Balancing Act: Preaching and Gender
by Elaine G. Siemsen
Preachers of both sexes need to observe and critique their own use of masculine and feminine behaviors. Understanding gender identity can improve one’s sermon preparation and delivery and even one’s overall effectiveness within a congregation.

Chasing Loehe's Ghost
by Jerry L. Schmalenberger
Wilhelm Loehe was one of 19th Century Germany's finest preachers. His approach has lessons for all preachers today.

Coaching the Preacher
by Craig J. Lewis
A story of how one preacher and, ultimately, the staff, have come to see the blessings of pastoral coaches and mentors.

Confessions of a Commonplace Preacher
by Marcus R. Kunz
A preacher describes his discovery of the gifts of the commonplace — how centuries of faith and wisdom came to live in his flesh and bone, engaging him in his own preaching and liberating his body and voice to serve the Word.

Encountering Hunger and Poverty through the Sermon
by Wayne L. Menking
How preaching can effect transformation in hearers who both have and have not experienced poverty or hunger.

An English Major in the Pulpit  —  Or, How I Learned to Love Contractions
by Carol R. Breimeier
In preaching, the perfect word choice and sentence construction that delight an English major sometimes must be set aside because they get in the way, blocking the signal that is trying to come through from the real Source of the Good News.

Homegrown Preaching
by Terrill G. Sorensen
There is a treasure trove of ingredients to assist us in our preparation to preach and teach the faith. It’s found in the homegrown stories and histories of the people we serve. Here’s one story that depicts how the Christian life might face the battering of inner and outer storms.

Making Good Preaching Even Better
by Alvin C. Rueter
Coaches are welcomed in many walks of life, says this author. So why not the ministry of preaching? Your spouse, a trusted friend, or pastoral colleagues in a multi-staff congregation may be the kind of coaches who will help your good preaching shine more brightly.

Modern Media and the Sermon
by Mark D. Johns
How have our modern media technologies changed the way we receive and process information? And what impact does this have on the preparation and delivery of the sermon? Our author, a pastor and communication professor, shares some insights from research.

The Renaissance and Demise of the Listener: Empowering Laity Through Preaching
by Robert Kysar
How do we preach so that those who listen will also "participate" in the Word's proclamation?

Preaching against the Cross
by Ronald F. Marshall
Some see Christ's crucifixion, the center of our proclamation, as depicting a God who uses violence and abuse. The author critiques these charges and suggests a way to preach the story as it has been given to us.

Preaching and the Post-Modern Condition
by Jay Cooper Rochelle
Preachers face an audience whose cultural perceptions are "post-modern." The author shows what this means among those who hear us preach and how proclaimers may begin to respond to it.

Preaching to Seekers
by Patrick Cabello Hansell
Preaching the Word of God in the "languages" of those who are searching.

Ten Things You Really Ought to Know about Multimedia Preaching
by Carol Breimeier and Fred Nelson
Six years after their first attempt at preaching in a multimedia environment, these co-pastors say there is no turning back. They tell why it works in their congregation and give guidance to others who would like to try it.

Vernacular Preaching
by James R. Thomas
Explaining the Scriptures in the language of the common people is vernacular preaching. It is an incarnate language, one actualized again and again in real-life exchanges—between the preached word and its hearers, and between believers who administer to one another the assurance of Christ’s mercy.

Why Does Grace Matter?
by Peter W. Marty
Jesus did not define grace for us in words. Instead he lived a life of grace and beheld its glory in the ordinariness of everyday life. We’re left to interpret grace, and cherish grace, by the ways we choose to live our lives and chart our decisions.

The Words Get in the Way
by Waldemar E. Meyer
If a preacher is attempting to provide a visual experience for the hearers, why let words get in the way? Why not proceed directly to a picture? It may help to get your listener's attention.