DESCRIPTION: This course will consider the theology, calling, and practice of preaching. It will provide the opportunity to study and to reflect on the vision and challenge of preaching in pastoral ministry, and to develop in the practice of preaching.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The gospel of Jesus Christ comes to us as kerygma, the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God for our sake and for the sake of the world. This means that preaching holds a distinctive place in the spiritual life of the Church, a place that needs to be understood both for what it is and what it is not. Many in leadership in the Church are called upon to preach, and the calling, labor, and joy of preaching needs to be competently and humbly embraced and developed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Each student successfully completing this course will (1) read about and reflect on the ministry of preaching; (2) develop their own coherent vision of the role of preaching in the church and their own sense of call to such a ministry; (3) learn from other preaching models and examples; (4) develop their own skills in preaching by preparing and preaching two sermons.

COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet for the first two weeks twice each week; thereafter, it will meet once per week as an entire class, and once per week in preaching practica, led by teaching assistants with peer feedback.

REQUIRED READING:

Buechner, Frederick. Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy, and Fairy-Tale. Harper & Row, 1977.

Craddock, Fred. Preaching. Abingdon, 1984.

Long, Thomas. The Witness of Preaching. Westminster/John Knox, 2005.

Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Cowley, 1993.

Chappell, Bryan. Christ-Centered Preaching. Baker, 1994.

English, Donald. An Evangelical Theology of Preaching. Abingdon, 1996.

Farris, Stephen. Preaching That Matters. Westminster/John Knox, 1998.

LaRue, Cleophus J., ed. Power in the Pulpit: How America's Most Effective Black Preachers Prepare Their Sermons. Westminster/John Knox, 2002.

Long, Thomas G., ed. A Chorus of Witnesses: Model Sermons for Today's Preacher. Eerdmans, 1994.

Mathews, Alice. Preaching that Speaks to Women. Baker, 2003.

Nieman, James, and Thomas Rogers. Preaching to Every Pew. Fortress, 2001

Pitt-Watson, Ian. A Primer for Preachers. Baker, 1986.

Rutledge, Fleming. The Bible and the New York Times. Eerdmans, 1998.

Spurgeon, Charles. Lectures to My Students. Baker, 1996.

Taylor, Barbara Brown. Bread of Angels. Cowley, 1997.