The Visual Preacher

Steve Thomason's plan was that after graduating from college, God would allow him to become a Disney animator so that one day he could open his own animation studio. It turned out God had other plans, and Thomason became a parish pastor--a pastor with a passion for both art and preaching. In The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word, Thomason's winsomely illustrated text shows preachers visual techniques to study the Bible, construct a sermon, use the physical space where they preach, create two-dimensional images, and develop and use videos. Thomason shares his dual passions based on his conviction that the effectiveness of visual communication lies at the heart of thegospel itself--that it is the reason God took on human flesh in Jesus. Believing that pictures speak differently than words, he offers readers practical ways to combine visual communication with the Word of Scripture and the words of their sermon so that when they are done preaching, their listeners will say, "We have seen Jesus." He assures readers they don't have to be skilled artists or technological wizards to effectively use visuals in preaching. Rather, he presents basic principles he has learned as a working preacher and encourages readers to use the ones that make sense to them and to throw out the rest. Preachers are story-tellers, says Thomason. This book will help preachers create and use images that make them even better storytellers than they already are.

In this one-volume resource kit, Jensen helps preachers use visual images creatively and responsibly. How, how much, when, what equipment, use of teams, relationship to exegesis, different varieties of images, sources--all the essential topics and concerns are addressed here. Jensen first discusses how vital, if controversial, image-making has always been in Christian tradition and then demonstrates how preaching with images is both profoundly traditional and necessary to contemporary proclamation. His work combines practical advice with religious reflection to enable preachers to help their congregations envision the Word anew. The accompanying CD-ROM contains not only the full text of the book and helpful study guide, but links to the most helpful Websites and Web-based sources of images.

Preacher, Sermon and Audience in the Middle Ages presents research by specialists of preaching history and literature. This volume fills some of the lacunae which exists in medieval sermon studies. The topics include: an analysis of how oral and written cultures meet in sermon literature, the function of vernacular sermons, an examination of the usefulness of non-sermon sources such as art in the study of preaching history, sermon genres, the significance of heretical preaching, audience composition and its influence on sermon content, and the use of rhetoric in sermon construction. The study looks at preaching history and literature from a wide geographical and chronological area which includes examples from Anglo-Saxon England to late medieval Italy. While doing so, it outlines the state of sermon studies research and points to new areas of investigation.

This book equips and encourages preachers of all kinds to respect their calling and minister God's inerrant Word.

A collection of articles about preaching in Latino assemblies.

This thorough revision of this classic text is even clearer and more helpful than the first edition. Long has updated the language, expanded the key chapter on biblical exegesis, and has included more examples of sermon forms, illustrations, and conclusions.

Preaching to Those Walking Away will help pastors adapt to a world of YouTube, TED Talks, and video marketing in which traditional preaching styles no longer feel authoritative, engaging, or compelling. N. Graham Standish has long been passionate about reaching out to those who call themselves "spiritual but not religious." Determined to help the church connect with them, he shares methods he has tested, refined, and proven effective--approaches to preaching typically not taught in seminaries. Rather than grounding preaching in traditional homiletical theories and practices, Standish integrates insights from postmodernism, generational theory, multiple-intelligences theory, marketing, communications theory, brain/neurological research, counseling, spiritual formation, TED Talk presentations, motivational theory, and the history of communication styles. Standish developed his ideas about preaching during more than two decades as senior pastor of a healthy, growing congregation that consistently attracted people who had walked away from Christianity and church. More than half a century ago, Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." But mainline Christianity has been slow to adapt its message to new mediums. The population at large will not adapt to traditional Christian ways of preaching, however, so Standish helps pastors understand the thinking of those walking away and shows preachers how to adapt their thinking about their craft, instead of demanding that those walking away adapt to ours.

The Preacher's Edge puts to work the basic principles of oratory and persuasive speaking with creative pulpit techniques. It is written to be used by preachers for a revival and renewal of their preaching. From this book one can learn how to reach and hold the attention of this "channel surfing" generation of congregational members. This book is a celebration and affirmation of the role of preaching as the church moves into the 21st century. Reading it will modify the way in which the preacher delivers his message. And it will improve the attention span of those who hear the Good News in new and exciting ways. In tune with the communication patterns of the "baby boomer and buster generations," Dr. Schmalenberger advocates preaching in an imagistic, earthy, and rhetorically musical style, and urges us to meet head-on the demand that the church respond to the difficult questions of our society. Both chapters and sample sermons present examples of the techniques he describes, and the book concludes with a clear, step-by-step program for improving one's preaching that could profitably be followed by preachers at any stage in their ministry. The Rev. Linda L. Clader, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Homiletics The Church Divinity School of the Pacific Berkeley, California Years in demanding pulpits and classrooms have given Jerry Schmalenberger an "edge" that he shares with candor and power. If you are looking for suggestions and possibilities, even a ten-week strategy for improving your preaching, this book is for you. Richard L. Thulin, Th.D. Dean and Professor of the Art of Preaching Lutheran Theological Seminary Gettysburg, Pennsylvania This volume is a plea and a plan for preaching "close to the ground," using the very best speech techniques that have been discovered over the years. Schmalenberger strongly believes that paying attention to listeners' reactions is a keystone to effective preaching. Building on the extended narrative metaphor, he shows how local history can be a source of gospel parable and how it will more effectively lead to reaching the Baby Boomer and Baby Buster generations. Jerry Schmalenberger is president and professor of parish ministry at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. He teaches introductory and advanced preaching courses in addition to practical theology. Professor Schmalenberger has been senior pastor in some of the largest Lutheran congregations in the United States and has appeared regularly on television and radio programs. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and Hamma School of Theology in Springfield, Ohio. He has received Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Divinity degrees from Wittenberg and Hamma. Schmalenberger has taught speech and communication at Wittenberg University and Urbana College in Ohio and was a parish pastor for 29 years.