How can preachers ensure that their sermons continue to engage listeners in a world defined by visual media and the short, segmented delivery of information? Alyce McKenzie harnesses the element of drama and the human fascination with scenes to offer ministers a modern means of sermon development and delivery. McKenzie's core strategy is to invite listeners into scenes—whether from Scripture or contemporary life—and, once they are there, to point them toward the larger story of God's relationship with humankind. Creating such scenes unifies the whole process of preaching, she says, from the preacher's daily life observations to interpretation of scenes from Scripture, to sermon shaping, sequencing, and delivery. The process culminates in a specific understanding of the purpose of the sermon: to send listeners out into the scenes they'll play in their lives for the next week, equipped to act out their parts in ways that are kinder, more just, and more courageous than last week.

Effective Preaching: Bringing People into an Encounter with God is a practical collection of essays, featuring leading preachers, homilists and homily instructors. Compiled by Michael E. Connors, CSC, the Director of the John Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame, this imaginative book focuses entirely on the practical side of Catholic preaching. It will provide imaginative, hands-on, tested advice to help homilists develop preaching effectiveness, using techniques that will turn satisfactory preaching into exceptional preaching. This practical resource will be essential for priests, permanent deacons, seminarians in homiletics classes; retreat leaders, RCIA catechists; all who preach.

"How do we preach in a way that affirms Christian theology while also honoring the insights of other faith traditions?" "How do we preach about and help create genuine Christian community in a social networking culture?" Questions Preachers Ask examines many questions that are on the minds of preachers today, questions that focus on how to preach the gospel in a culture where biblical knowledge cannot be presumed and where the Bible is often viewed as untrustworthy. Well-known preachers, scholars, and authors, including Barbara Brown Taylor, Gail O'Day, Anna Carter Florence, Richard Lischer, and Thomas Lynch, provide the answers. This book, compiled to honor writer, preacher, teacher, and scholar Thomas G. Long at the end of his teaching career, addresses practical questions such as "How do we proclaim the good news to young adults who are on the margins of church or have left it?" and "How do we preach to faith communities that are highly diverse?" Perfect for preachers at any stage of their ministry, these essays offer hope and guidance for handling the difficult task of preaching in today's congregations.

In Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart, Donna Giver-Johnston teaches preachers how to communicate effectively--how to get away from their notes and make a more personal connection with their listeners. Grounded in a theology of the incarnation, she offers a step-by-step method for writing sermons with the fewest, most impactful and memorable words and delivered by heart to communicate a message that captures the ears and hearts of listeners.

For many years the resolution plot has dominated homiletical theory, made most famous by the ‘Lowry Loop’ – a staple of preaching theory for today’s ministry student. Whilst the approach is important, some have accused ‘resolution plot’ of leaving little room for ambiguity, and failing to reflect the messy reality of life. Offering a ground-breaking approach as a counter to well-worn preaching strategies, this book explores the ‘revelatory plot’, focused more on the gradual revelation of relevant truths within the biblical text through character and embodied insight, and through imaginative and sensory detail rather than through answering the questions ‘how and ‘why’. It will prove an invaluable resource for students, homileticians and preachers alike.