The Roundtable Pulpit


Book Description

Collaboration is one of the best ways to make a difference when leading a congregation. Now John S. McClure shows how collaborative preaching is the best way to inspire and guide a congregation. Most preachers use a sovereign leader-centered style or an inductive (consultative) style of preaching. John McClure shows why these styles are sometimes manipulative and ineffective: they do not take seriously the spiritual wisdom and tested experience that are present in God's people - the laity. In collaborative preaching, a revolving, expanding roundtable is established, where a pastor and as many as ten church members meet to discuss the concerns and ministries of the congregation. The pastor speaks prophetically each Sunday on behalf of this roundtable and honors the Holy Spirit who is at work among the whole people.




Sharing the Word


Book Description

Lucy Atkinson Rose proposes a nonhierarchical, communal relationship between pastor and congregation that questions traditional assumptions of preaching, and offers insight from those on the margin and those outside the field of homiletics. She invites preachers to practice a style of conversational preaching rooted in connectedness and a sense of mutuality between preacher and worshipers.




The Witness of Preaching


Book Description

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.




Best Advice for Preaching


Book Description

A bright new resource for working preachers. Packed with preaching wisdom from twenty-seven outstanding American preachers from various religious and ethnic backgrounds.




Church in the Round


Book Description

Ideas of the Christian church are changing, and Letty Russell envisions its future as partnership and sharing for all members around a common table of hospitality. Russell draws on her pastorate in Harlem, her classes in theology, and many ecumenical conversations to help the newly emerging church face the challenges of liberation for all people.




Preaching Re-imagined


Book Description

This author and pastor offers an invitation to the kind of preaching that "creates followers of God who serve the world well and live the invitation to the rhythm of God."




Other-wise Preaching


Book Description

"John McClure's book is a double treasure. It tracks the way North American homileticians have responded to the cultural, social, and philosophical movements of recent decades, and it introduces the reader to both linguistic and ethical ways to deconstruct preaching." - Edward Farley, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee




Creation-Crisis Preaching


Book Description

How can we proclaim justice for God's Creation in the face of global warming? How does fracking fit with "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's?" Creation-Crisis Preaching works with the premise that all of Creation, including humankind, needs to hear the Good News of Jesus' resurrection in this age in which humanity is "crucifying" Creation. Informed by years of experience as an environmental activist and minister, Leah Schade equips preachers to interpret the Bible through a "green" lens, become rooted in environmental theology, and learn how to understand their preaching context in terms of the particular political, cultural, and biotic setting of their congregation. Creation-Crisis Preaching provides both theoretical grounding and practical tips for preachers to create environmental sermons that are relevant, courageous, creative, pastoral, and inspiring.




The Round Table


Book Description




Telling the Truth


Book Description

Every congregation in North America has victims, survivors, and perpetrators of violence in its midst. Many in the church, while supporting marital and family connections, do not know how to address abuse. Many ministers are searching for theological and ethical perspectives with which to frame an effective pulpit, teaching, and pastoral ministry.Telling the Truth assembles the wisdom of experts from across disciplines and denominations. Biblical and theological issues are analyzed by Johanna Van Wijk-Bos, Shawn Copeland, and Wendy Farley. Pastoral resources are presented by Marie M. Fortune, James Poling, Nancy Ramsay, and David Goatley. Preaching strategies are discussed by Barbara Patterson and John S. McClure. Four sermons are also included to provide effective models for ministering against sexual and domestic violence.