Courses

Karl Barth speaks of the Word of God in its “threefold form”: the living Word (Christ), the written Word (Scripture), and “the Word of God Preached” (Church Dogmatics 1.1.4). Guided by a conviction that the written word determines the shape of the preached word in its testimony to the Living Word, this course, intended for students with minimal prior experience in preaching, introduces the theory and practice of Christian proclamation in a congregational setting.

Knowing

• To introduce basic hermeneutical issues that apply to the process of moving from biblical and social exegesis to proclamation.
• To examine and evaluate the component elements of preaching and their respective contributions to effective communication.
• To explore contemporary contexts for preaching, with particular attention to the impact of postmodern thought.

Being

• To reflect on spiritual and ministerial identity as they apply to Christian proclamation.
• To facilitate students’ identification of their preferred style or styles of preaching, and gain confidence in public presentation.

Doing

• To evaluate representative forms and models of preaching in relation to students’ own ministries of preaching.
• To provide students with practice in the composition and delivery of sermons, together with opportunities for comprehensive peer evaluation.