Baker Contemporary Preaching Collection (19 vols.)

by Haddon W. Robinson; Torrey W. Robinson; Scott M. Gibson; Keith Willhite

and

14 more

Publishers:

Baker; Baker Academic; Hendrickson; IVP

, 1998–2012

Overview

Discover ways to make God’s Word come alive through the art of narrative exposition. Learn how to impact and minister to both genders in your congregation. The Baker Contemporary Preaching Collection contains 19 volumes of practical and relevant advice for preaching to twenty-first-century congregations. This collection includes volumes on effectively engaging today’s postmodern audience without compromising your doctrine. It provides numerous sermon preparation tools, including tips for preaching without notes, communicating big ideas with precision, developing mature believers, preparing evangelistic sermons, and leading special services. It emphasizes the importance of preaching difficult Old Testament passages with courage and conviction and illustrates how today’s dynamic preachers plan and prepare their sermons.

The Logos edition of these masterful works on preaching is fully searchable and easily accessible. Scripture passages link directly to your English translations and to the original language texts, and important theological concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the wealth of resources in your digital library.

Key Features

• Provides ways to engage a postmodern congregation
• Includes helpful tools for transforming your sermon preparation and presentation
• Contains numerous insights from today’s top preachers

Product Details

• Title: Baker Contemporary Preaching Collection
• Publisher: Baker
• Volumes: 19
• Pages: 4,274
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Ministry Resources

The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching: Connecting the Bible to People

• Editors: Keith Willhite and Scott M. Gibson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 182

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Haddon Robinson has influenced generations of students and preachers through his widely used classic text, Biblical Preaching, in which he shows preachers how to communicate the Bible’s big ideas with precision. But does Robinson’s “big-idea” approach to expository preaching still work in today’s diverse cultures and fast-paced world?

The Big Idea of Biblical Preaching presents a strong defense of the ongoing relevance of this approach to expository preaching. An experienced and skilled group of contributors to this volume includes:

• Paul Borden
• Scott M. Gibson
• Duane Litfin
• Terry Mattingly
• John Reed
• Bruce L. Shelley
• Donald R. Sunukjian
• Joseph M. Stowell III
• Bruce K. Waltke
• Scott Wenig
• Keith Willhite

This volume is written not only for the current generation of students but also for today’s preachers, who will find in the pages of this book a powerful approach to expository preaching.

Keith Willhite teaches preaching serves as professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a former pastor and the founder and president of the popular ministry-consulting firm, Strategenuity.

Scott M. Gibson is the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry, director of the Center for Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and one of the founders of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author or coauthor of several books on preaching and lives in Massachusetts.

How to Preach without Notes

• Author: Charles W. Koller
• Edition: Repackaged
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Effective speaking is key in reaching people with the Gospel and growing our churches. And delivering powerful messages without being tied to manuscripts, outlines, or notes is the key to effective speaking. A classic that has stood the test of time, How to Preach without Notes shows you how to do just that.

Among the topics discussed are the biblical conception of preaching, the advantages of preaching without notes, homiletical devices, the importance of structure, and the systematic filing of materials. For almost 50 years, pastors and seminary students have benefited from the principles found in this book. Now you can too.

Charles W. Koller taught ministerial students at Northern Seminary for more than 20 years, in addition to serving as its president. An influential preacher and a popular conference speaker, Koller earned his ThD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

It’s All in How You Tell It: Preaching First-Person Expository Messages

• Authors: Haddon W. Robinson and Torrey W. Robinson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Have you become bored with a faithful, yet predictable, style of preaching the Bible? If so, you may be robbing your audience, and yourself, of the joyful surprises offered by fresh, innovative preaching.

With this clear and comprehensive guide, you can learn to make God’s Word come alive through story and drama. Haddon and Torrey Robinson reveal ways to get inside the minds of biblical characters, shift the camera angles on familiar scenes of Scripture, and present a first-person expository message that will capture the attention of contemporary listeners—and energize your preaching as well.

Haddon Robinson has done it again—given us a book that combines his deep commitments to both expository and culturally sensitive preaching. This book significantly advances our understanding and practice of the first-person narrative sermon. Preachers who put this book into practice will not only broaden their preaching repertoire but will experience all over again the power of Robinson’s expository preaching method.

—Duane K. Kelderman, associate professor of preaching, Calvin Theological Seminary

Stories work. Actually, good stories work when told well. Torrey and Haddon Robinson address both concerns: what makes a story good, and what makes it well told; and they do so with a terrific blend of theoretical explanation and practical illustration. They encourage the first-timer that he should, and can, preach narrative sermons. They teach the more seasoned story-teller that he should, and can, preach narrative sermons better. It’s All in How You Tell It is an important read for those who want to connect with a media saturated culture that communicates in stories.

—Sid Buzzell, professor of Bible exposition and leadership, Colorado Christian University

For years, many of us have tried to preach first-person, expository messages, but we lacked instructions. Finally, the Robinsons provide rationale, guidance, and examples. Read this book and you and your listeners will see God’s Word with new eyes.

—Keith Willhite, professor of pastoral ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary

First-person narratives in the pulpit are easy to do, but hard to do well. Most fail the biblical text, or fail artistically, or both. But now there is help. The Robinsons, father and son, give us what we need if we’re to produce creative first-person narrative messages which go beyond amusement to the genuine edification only biblical exposition can provide.

—Duane Litfin, former president, Wheaton College

This book will help preachers get the story straight and give the straight story to their listeners.

—Scott M. Gibson, Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

For many years first person narrative sermons in costume have been a regular part of my preaching as a pastor, seminary teacher, and military chaplain. Young people and children in particular have often expressed gratitude to me for bringing the message of the Bible with such clarity and heart impact. I commend Torrey and Haddon Robinson for their concise, clear, and creative guide to this challenging but powerful preaching form. The sample sermons are particularly helpful.

—John W. Reed, president, Trinity Lutheran College

Haddon W. Robinson is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. His book, Biblical Preaching, has sold more than 200,000 copies and has been used extensively in Bible colleges and seminaries since 1980.

Torrey W. Robinson has pastored churches in Wisconsin and New Jersey and is currently the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Tarrytown, New York.

Performance in Preaching: Bringing the Sermon to Life

• Editors: Jana Childers and Clayton J. Schmit
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

This volume takes a unique approach by examining the role of performance in preaching. The contributors bring a variety of theological and denominational perspectives to the subject, but they are united in their concern for the importance of the performance of the sermon—not in a shallow or theatrical sense but as an essential aspect of bringing God’s Word to life for the congregation. To that end, these wide-ranging studies examine theological, artistic, and music aspects of a compelling performance.

Two of our finest teachers of preaching here collaborate on an invigorating book for preachers. Jesus doesn’t mean for us to think about the Gospel, even to understand the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to be enacted, embodied, and performed. Childers and Schmit show us how we preachers can better enable our listeners to not only hear but also perform the Gospel. One of the best books on the craft of preaching that we’ve had in a long time.

—Will Willimon, bishop, North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church

Every preacher wants the sermon to not only say something but also do something. This book will tell you how! Two consummate performers of the Word themselves, Jana Childers and Clayton Schmit have assembled the leading figures in the field of performance studies—ranging from theology to dramaturgy to musicology—and have produced a book like no other. It will bless preachers and those who listen to preaching for a long time to come.

—Richard Lischer, James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor of Preaching, Duke Divinity School

Jana Childers and Clayton Schmit have done students, preachers, and homileticians a great service with this book. For too long our preaching has been captive to the mind/body dualisms of modern thought. Performance in Preaching provides a rich variety of stimulating essays in conversation with the work of Charles Bartow, showing that both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of our sermons serve the Spirit’s work of bringing the incarnate Word to speech.

—Michael Pasquarello III, Granger E. and Anna A. Fisher Professor of Preaching, Asbury Theological Seminary

Mention the words ‘preaching’ and ‘performance’ in the same sentence and some in the church get nervous. This helpful volume proves that such nervousness is unwarranted. Yes, preaching must be sincere, free of forced theatrics or any whiff of the pastor’s merely ‘putting on a show.’ But these essays remind us that pastors must bring the Word to life by paying attention to their delivery of that Word as the Holy Spirit uses vocal chords, cadences, rhythms, and the preacher’s entire body to help the Word of God become flesh and blood Sunday after Sunday. Preachers take note: God has called the entirety of your being into the service of proclaiming the Word, and this fine book will challenge you to remember that each and every Sunday!

—Scott Hoezee, director, The Center for Excellence in Preaching, Calvin Theological Seminary

Jana Childers is professor of homiletics and speech communication at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is the author of Performing the Word: Preaching as Theatre.

Clayton J. Schmit is provost of the School of Theology at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. An ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, he is the author of Too Deep for Words: A Theology of Liturgical Expression.

Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition

• Author: Calvin Miller
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The challenge of contemporary preaching is packaging a message that holds the attention and touches the hearts of those who listen—while offering biblical substance in the process. Many preachers long to bring exposition and narrative together in a style that leads to transcendent moments. Calvin Miller has preached and equipped preachers for decades. In Preaching, he offers a volume of helpful insights for pastors and homiletics students to deliver the heart of the Gospel via the Jesus-approved vessel of compelling storytelling.

One of our best preachers and writers tells us what he does best—and why and how.

—Eugene Peterson, pastor, scholar, and author

Miller comes as a master storyteller to teach us how to tell the Gospel to a generation thirsting for narratives to explain our world.

—Bryan Chapell, chancellor, Covenant Theological Seminary

[This book] can change your preaching for a lifetime.

—Haddon Robinson, Harold John Ockenga Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Calvin Miller was research professor and distinguished writer in residence at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, and the author of more than 40 books. He was a regular contributor to many Christian magazines and publications.

Preaching as Worship: An Integrative Approach to Formation in Your Church

• Author: Michael J. Quicke
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 288

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A pastor’s role in shaping worship is vital. But what if preaching isn’t just one part of worship? What if preaching is worship? In Preaching as Worship, veteran preacher Michael J. Quicke encourages those who preach to open their eyes afresh to glorious big-picture worship—grounded in Trinitarian theology and focused on the pivotal role of Scripture as it directs gathered worship for community formation—urging them to restore worship as an encounter with God. This unique and insightful book offers a clear call for preachers to rethink their worship responsibilities and the importance of preaching—for the sake of their church members and their God.

Michael Quicke’s winsome and insightful exploration of preaching as an integral component and reflection of Trinitarian worship is a welcome contribution to thoughtful literature on both preaching and worship. For too long, one has been viewed as simply a prelude or culmination of the other. Quicke helps us understand how worship and preaching function organically and holistically to honor the persons of the Godhead who also comes to us as one.

—Bryan Chapell, chancellor, Covenant Theological Seminary

This book stretched me and enriched my understanding of preaching and worship.

—Craig Brian Larson, editor, PreachingToday.com

Michael J. Quicke is the C.W. Koller Professor of Preaching and Communication at Northern Seminary and preaches and lectures across the world. He is the author of 360-Degree Preaching and 360-Degree Leadership.

Preaching for Special Services

• Author: Scott M. Gibson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 144

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A pastor must be able to step with ease into a number of different speaking venues. In addition to a regular preaching schedule, you, as a pastor, face an endless parade of special occasions at which you are asked to speak. Some occasions are planned, others are unexpected, but for all occasions you must be ready to communicate the Word of God in a way that complements the liturgy and worship.

Preaching for Special Services gives you practical guidance on how to develop and deliver clear, listener-sensitive sermons for special occasions such as weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Each chapter examines the history and theology of preaching for a particular occasion and then centers on the development of the sermon for that event. Scott M. Gibson’s approach to sermon construction is based on Haddon W. Robinson’s central-idea preaching described in his Biblical Preaching.

Preaching for Special Services also offers an extensive list of resources for each special occasion and specific exercises to help you put the principles in this book into practice.

Scott M. Gibson is the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry, director of the Center for Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and one of the founders of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author or coauthor of several books on preaching and lives in Massachusetts.

Preaching Hard Texts of the Old Testament

• Author: Elizabeth Achtemeier
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 208

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Elizabeth Achtemeier has carefully chosen 31 Old Testament passages that are difficult to understand and more difficult still to preach. The sacrifice of Isaac, God’s command for Hosea to marry a harlot, Moses’ use of the bronze serpent to heal snake-bitten Israelites—these and many other passages are illumined for the preacher who no longer wants to fear these texts. In each chapter, Achtemeier discusses the text and then offers suggestions for forming a sermon based on that text. In treating specific unsettling passages, Achtemeier also addresses thematic difficulties found throughout the Old Testament, such as the frequent militaristic portrayals of God, the often perplexing behavior of Old Testament prophets, and the many anthropomorphic descriptions of God.

Achtemeier launches out on a campaign to stir preachers to preach the toughest texts of the Old Testament with courage and conviction. Her book is a delight and a challenge. She never fails to provoke, enlighten, encourage.

—Will Willimon, bishop, North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church

Many find it hard to preach from Old Testament texts. In this collection of sermons Elizabeth Achtemeier shows that even the hard texts of the Old Testament can produce significant and profound preaching.

—James Luther Mays, Emeritus Cyrus McCormick Professor of Hebrew and the Old Testament, Union Theological Seminary

Elizabeth Achtemeier taught Bible and homiletics at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. She was an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA), a preacher, and the author of a number of books, including Nature, God and Pulpit, Minor Prophets, vol. 1 in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series, and Preaching from the Minor Prophets.

Preaching that Speaks to Women

• Author: Alice P. Mathews
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 188

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In most twenty-first-century congregations, women outnumber men. Unfortunately, masculine anecdotes still dominate many sermons and many church leaders don’t understand the differences in the ways women and men listen, learn, and perceive ideas of leadership and power. The result is that many women feel detached from the messages conveyed from the pulpit.

How can a pastor effectively minister to both men and women? Preaching That Speaks to Women invites preachers to consider how gender affects the way sermons are understood and calls them to preaching that relates to the entire congregation.

Drawing on her many years of speaking to women, men, and preachers, Alice Mathews explores both the myths and the realities of women as listeners. She considers the ways women think about themselves, make ethical decisions, handle stress, learn, and view leadership and power, and applies the results to the task of preaching. Mathews urges preachers to be mindful of language and advocates the use of anecdotes that do not ignore women or merely typecast women in narrowly defined roles.

Preaching That Speaks to Women is an important guide for seminary students preparing for ministry and pastors who want to reach the entire congregation.

Alice Mathews breaks new ground. . . . This book opens the eyes of men and women preachers alike, and it will begin to revolutionize how preachers view listeners in their pews.

—Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society

What a book! Anyone who stands in the pulpit to preach God’s truth needs to read this book. I found it both enlightening and convicting. Thank you, Alice.

—Edward G. Dobson, senior pastor, Calvary Church, Grand Rapids, MI

Alice Mathews has not only written a lucid and irenic summary of gender research but has also insightfully explored how this research bears on the task of preaching to all God’s people. I hope that the audience of this book will not be limited to men wanting to address women more effectively, for the volume is relevant to anyone called to a pulpit ministry. It brings home how different life experiences lead hearers to receive different messages from the same sermon, and it helps preachers to consider ways to build up in Christ all those in their care. It is high time Mathews’ words were heeded.

—Marguerite Shuster, Harold John Ockenga Professor of Preaching, Fuller Theological Seminary

Don’t be misled by the title of this outstanding book. It’s not just for preachers or lecturers or teachers. It’s strongly recommended for all readers, women as well as men, who are looking for an irenic work that demythologizes common beliefs concerning ‘the second sex.’ It’s really a sparkling course on how to make human communication more effective.

—Vernon Grounds, former chancellor, Denver Seminary

If Alice is right, some of us need to do some urgent, thoughtful work on the gap that exists between what we think we are communicating and what many women in our congregations are actually hearing.

—Martin Dehaan, founder, Radio Bible Class

Preaching That Speaks to Women is a must read for any preacher serious about impacting ‘all’ of a congregation. Mathews not only does a masterful job of describing the key differences in the ways men and women listen and make application from Scripture but also gives very practical ways to bridge the gaps. Get this book—if you’re serious about reaching and impacting 60 percent of congregants who fill the pews each week.

—Rodney Cooper, Kenneth and Jean Hansen Professor of Discipleship and Leadership, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

From her own deep well of faith, generosity, and experience, Alice Mathews draws up an overflowing bucket of wisdom for preachers. Preaching That Speaks to Women is so good, it should be a required text in all preaching courses.

—Leanne Van Dyk, professor of reformed theology, Western Theological Seminary

Alice P. Mathews is Lois W. Bennett Distinguished Associate Professor of Educational Ministries and Women’s Ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Previously, Alice served as a missionary in Europe for 17 years, taught at Denver Seminary, and was dean of the Seminary of the East (Philadelphia Center). She is widely known as cohost (with Haddon Robinson) of the daily Bible-teaching radio program Discover the Word.

Preaching the Old Testament

• Editor: Scott M. Gibson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 224

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Preaching the Old Testament, which can seem harsh and foreign to modern listeners, can be a challenge. In fact, many preachers abandon it altogether because of the difficulties in making it understandable and relevant to those in the pews. But to appreciate the full depth and beauty of New Testament teaching we must build our foundation on an understanding of the Old Testament. The insights of the Hebrew language, poetry, historical narratives, and prophetic offerings were important to the writers of the New Testament, and they should be to us as well.

Preaching the Old Testament equips pastors to keep up on the Hebrew language, prepare to preach the various sections of the Old Testament, and see how it can be interpreted in light of its context and of our world today.

Preaching the Old Testament is an outstanding collection of insights for preaching from the two-thirds of Scripture that compose our Old Testament. Gibson has assembled a remarkable team of contributors whose work will be helpful to any preacher. This is a valuable resource that deserves a place on every preacher’s bookshelf.

—Michael Duduit, editor, Preaching magazine

This is the book I have been waiting for! Scott Gibson has assembled an all-star team of scholars who will help many students and pastors, not least those preachers who have been in the trenches for a few years or a few decades. Those who let these pages impact their preaching will better serve their congregations for having done so.

—Greg R. Scharf, associate professor and chair of pastoral theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Preaching the Old Testament is not primarily a book about how to prepare sermons. It is more about the ‘what’ of preaching than the ‘how.’ All the chapters are strong, and one can grow from interacting with them. Every writer carries the torch high for preaching the Old Testament as a Christian. The book’s scope ranges from how to brush up on Hebrew to treating the various sections and genres and preaching them in the light of their culture as well as choosing texts from the New Testament that cite texts from the Old Testament. It closes with how to preach the Old Testament today and how to preach it evangelistically. Its scope, depth, and readability recommend Preaching the Old Testament to us. We will be better preachers and teachers by attending carefully to what it says.

—Wayne E. Shaw, emeritus dean and professor of preaching, Lincoln Christian Seminary

Scott M. Gibson is the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry, director of the Center for Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and one of the founders of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author or coauthor of several books on preaching and lives in Massachusetts.

Preaching to a Shifting Culture: 12 Perspectives on Communicating That Connects

• Editor: Scott M. Gibson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 256

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The church in America is part of a changing culture and today’s preachers must be prepared to engage the unique issues of our postmodern age.

Editor Scott M. Gibson has skillfully combined the works of many well-known preachers, including Haddon Robinson and Bryan Chapell, into one practical guide written for present and future church leaders. Including questions for reflection and suggestions for further reading, this helpful resource addresses important topics such as preaching to a postmodern audience, pluralism, and the intersection of preaching and psychology.

A stimulating potpourri of evangelical insights for changing times. A spirited group of essays. It’s like listening to friends in round-table conversation with each providing good questions to help you interact in an important debate.

—Michael Quicke, C.W. Koller Professor of Preaching and Communication, Northern Seminary

Timely and relevant, this collection of essays thoughtfully explores the issues facing today’s preacher and calls today’s preacher to thoughtfully face the issues. Its chapters are filled with the wisdom of well known preachers and teachers who practically apply their understanding of biblical preaching through the use of solid and helpful examples. The discussion questions and suggested reading list found at the end of every chapter assist students and pastors to delve deeper into the topic. Scott Gibson’s book is a must read for any responsible, biblical preacher and student.

—Patricia Batten, adjunct assistant professor of preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

An excellent resource for preaching an uncompromising message in a compromising world. This book will help the modern preacher proclaim the historic truth.

—Stephen Sebastian, pastor, New Ipswich Congregational Church, New Ipswich, NH

Scott Gibson has given preachers and their churches a wonderful gift in this fine collection of essays by contemporary scholars and practitioners. Each chapter, though relatively brief, is poignantly related to a topic crucial to informed preaching in the contemporary scene. Strongly evangelical in their theological presuppositions, the contributors have thoroughly researched the subjects they explore and have reflected thoughtfully on a broad range of insights and viewpoints. The result is that the reader is given much more than an initial casual glance might indicate. This volume is sure to nudge preachers who have slipped into a homiletical comfort zone back toward a realization of the singular importance of their task. It also will give them some helpful ideas for honing their communication skills for more effective pulpit ministry.

—Donald L. Hamilton, director, Doctor of Ministry Program, Columbia International University

Essential reading for anyone committed to proclaiming the ancient Scriptures in the twenty-first century. This book issues a mandate for biblically grounded preaching which is not only responsive to a culture adrift in pluralism but to the accompanying changes occurring in our congregations. If you are serious about communicating the Gospel, Preaching to a Shifting Culture will engage your thinking and energize you to take your homiletical skills to the next level.

—John Tornfelt, professor of preaching and ministry, Evangelical Seminary

Scott M. Gibson is the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry, director of the Center for Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and one of the founders of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author or coauthor of several books on preaching and lives in Massachusetts.

Preaching to a Post-Everything World: Crafting Biblical Sermons That Connect with Our Culture

• Author: Zack Eswine
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 288

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Do you think a postmodern audience may render your preaching post-relevant? Think again. Zack Eswine takes you through the nuts and bolts—and the heart and soul—of engaging today’s multicultural society with compelling messages from the pulpit. Such preaching, however, requires more than just contextualizing the message.

Using this comprehensive and practical guide will help you to preach God’s truth without compromising doctrine or ignoring the faithful. Eswine shows how God’s own interactions with humanity model relevant preaching and offers fresh, field-tested insights into the application of homiletics. Valuable appendixes detail steps to an effective sermon and provide questions for assessing cultural developments with spiritual discernment.

Whether a new or experienced speaker, in church leadership or in parachurch ministry, you can make an impact on the rising global village—starting now.

Zack Eswine moves the Christ-centered preaching movement forward with this volume. He not only calls us to carefully contextualize our message to various cultures, sensibilities, and habits of heart, but he also gives us a host of practical tools, inventories, and guidelines for doing so. All the while he assumes and strengthens the foundational commitment to preaching Christ and his restoring grace from every text. A great contribution.

—Tim Keller, senior pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

As a pastor/homiletician, Zack Eswine stands between the two worlds of the academy and the church, inviting biblical preachers to journey to the missional intersection where priest, prophet, and sage converge and converse. Navigating them through the turbulent waters of a post-everything culture, they arrive at the shore of homiletical hybridity: the terra firma of biblical revelation and contemporary relevance. Get on board!

—Robert Smith Jr., professor of divinity and Christian preaching, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

Preaching to a Post-Everything World not only offers valuable resources and counsel for biblical preaching in the twenty-first century, it regularly confronts preachers with the probing questions they must ask of themselves and their own ministries if they are to proclaim God’s Word with effectiveness and power today. This is a book that deserves a spot on each preacher’s bookshelf.

—Preaching.com

Zack Eswine serves as senior pastor of Riverside Church in Webster Groves, Missouri. He is the author of Kindled Fire: How the Methods of C.H. Spurgeon Can Help Your Preaching.

Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-First Century Listeners

• Author: Graham MacPherson Johnston
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 192

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To communicate God’s Word effectively in the twenty-first century, you need to know how to connect with and confront an audience of postmodern listeners. With this book, you’ll learn how to change your style of preaching without compromising the substance, take advantage of new opportunities provided by the cultural shift, and show an inattentive society the relevance of God’s truth.

The world has gone through a major shift in thinking and communication into a postmodern mode, yet much preaching is still ‘pre-modern’ and very out of touch. Graham Johnston has done a significant contribution in his book, showing how preaching can be thoroughly biblical, opening up the text of the Bible but also concerned with the openings in the minds of contemporary people. I plan to recommend it to young preachers in our leadership programs.

—Leighton Ford, president, Leighton Ford Ministries

Here is a significant book, one that urgently needs to be in print. Well written, biblical, and practical, it opens the stained glass windows. For anyone desiring a ministry of impact in today’s postmodern society, Graham Johnston has provided an understandable and useful focus for both the professional and the casual reader.

—Howard G. Hendricks, emeritus distinguished professor of Christian education and leadership, Dallas Theological Seminary

Communicating God’s Word is more than just speaking the truth; it’s being heard and understood as well. We are living amid one of the greatest cultural shifts in history, where most young people and adults don’t even speak the same language. The world is becoming increasingly cynical and biblically illiterate, yet people are still searching for spiritual answers. This book is designed to help Christian leaders better understand their listeners, so they can communicate biblical truths with effectiveness and clarity.

—Josh McDowell, author and evangelist

The desire to communicate effectively is a basic but neglected priority for leaders of a missionary faith. Graham Johnston not only brings a shrewd analysis of the present changes in our culture, he also contributes from the perspective of a skilled practitioner. Such a combination is both rare and valuable.

—Martin Robinson, national director, Together in Mission

This book provides a very clear and helpful approach to communicating Christian truth in our postmodern context. While it is popular in its style, it is also academically respectable.

—Susan Perlman, director of communications, Jews for Jesus

Graham MacPherson Johnston was senior pastor of Subiaco Church of Christ in Western Australia and an adjunct lecturer in homiletics at Perth Bible College. He held degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary.

Preaching to Postmoderns: New Perspectives for Proclaiming the Message

• Authors: Robert Kysar and Joseph M. Webb
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 272

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How does one preach to a congregation immersed in a postmodern culture outside the church, but often finding itself in another culture within its walls? Do the postmodern criticisms offer any opportunities to the preacher for addressing the great truths of Scripture in new and fresh ways? Robert Kysar and Joseph M. Webb, both scholar-preachers, believe that they do.

Preaching to Postmoderns: New Perspectives for Proclaiming the Message seeks to inform and encourage pastors who want to expand their horizons. Webb and Kysar have addressed the need for pastors to understand the staggering numbers of new approaches to biblical interpretation and the bewildering choices for sermon preparation that they represent. In this book, they offer introductions to each of the major types of interpretive methods and point out the implications for each in preparing a sermon. They successfully move the theories of biblical interpretation out of the ivory tower and into the pastor’s study. To exemplify how each of the major methods impacts the preaching task, they offer a sample sermon for each method.

This is a book that will bring pastors up to date in biblical interpretation while demonstrating what difference it makes for preachers as they seek to use the various methods.

Robert Kysar is Emeritus Bandy Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Emory University and the author of numerous works on preaching, including Opening the Bible: What It Is, Where It Came From, What It Means to You and Stumbling in the Light: New Testament Images for a Changing Church.

Joseph M. Webb is professor of global media and communication and dean of the School of Communication and Media at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is the author of Preaching without Notes and Comedy and Preaching, and is coauthor with Robert Kysar of Greek for Preachers.

Preaching with a Plan: Sermon Strategies for Growing Mature Believers

• Author: Scott M. Gibson
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

If you want to develop mature believers in your church, you need a plan.

The spiritual lives of your church members are driven largely by what you choose to preach about on Sunday morning. If your messages are scattered, unrelated to one another, or haphazardly prepared, it can be difficult for people to make connections to aid their spiritual growth.

Preaching with a Plan shows you a step-by-step process on how to develop a cohesive preaching plan to guide your choice of Scripture, topics, and concepts to use in worship services. It answers these critical questions:

• Who plans preaching?
• Why should I plan my preaching?
• What kinds of preaching plans are available?
• How do I put together a preaching plan?

Moving quickly from theory to practice, Preaching with a Plan will help you develop an entire year’s worth of sermons designed to educate, enrich, and nurture mature believers in your congregation.

Some preachers preach because it’s 11:00 a.m. on Sunday and they have to say something. Others preach because they have something to say. Scott Gibson argues that the Sunday morning sermon can be the most important event in the life of a church, and he describes in detail what it takes for us to make the most of it.

—Haddon Robinson, Harold John Ockenga Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

With great wisdom Scott Gibson observes that how and what pastors plan for sermons over the months and years of their ministry is a vital aspect of discipling their congregations. And with equal wisdom, he provides practical thought and pastoral advice for ‘discipleship-driven planning for preaching.’ This is a wonderful book to reinvigorate pastors who may be tired or discouraged from climbing the weekly mountain of sermon preparation.

—Bryan Chapell, chancellor, Covenant Theological Seminary

Scott M. Gibson is the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry, director of the Center for Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and one of the founders of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is the author or coauthor of several books on preaching and lives in Massachusetts.

Preaching with Power: Dynamic Insights from Twenty Top Pastors

• Editor: Michael Duduit
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Insights and advice from leaders in the field! Preaching with Power brings together powerful personal interviews with dynamic preachers and those who influence preaching today. Discover here how these top communicators prepare and plan for sermons, what role culture plays in shaping their messages, who influenced their ministries, and what they have to say to you. Drawn from the best of the last decade of Preaching magazine, this book provides an insider’s look at the life and vocation of leaders such as: Bryan Chapell, Jerry Falwell, Jack Graham, O.S. Hawkins, Jim Henry, T.D. Jakes, David Jeremiah, Dan Kimball, Erwin Lutzer, John MacArthur, Brian McLaren, John Maxwell, Lloyd John Ogilvie, Haddon Robinson, Adrian Rogers, Andy Stanley, Jerry Vines, Rick Warren, James Emery White, and Ed Young Jr.

Michael Duduit is the founding publisher and editor of Preaching magazine and PreachingNow, a weekly email newsletter that reaches more than 12,500 pastors nationwide. He is also the author or editor of several books and has served on the administrative staffs at Southern Baptist Seminary and Samford, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Union universities. He resides in Franklin, Tennessee.

Preparing Evangelistic Sermons: A Seven-Step Method for Preaching Salvation

• Author: Ramesh Richard
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Want a proven method for effective evangelistic sermons? Look no further.

“When it comes to evangelism, converting the sinner is God’s role,” says author Ramesh Richard. “Communicating the Gospel is the role of the evangelist.” But how is that done effectively?

Preparing Evangelistic Sermons is a simple do-it-yourself resource for evangelistic preaching. Using principles rooted in his seven-step Scripture sculpture method, Dr. Ramesh Richard guides you through the foundation, framework, method, and special issues of preaching salvation. He discusses:

• The divine call to Christian proclamation
• Types of evangelistic ministry
• Relevant issues for evangelistic and pre-evangelistic preaching
• Ideas for delivering sermons based on text, audience, or topic
• And more

This practical guide also includes helpful appendices, outlines, and checklists for pastors, seminarians, and church leaders. Anyone desiring deeper training in evangelistic sermons will find this book to be a valuable, life-changing guide.

Ramesh Richard rightly observes that evangelistic preaching is driven by an internal conviction, a ‘sacred oughtness’ born of God’s unique work in an individual’s life. Yet how quickly we may forget our calling in the face of struggles, opposition, and yes, even success. Thankfully, readers will find genuine help and biblical insight from a seasoned preacher who has walked these steps before. This is a theme very dear to my heart addressed by one who has demonstrated this gift and calling all over the world.

—Ravi Zacharias, author and speaker

The Gospel hasn’t changed in nearly two thousand years. It’s still the transforming power of Jesus Christ! In this book, Dr. Ramesh Richard shows how to preach the Gospel humbly, prayerfully, biblically, expectantly. May God change lives as you proclaim that Good News!

—Luis Palau, evangelist and author

My good friend Ramesh has provided every communicator who has a heart for the lost with tools to proclaim the Gospel message with power.

—Tony Evans, senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

The clarity, simplicity, and power of Ramesh Richard’s seven-step approach to constructing sermons has well served students and pastors in many settings and nations. Now to have this most approachable method of sermon construction applied to evangelistic preaching is truly good news not only for pastors wanting ready assistance but also for lost souls needing eternal security.

—Bryan Chapell, chancellor, Covenant Theological Seminary

I believe this resource will strengthen your effectiveness as an evangelistic preacher and give you more boldness as you approach your task in the power of the Holy Spirit.

—Daniel Southern, CEO, Daniel Southern Leadership Group

Ramesh Richard leads Ramesh Richard Evangelism and Church Helps (RREACH) International and serves as a professor of global theological engagement and pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Preparing Expository Sermons: A Seven-Step Method for Biblical Preaching

• Author: Ramesh Richard
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 224

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

“The Bible is what God has made. Sermons are what we make with what God has made.” This is the foundation for developing expository messages, according to Ramesh Richard. His method, explained in this book, has been field-tested in training seminars for thousands of pastors and preachers around the world, and it will be invaluable to you as well.

Preparing Expository Sermons is a simple do-it-yourself resource for developing and preaching expository sermons. It guides you through a seven-step process, with many practical suggestions and illustrative charts along the way. In addition, there are 13 appendixes that include information on:

• How to choose a text
• Preaching narratives
• Understanding your audience
• Elements of a competent sermon outline
• Forms of sermon introduction

A comprehensive sermon evaluation questionnaire is included.

Dr. Ramesh Richard is one of the premier preachers of our day. Because the Lord’s hand is so obviously on this gifted man, his ministry is reaching, literally, around the world. The insights, techniques, and suggestions he offers are reliable and relevant. This book is ‘must reading’ for all who desire to preach the word.

—Charles R. Swindoll, senior pastor, Stonebriar Community Church, Dallas, TX

Here is a book on preaching as clear as good sermons should be. New preachers will find the process helpful; experienced preachers will find it an excellent review.

—Haddon Robinson, Harold John Ockenga Professor of Preaching, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Ramesh Richard leads Ramesh Richard Evangelism and Church Helps (RREACH) International and serves as a professor of global theological engagement and pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary.

The Shape of Preaching: Theory and Practice in Sermon Design

• Author: Dennis M. Cahill
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 176

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Many pastors are just too busy to follow the latest theories on preaching and sermon form. In The Shape of Preaching, Dennis M. Cahill seeks both to educate the working pastor on the current issues of sermon design and enable them to use this design in a way that can change their preaching.

After first laying the theoretical groundwork with discussions of the theological, cultural, and literary roots of the new approaches to sermon design, Cahill expertly guides the preacher through a practical process for designing sermons that speak to people in the world today.

Dennis Cahill has mined the gold from the homiletical field and gathered it with clarity and discernment. He has the scholar’s openness to the big questions and the working preacher’s hunger for answers that are useful in creating engaging and faithful sermons today.

—Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Preaching seems more complicated than it was in days gone by. Dennis Cahill gives the reader a great introduction to the forms and functions of preaching as it is becoming and not as it used to be. Follow his advice and you will preach sermons that are not only clear but compelling.

—Kenton C. Anderson, professor of homiletics, Northwest Baptist Seminary

Dennis Cahill understands the literature of preaching and the whole art of sermon construction better than anyone I know. He has written this important book to try and pry dull sermon forms from their one-size-fits-all homilies. He wants us to see that every text is unique and deserves its own way of arguing for its particular truth. So, may all who are suffering from sermonic sameness, let this book pry them from the dull rails of their customary sermon structures. May all of us allow Cahill, like a homiletical Einstein, to put into our preaching his simple formula by which light and matter are born anew in sermons that are fascinatingly diverse.

—Calvin Miller, former research professor and distinguished writer in residence, Beeson Divinity School

Dennis M. Cahill has been in the pastorate for more than 20 years. He is the founding pastor of Christ Community Church, a Bible Fellowship Church in New Jersey, and is active in the Evangelical Homiletical Society.