Understanding Suffering, Preaching Hope: Part 2

Can Science Help Us Understand? Part 2 of our series on the interplay between science, theology and our preaching.

Understanding Suffering, Preaching Hope: Part 1

A new three-part series on the interplay between science, theology and our preaching. Part 1: The reality of suffering

New Ways or New Variety?

We all know, or think that we do, that the human attention span is much, much less than it was. It turns out, however, that this ‘fact’ is more of an ‘urban myth’ than a reality

Bread, Wine and Climate Change

Paul Johns sees deeper meanings in bread and wine

Preaching in the Context of Biblical illiteracy: Part 3

In our previous two posts we have looked at the crisis of Biblical illiteracy in our churches and begun to think about how we can respond to this as preachers. Last week we explored ‘claiming the Bible back as the church’s book’. In this final instalment we will consider two more steps that we can take.

Preaching in the Context of Biblical Illiteracy: Part 2

In last week’s post we explored the crisis of Biblical illiteracy in our churches. How then as preachers should we respond?

Preaching in the Context of Biblical Illiteracy

This week, the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath writes on Biblical illiteracy

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2020

Download the Trustees' Report for 2020. 

Pastoral Mission

How many times have I heard it said that the churches must break out of their pastoral ways and instead be mission focussed? 

A view from the box room

Reflections on ministry from Rev’d Bob Almond

Six observations on preaching

Reflections on 45 years of preaching from the Rev David John

“Sermony”

Describing a sermon as 'sermony' means that it looks like a sermon, sounds like a sermon, and smells like a sermon

Drama in the pulpit

Part two of our interview with Andrew Page

Training New Preachers

The first part of a two-part interview with Preacher, Author & Trainer, Andrew Page

Preaching to the converted?

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Who is this sermon for?”

Christian hope is resurrection hope

As I write Easter will soon be upon us – and what a wonderful opportunity preachers will have to preach the good news of the risen Christ. This year more than any year we have had so much death

Becoming a Hermeneutical Community

The second of our two-part interview with Dr Stuart Murray-Williams

Post-Christendom: The Most Important Term You May Never Have Heard Of

This week we have the first of a two-part interview with Dr Stuart Murray-Williams on Post-Christendom and its impact on preachers & preaching

More Than One Approach

The distress and uncertainty of these coronavirus times calls for the reassuring possibility in Paul’s soaring rhetoric

What Every Preacher Should Give-Up for Lent

I have been asking myself a question. “What should I be giving-up for Lent as a Preacher?”

The Greatest Sermon I Ever Heard | Steve Holmes

Today we launch a new occasional series, The Greatest Sermon I Ever Heard. We hope that preachers will share not only what the sermon was, but why it made such an impact

A New Resource to Help You in the Demanding Ministry of Preaching: Relaunching The College of Preachers’ Blog

Where do you go for encouragement, thoughtful reflection, or practical ideas to help you in your preaching ministry? We have some good news for you

Context and Content

A colleague of mine who spent much effort each week carefully crafting a relevant sermon was outraged when she found her supervising minister sorting sermon scripts

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2019

Download the Trustees' Report for 2019. 

Avoid or Aver? Preaching Crisis

It was an obvious extension of feedback. As well as the usual group of fellow students asked to comment on the trial preacher’s sermon, questionnaires were distributed amongst the congregation hosting the worship

The Psalms: Wisdom for Hard Times

I have a recurrent dream—or perhaps a nightmare—that when in extremis the only words that I can bring to mind are advertising jingles. My last breaths are accompanied by trite ditties about chocolate bars, insurance, or supermarkets! 

Justice Preached

The prophet Amos has sharp words to say about the irrelevance of religious observance that ignores the realities of life for the poor. Such indifference to suffering makes hymns of praise pointless. God will simply not listen, according to this most earnest of social critics...

With conviction

I began my working life in the retail trade. In the shop where I worked, we were often incentivised in order to sell more of this or that product. The ‘hard sell’ was a matter both of pride amongst the staff and a way to take home free goodies...

Trustee Vacancies

The College of Preachers wishes to fill two vacancies on the Board of Trustees

Diversity and commonality

Take heart that God’s call to each of us is to voice God’s presence and urging through our particular voices and in our particular circumstances...

Introducing the Revd Jennifer Brown as Director of Training

The College of Preachers is pleased to announce the appointment of Revd Jennifer Brown as our new Director of Training.

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2018

Download the Trustees' Report for 2018. 

Women’s Voices 2019: Women Preachers, Women Hearers

This year sees the fifth Women’s Voices day conference, originally launched by The College of Preachers in The Preacher and a sell-out each year!

Differing voices

A woman involved in a car crash is 47 percent more likely than a man to suffer serious injuries according to the journalist and campaigner, Caroline Criado Perez. She makes a strong case that this horrifying statistic is a consequence of car design...

Vacancy: Director of Training

This post offers a rewarding opportunity for a person who is passionate about preaching and equipping preachers, to make a national contribution to the preaching ministry.

Find out more >

Knowing a loved one

‘He unrolled the scroll and found the place …’ is a phrase from Luke’s Gospel (4:17) that I treasure. Whatever else we should take from the story of Jesus in his hometown synagogue, I’m sure we are meant to notice his evident familiarity with the text...

Resurrection Now

In a poll commissioned by BBC Religion and Ethics a couple of years ago, around a quarter of people who identified as Christians said they did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus...

Homiletics Symposium 2019

Calling all teachers and researchers of preaching

The Symposium brings together researchers and educators in the field of homiletics to hear about innovative practice and new findings. It provides a blend of invited speakers with the opportunity for new teachers and researchers to submit papers.

Would you like to write for The Preacher?

With the practical work of preachers always in mind, The Preacher is eager to recruit more practitioners to its bank of writers.

We are looking for sermon writers, reviewers, and occasional article contributors.

Only Connect

Have you noticed how carefully radio and TV presenters of magazine shows link different items together?

The topics being considered may be diverse but somehow the presenter manages to link them together. By an artful comment, a careful recapitulation, or a humorous retort, the show-host moves things along, creating a pleasing sense of coherence and flow...

In Defence of Preaching

The worth of preaching isn’t, of course, to be measured solely in terms of whether it is remembered. Neither is ‘being remembered’ the qualifying mark of an effective preacher.

Nevertheless, remembering, and the continued use of those memories, by the individuals concerned is an indicator of the value of preaching...

Headlining

It’s not often that the sermon as sermon makes the news but it has this week.

The respected Radio Four news show PM broadcast an excerpt of Martin Luther King’s last speech to mark the 50^th anniversary of his assassination. Nothing unusual there, you might think. But at more than eight minutes long, the excerpt was certainly not soundbite radio...

A new look for The Preacher

Saint Augustine urged preachers to vary the style in which they spoke. He suggested that the force of our words should alternate like the waves of the sea.

The preacher has to judge what style will speak most effectively to particular listeners, and what style is best suited to the topic...

Major changes to The College of Preachers

We are delighted to be able to update you, on behalf of the Chair of the College, Bishop Stephen Cottrell and the Executive, on major changes to The College of Preachers...