Preaching That Matters

Listeners do love their pastors and they agree with the sermon content they hear,' Lori Carrell once explained to a group of pastors, 'but most sermons don't ask for change, and most listeners don't experience spiritual growth as a result of the sermon.' A participant responded: 'Let's get practical. I want my preaching to make a difference. What changes are worth making, and how do I make them?' In Preaching that Matters, Lori Carrell shares answers to that question, drawing on the experiences of thousands of people—preachers and their listeners—whose effort she has studied over many years. In each chapter of this book, she offers research revelations about high impact preaching that will encourage and challenge readers to continue to grow as preachers. She then links these principles with Reflective Practice Challenges (RPCs), exercises that honor the rich experiences of pastors while opening opportunities for self-analysis, spiritual introspection, conversation with a trusted other, or implementation of research-based preaching recommendations. The activities have been used by hundreds of other pastors, and each RPC has been carefully selected for its demonstrated contribution to the process of transforming sermon communication. A selection of the RPCs are available as a downloadable file. E-mail [email protected] for more information. As a communication expert, Carrell approaches preaching from a 'sermon communication' paradigm. She begins with the task of identifying the spiritually transformative purpose of the sermon and then explores exegeting, organizing, deepening, and delivering the sermon, as well as listening to the listeners and planning for continued transformation. Her own goal is simple: to inspire and equip clergy to make changes that will enhance the transformative power of their preaching. To connect with others reading Preaching That Matters and to find an onlne accountability partner, join the book's Google+ communities.

Preaching is the art of building a bridge in the hearer's mind from the ancient world of the biblical text to the realities of our daily lives. Throughout this book, Stephen Farris offers splendid insights into ways that the Bible can connect with modern life and gives specific guidance to preachers on how to make these connections happen. This is a highly practical book for ministers and for classroom use.

Preaching matters. It is a God-ordained means of encountering Christ. When the Bible is faithfully and relevantly explained, it transforms hearts, understandings, and attitudes, and draws us into a living relationship with God through Christ. This is a book to ignite our passion for preaching, whether we preach every week or have no idea how to put a sermon together.

The headlines are where daily life meets the public square--be it through social-media feeds, news outlets, or daily chatter. Preachers often feel stuck when met with quickly shifting and dense media topics. If and when preachers determine it is appropriate to address issues that arise in the news cycle, they are often at a loss for how to speak about these issues from the pulpit. When preachers understand that a responsibility to sustain life is embedded in the purposes of preaching, they discover greater fluidity between the everyday world, the biblical text, and preaching itself. Preaching the Headlines engages the intersections of social and religious discourse for the purpose of helping communities attend to everyday issues as matters of faith and faith as a practical, everyday aspect of life.This book reframes preaching as an ongoing conversation between the modern world and the world of the text, exploring where the divides between the two may be less rigid than we acknowledge. In preaching, the preacher uses what they know about life as a bridge to the text, while life in the text provides the bridge back to faith in the contemporary world.

This preaching text is a critical response to the contemporary critique that preaching is on life support. The reader will find within this text a ripening rationale of why preaching’s best days are ahead instead of behind us. Lastly, this text is used as a reminder for preachers of the vision, value, and vitality of the call to ministry.

Pastor and preaching coach, Dr. Yancey Arrington offers a new paradigm for message preparation - one that focuses on seeing sermons emotionally, where preachers will be trained on discovering a message's emotional center, charting sermon bandwidth, and leveraging one's God-given personality in the preaching event. This innovative approach to preaching can produce more effective seasons in the pulpit where congregants are carried `down the mountain' of messages in such a way they can't wait to do it again!

The book of Ecclesiastes is, above all else, unflinchingly honest. Whether wrestling with the tedium of work, the injustices of life, the ravages of age, or the inevitability of death, this enigmatic Old Testament book takes a hard look at the way the world really is. And yet, as Phil Ryken points out in this instructive commentary, Ecclesiastes wisely teaches people to trust God in the midst of such struggles. Written with pastors and Bible teachers in mind, this commentary will equip readers to better understand, explain, and apply the message of Ecclesiastes, highlighting the book’s enduring relevance as a testament to the ultimate duty of all people: fearing God and keeping his commandments. The Psalms is one of the most widely loved books of the Bible. A source of instruction for our prayers, inspiration for our songs, and consolation for our tears, these biblical poems resound with the whole spectrum of human emotion and teach us to hope in God each and every day. In the first volume of a three-part commentary on the Psalms, pastor James Johnston walks readers through chapters 1–44, offering exegetical and pastoral insights along the way. In an age that prizes authenticity, this resource will help anyone interested in studying, teaching, or preaching the Bible to truly engage with God in a life-changing and heart-shaping way. Part of the Preaching the Word series.

Preaching matters. It is a God-ordained means of encountering Christ. This is happening all around the world. The author knows this only too well. He recalls: the student who, on hearing a sermon about new life in Christ, found faith which changed his life and future forever the couple facing the trauma of the wife's terminal illness who discovered that Christ was all they needed, following a sermon on Habakkuk When the Bible is faithfully and relevantly explained, it transforms hearts, understandings and attitudes, and, most of all, draws us into a living relationship with God through Christ. This is a book to ignite our passion for preaching, whether we preach every week or have no idea how to put a sermon together. It will encourage every listener to participate in the dynamic event of God's Word speaking to his people through his Holy Spirit. God's Word is dynamite; little wonder that its effects are often dynamic.