Pastors

If You Want The Chickens To Follow You …

As a speaker, I have always accepted responsibility for people listening to me. I’ve never been able to rationalize that I’m too deep for them and they simply have to listen harder.

I came by this conviction many years ago while driving through the farm country of Indiana to make a speech. I was just starting out as a speaker, and my talks were getting heavier and heavier. Although I was greatly pleased with what I heard, I found I was talking to fewer and fewer people.

Then suddenly, there in the field that spring day in Indiana, I saw the model for my public speaking that would last all my life. A man was plowing with a single mule, and there must have been fifty chickens following him. As I watched, this thought began to grow in my mind: The chickens will always follow the fellow who’s plowing up the worms. I realized then I had to feed people not only what I thought would feed them, but what they are really hungry for.

Over the years I’ve found it’s always the same: If you want the chickens to follow you, you have to turn up the worms. When you do, they will be there-I promise you!

Fred Smith

Copyright © 1981 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Also in this issue

The Leadership Journal archives contain over 35 years of issues. These archives contain a trove of pastoral wisdom, leadership skills, and encouragement for your calling.

Our Latest

Expert: Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Orthodox Church Is Compatible with Religious Freedom

Despite GOP concerns over government interference, local evangelicals agree that the historic church must fully separate from its Moscow parent.

News

Ohio Haitians Feel Panic, Local Christians Try to Repair Divides

As Donald Trump’s unfounded claims circulate, Springfield pastors and immigrant leaders deal with the real-world consequences.

Review

A Pastor’s Wife Was Murdered. God Had Prepared Him for It.

In the aftermath of a senseless killing, Davey Blackburn encountered “signs and wonders” hinting at its place in a divine plan.

The Church Can Help End the Phone-Based Childhood

Christians fought for laws to protect children during the Industrial Revolution. We can do it again in the smartphone age.

Taste and See If the Show is Good

Christians like to talk up pop culture’s resonance with our faith. But what matters more is our own conformity to Christ.

The Bulletin

Don’t Blame Me

The Bulletin considers the end of Chinese international adoptions, recaps the week’s presidential debate, and talks about friendship across political divides with Taylor Swift as a case study.

Public Theology Project

The Uneasy Conscience of Christian Nationalism

Instead of worldly control of society, Christ calls for renewed hearts.

News

What It Takes to Plant Churches in Europe

Where some see ambition as key to evangelism, others experiment with subtler ways of connecting to people who don’t think they need God.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube