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Superb practical tips about preaching: Communications professor Lori Carrell in Rev.

 

I wanted to draw your attention to an outstanding series of articles by Lori Carrell, a professor of communication at the University of Wisconsin, who has done research in cooperation with the Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership, which is owned and operated by Green Lake Conference Center/American Baptist Assembly in Wisconsin and has received funding from the Lilly Endowment.  Each article is three pages long from Rev. magazine and contains some of the best practical advice about preaching you can find anywhere.  Carrell has her Ph.D. in communication, is very familiar with how pastors think, is a Christian herself, and is a highly awarded professor.  I am impressed.  We need more of this kind of research on topics related to pastoring.    LoriCarrell

 

Check out these PDFs online. (Links fixed Nov 8, 2019. BONUS DISCOVERY: All of Lori Carrell's articles on preaching are at the CECL (Center for Excellence in Congregational Leadership website!)

 

Lori Carrell, "Sermons Most Likely to Succeed: Do sermons actually change beliefs and behavior? An ongoing study reveals hard facts," Rev. Magazine (May/June 2007), 71-73.

Lori Carrell, "Sermons Most Likely to Succeed: Do sermons actually change beliefs and behavior? An ongoing study reveals hard facts," Rev. Magazine (May/June 2007), 71-73.

This is the most dense article–sharing findings from an extensive survey of what is most effective in preaching. 

 

Lori Carrell, “The Perils of PowerPoint Preaching: Research reveals that the use of PowerPoint slides during preaching is often more of a distraction than a transformative tool,” Rev. Magazine (Mar/Apr 2008): 91-93.

Lori Carrell, “The Perils of PowerPoint Preaching: Research reveals that the use of PowerPoint slides during preaching is often more of a distraction than a transformative tool,” Rev. Magazine (Mar/Apr 2008): 91-93.

This article argues finds that much PowerPoint use is distracting. 

 

Lori Carrell,"Are You Wasting Your Sermon Prep Time?" Rev. Magazine (May/June 2008), 91-93.

Lori Carrell,"Are You Wasting Your Sermon Prep Time?" Rev. Magazine (May/June 2008), 91-93.

This article explains what pastors do in sermon prep time and follows pastors who have tried to improve their effectiveness in preparation.

 

Lori Carrell,"Reaching the Choir: Are you transforming your listeners or simply telling them what they already know?," Rev. Magazine (July/August 2008), 95-97.

Lori Carrell,"Reaching the Choir: Are you transforming your listeners or simply telling them what they already know?," Rev. Magazine (July/August 2008), 95-97.

 

This article suggests a method for moving people from what they already know to specific challenges. 

 

 

Lori Carrell,"Why Your Preaching Matters More Than You Think," Rev. Magazine (September/October 2008), 158-159.

 

Lori Carrell,"Why Your Preaching Matters More Than You Think," Rev. Magazine (September/October 2008), 158-159.

 

This article explains how greatly congregation members value preaching. 

 

See also her book:

 

Lori Carrell, The Great American Sermon Survey (Mainstay Church Resources, 1999).

I give Rev. magazine credit for having regular columns from:

  • David Kinnaman, author of UnChristian and president of The Barna Group;
  • D. Michael Lindsay, assistant professor of sociology at Rice University, and a reputable sociologist.   

Both move beyond the numbers to offer their take on what church leaders should do but they also both deal responsibly with statistics. 

5 replies on “Superb practical tips about preaching: Communications professor Lori Carrell in Rev.”

Perhaps it’s helpful to remember that Jesus Himself had a hard time getting through to people with his exposition of Scripture.

Luke 24 records what happened when the risen Christ walked alongside two of his confused followers on the road to Emmaus. Over the course of the seven mile walk from Jerusalem, Jesus, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in *ALL* the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

But still… nothing.

The two convinced this “stranger” to dine with them. Jesus TOOK the bread, BLESSED it, BROKE it, and GAVE it to them (the same 4 verbs from the accounts of Jesus miraculous feeding the crowds, the same 4 verbs from the accounts of the Last Supper).

Then, and only then, Scripture tells us, “their eyes were opened and they knew Him.”

Luke here presents us with a prototype of the Christian liturgy: the reading and exposition of Scripture, followed by the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Unfortunately, many Evangelical churches do not regularly follow their sermons with communion. I do not want to minimize the importance of insights gleaned from social science, but we should pay careful attention to insights from Scripture as well.

To be fair to Lori Carrell and her posts about preaching, I don’t think a Roman Catholic would have any problem with preachers trying to preach better sermons which is basically what Carrell’s writings are about. But again, Eric is right that we don’t take our cues exclusively from “what people want.”
John Milbank’s book is a tour de force on this issue:
Theology and Social Theory: Beyond Secular Reason (Political Profiles) by John Milbank (Paperback – Feb 27, 2006)
http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Social-Theory-Political-Profiles/dp/1405136847

It is perhaps the most cited book in theology today.
See also
A Secular Age by Charles Taylor (Hardcover – Sep 20, 2007)
http://www.amazon.com/Secular-Age-Charles-Taylor/dp/0674026764

Great articles from Lori Carrell. I’ve read them all and thought they were great.

Thanks for posting them Andy!

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