The growing cultural diversity of American society is mirrored in the pews and parishes of mainline denominations and represents a dynamic challenge to the effective proclamation of the gospel on Sunday mornings. Preaching to Every Pew, based on extensive field research, takes on the challenge of preaching in such a context. The authors map an approach to culture from four significant perspectives: ethnicity, class, displacement, and religious beliefs. They describe the significant ways in which culture influences human beings, detail how cultural influences affect and complicate communication in general and preaching in particular, and then recommend practical strategies for improving communication in culturally diverse settings. --From publisher's description.

In this deeply spiritual and prophetic collection of sermons, meditations, and prayers, Pat Brown takes the reader on a personal journey into and out of some of the most critical challenges facing the church in these turbulent and confusing times. She unveils her story of God's handiwork in shaping her life as a child of the Reformed tradition and as the mother of a special needs son. In a time when the call for justice withers on the vine as the church struggles with itself, this book is required reading for every perplexed servant of Jesus Christ.

A down-to-earth, practical introduction to the ins and outs of preaching for lay preachers, bivocational pastors, and others newly arrived in the pulpit. Recent years have seen a considerable increase in the amount of financial resources required to support a full-time pastor in the local congregation. In addition, large numbers of full-time, seminary trained clergy are retiring, without commensurate numbers of new clergy able to take their place. As a result of these trends, a large number of lay preachers and bivocational pastors have assumed the principal responsibility for filling the pulpit week by week in local churches. Most of these individuals, observes Clifton Guthrie, can draw on a wealth of life experiences, as well as strong intuitive skills in knowing what makes a good sermon, having listened to them much of their lives. What they often don't bring to the pulpit, however, is specific, detailed instruction in the how-tos of preaching. That is precisely what this brief, practical guide to preaching has to offer. Written with the needs of those for whom preaching is not their sole or primary occupation in mind, it begins by emphasizing what every preacher brings to the pulpit: an idea of what makes a sermon particularly moving or memorable to them. From there the book moves into short chapters on choosing an appropriate biblical text or sermon topic, learning how to listen to one's first impressions of what a text means, moving from text or topic to the sermon itself while keeping the listeners needs firmly in mind, making thorough and engaging use of stories in the sermon, and delivering with passion and conviction. The book concludes with helpful suggestions for resources, including Bibles, commentaries, other print resources and websites.

Everyone knows that pulpits are for preaching and pews are for listening to sermons. This obvious scenario, however, masks an essentialprerequisite for faithful, fruitful preaching -- namely, that preachers listen to God and to their people before they speak. Roger Van Harn here puts forth pointed questions that sermon listeners really ask of preachers: Why should we listen to sermons? Doesevery sermon need a Bible text? How can a sermon be the word of God? Do you preach for the church or the world? Van Harn grapples withand discusses such questions, giving preachers fresh insights into the needs and desires of congregations. Preacher, Can You Hear Us Listening? will foster an ongoing dialogue between pulpit and pew and sharpen listening skills in both directions.

Go Preach!: A Primer for Beginning Preachers is a basic handbook for those who are called to preach on occasion but who may not be formally trained as preachers. Those people may be lay speakers, local pastors, or student pastors who are taking on for the first time the responsibilities of delivering the sermon as a part of the service of worship. Others who will find this book useful include those people who for a variety of reasons are called on to preach in their pastor's absence. Go Preach! may also be read by ordained preachers, both those who have recently graduated from seminary and are serving their first appointment and those who have a great deal of preaching experience but who want a refresher to help them continue speaking the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that are engaging and relevant to today's listeners. Go Preach! is written simply and directly, with an emphasis on practical tips and with just enough theory to support the practice. In the back of this book is a list of suggested resources for the beginning preacher's library. Also included is a bibliography that makes specific suggestions about what to read next to explore preaching in more depth. Book jacket.

Intentional Preaching, written by Meirwyn Walters, is the handy guide that every preacher needs. In preparing and delivering their sermons, preachers make dozens of decisions, some intentionally, many perhaps less so. Why not make thoughtful decisions for everything that goes into preaching a good sermon? From first words to hand gestures, choosing a text, masterful use of exegesis, captivating illustrations, titles, approaches to reading Scripture, use of voice, PowerPoint, applications that stick, and scores of other aspects of sermon preparation and delivery, this book explores the panoply of elements in good preaching. Targeted at preachers, the book consists of 117 "squiblets" ranging from a sentence to three or four pages, each on a particular aspect of preaching. Some are quite short, offering practical wisdom, some provide specific advice and tools, and some contain vignettes from the field. In this delightful and sage book, there is something for every preacher to improve his or her preaching. "Although pastors may have talked among themselves about how to construct effective sermons, they have seldom brought the listeners into the conversation. . . . They need a word like this from a layman, a lawyer, and a committed follower of Jesus who really is a friend of preachers." --Haddon Robinson Key points and features: - Explores the panoply of elements in good preaching, from hand gestures, to use of voice, to captivating illustrations, and more - Easily readable (and incredibly humorous) short chapters for busy pastors - A handy guidebook in a small trim size, packed with snippets of sage advice

A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Christian Communicators. This extensive encyclopedia is the most complete and practical work ever published on the art and craft of biblical preaching. Its 11 major sections contain nearly 200 articles, comprehensively covering topics on preaching and methodology, including: Sermon structure and “the big idea.” The art of introductions, transitions, and conclusions. Methods for sermon prep, from outlining to exercising. Approaches to different types of preaching: topical, expository, evangelistic, and more. Best practices for sermon delivery, speaking with authority, and using humor. Leveraging effective illustrations and stories. Understanding audience. and much more. Entries are characterized by intensely practical and vivid writing designed to help preachers deepen their understanding and sharpen their communication skills. The contributors include a virtual Who’s Who of preaching from a cross section of denominations and traditions, such as Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and many others. Haddon Robinson and Craig Brian Larson—two of today’s most respected voices in preaching—provide editorial oversight. Includes audio CD with preaching technique examples from the book.