DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to offer practical experience in preaching and sermon preparation, with a focus on crafting sermons that will have lasting impact. When we write and deliver a sermon, our hope is that it will be remembered. Here we will explore some of the key components of communication that make one's message likely to be remembered: simplicity, concreteness, surprise, emotional impact, and story. The class will be limited to a maximum of nine students. Each student will preach twice during the quarter. Sermons are to be original work not previously presented for credit in homiletics or other speech and preaching classes. Each sermon will be evaluated and discussed by class members under the direction of the instructor. All sermons will be recorded on DVD.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Goals for this practicum include (1) that students would grow both in their conviction that the biblical text is the proper foundation for preaching and in their skill in unfolding the biblical text in a way that is compelling and memorable for hearers; (2) that they might increase their skills in framing content in a coherent and interesting way; (3) that they might improve their delivery skills; and (4) that they might gain acuity in evaluating both their own preaching and that of others.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The spoken word remains an essential means of communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ. Preaching is an essential element in the ministry of the church; and skill in preaching is expected of the great majority of those called to pastoral positions, as well as of evangelists and many other servants of Christ. Sustained attention to what makes preaching memorable is simply one focused way to consider the qualities that make preaching effective. It is worth every preacher's time to consider the principles that allow communication to lodge in memory.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet for a two-hour period each week. The first part of each meeting will be spent in worship where two sermons will be preached by members of the class. The class will then discuss the sermons. PLEASE NOTE: Class attendance is mandatory. If the class is over-subscribed, the first two persons on the waiting list should attend the first class session.

REQUIRED READING:

Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007.

Exegetical reading relating to the texts to be preached upon.

• Two sermons preached during the quarter, with outlines, exegetical notes, and indication of the commentaries and other sources consulted submitted in writing.

• Regular class attendance, preparation for class, and participation in discussions are required.

• Short summaries of what students remember of classmates' sermons, two weeks after they were preached.

• Students who miss more than two class meetings will not receive a passing grade.