken-down car did not move that congregation. Always remember, in most mission fields, the average person earns the equivalent of somewhere between $15 and $50 U.S. dollars per week!
Bible stories always work best for examples and for getting your message across. We all use personal examples in our preaching, but personal examples are not always relatable to an audience overseas. Be careful when referencing things that are common only in the U.S. I heard someone teach overseas and use the example of a “roller coaster.” The result was blank stares from the audience. In many mission fields, the audience wouldn’t know what a roller coaster is.
Limit references to cities, states, or places in the U.S. Most of your audience will have no idea what you’re talking about. Would you know the names of local cities in the country you are visiting? Neither does your audience glean anything from you referencing Tulsa, Topeka, or Chattanooga. Likewise, referencing American preachers adds little value. Well-known U.S. preachers are likely unknown in that foreign field. Referencing “Pastor so-and-so” from “such-and-such city” is usually meaningless to your audience.
Always think about the examples and references you use in your message. Will the audience understand and relate to your examples? Stories from the Word of God are better than modern-day stories and examples. Any audience in any country will almost always understand and relate to stories that are in the Bible.
Messages that depend on a poetic, rhythmic, or synonym-heavy use of English do not translate well. Avoid these and keep your message simple. I have struggled with this overseas because my preaching style in English utilizes many of these elements. I love to use alliteration, for example. The classic example of alliteration is David Johnson’s message, “The End of the Ghastly Conqueror.” I’ve used phraseology from his message many times when preaching about Jesus conquering death. Among the ghastly conqueror (death), there are “legions of leprosy, columns of cancer, platoons of plagues and pestilence, divisions of disease and disaster, and squadrons of sicknesses of every sort.”
I love that kind of preaching! But it doesn’t translate. It’s poetic and memorable in English but would be utterly confusing and useless in other languages. Avoid it. Keep your message simple. You’re not there to impress people with your preaching ability anyway. You are there to be a blessing to the people in that field.
If possible, give your sermon notes and scriptures to the interpreter ahead of time. This allows the interpreter to get a feel for your message. This will help him or her greatly. I also like to pray with my interpreter sometime before the service or during the service before preaching.
A proper cadence is important when preaching with an interpreter. Saying too little before pausing for your interpreter or saying too much before pausing for your interpreter will both hinder the message. I generally say one or two sentences, then pause at a natural break in the content to allow my interpreter to translate. In the excitement of preaching, it’s easy to move too fast or talk over your interpreter. Slow down, pause appropriately, and allow the translator to do his job. The goal is to communicate your message effectively, through the interpreter, to the congregation. Even if you are in a country that understands English and you don’t use an interpreter, your audience may speak English as their second or third language. In those situations, there is still a need to speak slowly and in simple terms.
Pray and seek God’s direction for your message. Ask yourself these questions:
The best messages preached overseas are ones God gives you specifically for that field. Such messages are timely, applicable, and edifying. They speak to a need in that congregation or mission field. Remember – you’re not there just to preach a sermon – you are there to minister!
Your life will always be changed for the better by visiting a mission field. And there’s nothing quite as exhilarating and rewarding as being given the opportunity to preach overseas! Pray, prepare, and give it your all. I know you’ll be a blessing!
Pastor Ball
ALJC World Missions Director
