Listening to Listeners: Homiletical Case Studies

by Ronald J. Allen, L. Susan Bond, Dale P. Andrews

Many preachers long to understand the dynamics of thought, feeling, and behavior at work in congregations. They use many techniques to evaluate the needs of their congregation and to sharpen their sermons, but preachers seldom give members of their congregation the opportunities to identify qualities of preaching that motivate them to engage sermons, and qualities of sermons that prompt disengagement. This book draws on one of the first large scale attempts in North America to do just that. Drawing on extensive interviews and analysis based on traditional rhetorical categories derived from Aristotle-the listener's perception of the character, personality and trustworthiness of the preacher (ethos), the appeals to reason in the content of the sermon (logos), and the role of feeling in the event of preaching (pathos)-the authors present case illustrations to help preachers listen pastorally to their own parishioners, to understand how their listeners' participation in the sermon is affected by the ethos, logos, and pathos, and how the pastor can use this understanding to preach in ways that engage listeners. Pastors are encouraged to compare and contrast their own perceptions of preaching with those expressed by their parishioners and to reflect more broadly and deeply about preaching in the preacher's own congregational setting.

195 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Allen, is Professor of Preaching and Gospels and Letters at Christian Theological Seminary (CTU) in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

A native of Poplar Bluff Missouri and ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Allen has taught at CTU since 1982. He received his PhD from Drew University (1977), MDiv from Union Theological Seminary in New York (1974), and the AB from Phillips University (1971). From 1977 to 1982 he and his spouse, the Reverend Linda McKiernan-Allen, were co-ministers of First Christian Church, Grand Island, Nebraska. Rev. McKiernan-Allen is currently Minister at West Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tipton, Indiana.

In addition to over 100 articles and chapters in books, Allen is the author of more than thirty books.

Reviews

[Hannah Jones-Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to give a rating to. It was an average, decent read. I would not pick it up on my own (it was for a class), but it was insightful. Most of the book is a recap of interviews done in multiple church settings, so general info can be gleaned but also some of the comments are pretty specific to context. I think there are better preaching books out there that communicate the same ideas.