Preaching workshops

"The Art of Painting with Words"—One way to become a better preacher is to become a good writer. This workshop for seminarians and parish clergy offers participants the opportunity to engage Scripture and practice using literary techniques such as alliteration, amplification, asyndeton, catachresis, and more to craft powerful sentences. Participants will also use a Scripture passage of their choice to do a series of exercises designed to unlock the imagination. Finally, participants will learn some valuable tips for how to edit your own writing.

This video of this workshop was offered as part of the DuBose Lectures' continuing education program:

"Preaching to Build Stewardship"—This workshop offers preachers a way to present stewardship-themed sermons year-round using lectionary texts from the Gospel of Matthew, Year A. Over twenty gospel readings are sorted into stewardship categories: Material Wealth, Time, Relationships, Spiritual Gifts and Abilities, and Creation. Using worksheets, each reading is discussed prompted by thought-provoking questions. Preachers gain ideas for how to teach their congregations about the different facets of stewardship, and many sermon ideas.

"Preaching to Die for: The Art of Preaching at Funerals"— Funerals require preachers to preach about something none of us can speak of experientially, to congregations that inevitably include people who know little or nothing about Christianity and the Christian hope of eternal life. We can speak of eternal life using clues from Holy Scripture, clues from poetry, from hymn texts, from the beautiful language of the prayer book burial rite, clues from our experiences of shepherding people as they cross over, clues from the stories others tell us. Using seven different theological reflections, this workshop equips preachers with an expanded vocabulary to speak about death and the life to come.

"The Power of Storytelling and Recurring Characters in Preaching"—Storytelling is an ancient art, one that has caught the attention of contemporary brain scientists. For preachers, understanding why the stories we tell have staying power in the minds of our listeners helps make us more effective in conveying the message of the Gospel. This workshop combines insights from both brain science and writing to teach preachers about developing narratives and characters that help listeners imagine themselves in the Scriptural texts.