Brant Hansen “FAQ’s About Speaking of Jesus”
“Speaking of Jesus” will take place Tuesday, September 3 from 1PM-5PM at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal just before the start of CMB Momentum. Brant Hansen, Producer Sherri, John Frost, and Tenth Ave North’s Mike Donehey will be there for an afternoon of lively, interactive seminars and discussion covering HOW we talk about our faith on the air.
The following are “Frequently Asked Questions” about “Speaking of Jesus” answered by Brant Hansen …
FAQ: Are these really, truly “frequently asked questions” or just things you wanted to ask yourself so you can say stuff you already wanted to say?
These are totally things I just wanted to ask myself.
FAQ: Cool. So what’s the “why” behind this event?
A: Most of our stations have a mission statement that’s focused on communicating Christ, but we don’t talk much (at all?) about how to do it. Honestly, I’m pretty sure we spend far more time training and talking fundraising than how to carry out our actual mission.
That’s not to say fundraising is unimportant or unnecessary. It is, though, to say, “But that’s kinda weird if you think about it.”
So we want to talk about how we can get better at our mission. Seems reasonable.
People need us to be good at this.
FAQ: So are you an expert at this?
Nope. Still learning. Always learning.
FAQ: So why are you hosting this?
I kept hoping someone else would, but… it kept not happening. Plus, I do have puppets and other ministry tools I can use to bless the industry in a seminar format.
FAQ: Promise you won’t use puppets.
I will make no promises.
I do think the whole thing will be very fun and fruitful. We know there’s a lot of experience in the room for us all to draw from, and a lot of lessons hard-won. So we’ll have some presentation, but plenty of discussion, too. We’re all students, and there are no experts here.
FAQ: Why do you think now is the time for this?
It’s always time for this. Again, this is our actual mission. Music rotations and Alexa skills and social media algorithms and fundraising and so forth – all very important. But this is the point of the whole thing. It’s the reason most of our stations are on the air in the first place. Someone wanted to use radio to encourage people in Christ, so they started the station.
Our culture has also changed dramatically, even in the last ten years. Heck, five years. Honestly, Christian radio occupies a strange and potentially wonderful position in a post-Christian culture. So how are we going to handle it?
Pretending a cultural earthquake has no ramifications is not only a bad strategy, it’s a huge missed opportunity.
FAQ: We see Mike Donehey and John Frost are joining us. What will they be talking about?
Mike is fantastic at communicating Christ to people in a compelling way – not just to ardent believers, but a spectrum of people. Plus, he listens to Christian radio. We’ll have him talk to us about his observations about how we can do this.
John is brilliant about strategy, and he’s convinced talking about our faith is an absolute win – when it’s done well. So he’ll talk about the art of it. How can we shape this in different ways to fit our personalities, fit our stations? How can we be excellent at this? Because we all know that Jesus-talk can go spectacularly wrong when it’s done poorly.
FAQ: We see the event is free. Who’s paying for it?
CURE and ChristianFM are paying for it. But there’s no big sponsorship presentation or anything. This is a big huddle to talk about talking about Jesus. That’s it.
FAQ: This event is 1-5 p.m. Do we get coffee?
Lots. Plus lots of breaks to hang out and laugh with people. Hopefully, this will be super-fun.
FAQ: There are still spots left?
Yes, but register soon right here at this link. We already have 60+ people coming, and there are limited spots left.
FAQ: Seriously, don’t bring your puppets.
That’s not an “Frequently Asked Question” because its not even a “question.”
FAQ: That’s valid.
Thanks!
Brant Hansen is host of the Brant Hansen Show, heard nationwide on some of America’s best loved Christian radio stations. Speaking of Jesus will be held Tuesday, September 3 from 1PM-5PM at the Royal Pacific Hotel in Orlando Florida. Space is limited. Register for the FREE event HERE.
A timely topic, Brant. I seldom hear hosts sharing their faith or experience on-air. I’m sure there are a number of reasons why they don’t but sharing one’s faith and life-changing experience with listeners is no doubt the single most important thing a host can do to have a spiritual impact on the audience.
My suggestion would be to be REAL, RELEVANT, and TRANSPARENT. People need the LORD and need to be encouraged and edified on a daily basis. No preaching but real life experiences of what God has done for you and others can be powerful and uplifting! People will forget the tunes, the promos, the jock talk, but what they’ll never forget is how they felt the presence of Jesus working through the host to impact their life in a moment of crisis, despair, or decision. People often turn to Christian radio when they are hurting and need a friend to comfort them. God has given us in Christian broadcasting a unique opportunity to be that friend!
Thanks, man.
Definitely looking forward to thinking through how we can do this better. This cause deserves our best.
This is like anything else that’s powerful (electricity, for example.) Used well, it’s amazing. It can light up a city. Used poorly, well, it’s really bad. So we want to pay attention to our craft, and be re-energized about why this is such an awesome mission that we share.
This just makes so much sense. I wish I’d thought of it. I’m just glad somebody did! Hopefully we can come away with some great ideas of how to share our faith experiences authentically, briefly, and in relatable ways.