Preaching the themes of Lent

Tuesday 16 January, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop leader: Michael Beck

This workshop will include looking at the range of readings used in the season of Lent and the themes that might emerge from these, with some concentration on any 'minor characters' in the readings as starting points for sermons. We can spend some time looking at the difficulties that may be inherent in the season's preaching with a focus of Lent 4, Mothering Sunday. We will explore some sermon outlines and perhaps some different genres of sermon that may have a new impact. There will be time to share experience and ideas as well as asking questions.

The workshop will be led by the Revd Dr Michael Beck. Dr Beck has been a priest for 44 years in a variety of settings: mainly parish but also 5 years in a major cathedral, as well as having been a police chaplain and a locum hospital chaplain alongside parochial work. He did his theological training at Kings College London and Lincoln Theological College. His main interests are in preaching and practical theology and he holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Seabury Western Seminary in Chicago. Dr Beck was Director of Reader Ministry for Durham diocese for five years and transferred to Lindisfarne RTP when it was formed, remaining there as a member of the core staff until I 'retired' in 2015. He has since continued as a tutor for Preaching and Theology, Ritual and Pastoral Care as well as tutoring for the Lay Pastoral Ministry Course alongside a continuing active ministry covering for colleagues or with parishes in vacancy for Sundays and Occasional Offices. He has been a member of the College since 1980 and a tutor for over 20 years.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preaching-the-themes-of-lent-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-689953097287?aff=oddtdtcreator. When prompted enter the password Preach116

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

Experimenting with Form in Preaching

Saturday 27 January, 10:00-13:00 | Trinity Theological College, Bristol

Workshop leader: Martin Little

Form is primarily concerned with the structure of a text, rather than style or content. It is closely related to the literary idea of genre. Many of us have a default form or structure that is our 'go-to' for creating a sermon, particularly under the pressure of a Sunday deadline. But how often do we stop to consider alternatives? This workshop explores how we can vary the literary forms we use in preaching to provide fresh perspectives for our preaching and variety for our congregations. We will look at the variety of literary forms within the Bible itself, and discuss how to choose an appropriate form for any given sermon. This workshop, led by the Revd Martin Little, will survey expository, epistolary, narrative, monologue, dialectic, lyrical, visual and other forms.  We will take a look at a variety of sermons and have an opportunity to try out some techniques, with the option to share our experiments with others.

The Revd Martin Little is Vicar of St John the Evangelist in the town of Highbridge, a small church in an area of significant social deprivation within the beautiful county of Somerset.  Martin studied History of Art at The University of Edinburgh, and completed an MA in Theology, Ministry, and Mission at Cranmer Hall in Durham in 2017, where he was taught by the biblical scholar Professor Walter Moberly and The Revd Dr Kate Bruce. After a short-lived stint in banking, he spent ten years in youth and music ministry before ordination in the Church of England. Together with The Revd Jo Stobart, Martin is part of the initiative Grass Roots Theology, bringing free open-access theology days to locations around Somerset.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/experimenting-with-form-in-preaching-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-690061611857?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ticket prices: general, £35; ministry student, £30

Preaching on and through music

Saturday 10 February, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Vicky Johnson

Music is at the very heart of our worshipping life and has long been a means of proclaiming the Gospel; from the music of the psalter, to the gospel canticles, to the ‘psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ sung by the earliest church communities. J.S.Bach, Charles Wesley, and Graham Kendrick all use music to communicate the faith and music runs through the life of the church and marks its liturgical seasons. This session, led by The Revd Canon Dr Vicky Johnson, will explore the use of music in preaching the gospel, whether to inform, enhance or enable our preaching and as a means of connecting congregations to the words of scripture in an experiential way. Canon Victoria Johnson is Precentor of York Minster where she oversees the worship and music of the cathedral. Prior to this she was a residentiary canon at Ely Cathedral combining missional and pastoral portfolios and a parish priest in Manchester. She has taught worship and homiletics for many years, is a trustee of the National Centre for Early Music and The Ryedale Festival and a member of the Mission Theology Advisory Group of the Church of England and the Archbishops’ College of Evangelists. She studied theology at Cambridge and specialised in Liturgy and Homiletics at the Institute of Sacred Music and School of Divinity at Yale, USA. She is currently writing on the theology of voice and researching models of evangelism shaped by liturgy, music and prayer.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preaching-on-and-through-music-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-689915304247?aff=oddtdtcreator. When prompted enter the password Preach210

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

Preaching at Funerals

Monday 12 February, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Jennifer Brown

In today's world, many families want a funeral to be a celebration of the life of the departed. This workshop will consider how we can honour this wish and provide comfort to the bereaved in our funeral preaching while still clearly proclaiming the resurrection hope of the gospel.

The workshop will be led by the Revd Dr Jennifer Brown. Dr Brown is the Director of Training for the College of Preachers and a parish priest in the Church of England's Oxford Diocese, and has more than a decade's experience as a theological educator.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preaching-at-funerals-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-690026246077?aff=oddtdtcreator. When prompted enter the password Preach212

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

Out of the Shadows: preaching the women of the Bible

Saturday 17 February, 10.00-16.00 | Community of the Resurrection, Mirfield

Workshop Leader: Liz Shercliff

From the Israelite women and Pharaoh's daughter saving the life of the infant Moses, the heroic Deborah, Judith, and Esther of the Hebrew scriptures, to the more than 25 women mentioned by name in the New Testament, women are present and often play key roles in the events recorded in the Bible. So why don't we hear about them very often in sermons? What difference would it make to our understanding of the Church and the relationship between God and his people if the women of the Bible featured more in our preaching? This workshop will look at some of these women's stories, how we can preach about them, and why it matters that we do so.

This workshop will be led by the Revd Liz Shercliff. Liz Shercliff is on the staff of the Luther King Centre, Manchester, where she is responsible for chaplaincy programmes and teaches biblical and preaching courses. She was until recently Director of Studies in the Diocese of Chester, and is an occasional lecturer at Emmanuel Theological College and The Nazarene Theological College. She is author of Preaching Women: Gender, Power and the Pulpit, The Present Preacher (with Matt Allen), Straw for the Bricks (with Gary O'Neil), and, with Kate Bruce, Out of the Shadows: Preaching the Women of the Bible. She is also a regular contributor to The Canterbury Preacher's Companion.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/out-of-the-shadows-preaching-the-women-of-the-biblea-preaching-workshop-tickets-690141811737?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ticket prices: general, £50; ministry student, £45 (includes lunch)

Preaching the events of Good Friday as seen through the women’s eyes

Saturday 9 March, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Liz Shercliff

Preaching the Events of Good Friday as Seen Through the Women’s Eyes

Jesus is, naturally, the focus of Good Friday. But through what lens are we focusing? When we hear the story of Good Friday, the encounters with Jesus that are related to us and the perspectives from which the events are seen are often those of the men in the story - the male disciples, the Roman soldiers, the crucified thieves, and Pilate. How would our own perspective on the events of Good Friday change if looked at from the perspective of the women who were there? This workshop will look at Good Friday through the eyes of the women and consider how the insights from this perspective can inform our preaching on and about this important day in the Church's year.

This workshop will be led by the Revd Liz Shercliff. Liz Shercliff is on the staff of the Luther King Centre, Manchester, where she is responsible for chaplaincy programmes and teaches biblical and preaching courses. She was until recently Director of Studies in the Diocese of Chester, and is an occasional lecturer at Emmanuel Theological College and The Nazarene Theological College. She is author of Preaching Women: Gender, Power and the Pulpit, The Present Preacher (with Matt Allen), Straw for the Bricks (with Gary O'Neil), and Out of the Shadows: Preaching the Women of the Bible (with Kate Bruce). She is also a regular contributor to The Canterbury Preacher's Companion.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preaching-the-events-of-good-friday-as-seen-through-the-womens-eyes-tickets-690196043947?aff=oddtdtcreator. When prompted enter the password Preach309

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

The language of resurrection

Monday 11 March, 9.30-14.00 | Gladstone’s Library

Workshop Leader: Rod Garner

How are preachers to speak meaningfully of the Resurrection in a time where informed opinion is ' led by the science', and many lives are troubled by a quiet desperation concerning humanity's future? 

Where are the words, images, and the silences between them to be found that honour scripture and tradition while also exploring new ways of conceiving the future hope that flows from the resurrection of Christ? 

This workshop is for preachers wishing to engage with such questions in a secular age. Preparing for Holy Week and Easter provides the fitting, even urgent context, in which teaching and faithfulness to the word of God can be  enriched by the fruits of theology and the creative imagination.

This half-day workshop will be led by Rod Garner, Anglican priest, writer and theologian. Rod has served in four urban parishes and taught at colleges and universities in the UK and America. He is an Honorary  Fellow at Liverpool Hope University and Emeritus Canon of Liverpool Cathedral. The author of numerous books, including biographies of St John Henry Newman and Josephine Butler, his most recent publication is Outsiders: Marching to a Different Drum (Liverpool Hope University Press 2022). His research interests have included theories of atonement, and the role of the urban church in the 21st century. He is a Tertiary Member of The Order of the Holy Paraclete. 

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-language-of-resurrection-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-690232242217?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-language-of-resurrection-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-690232242217?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ticket prices: general, £40; ministry student, £37.50 (includes lunch)

Connecting OT & NT in our preaching

Saturday 20 April, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Philip Jenson

Many sermons on the New Testament make little or no reference to its foundation in the language and theology of the Old Testament. Preachers often find it even more difficult to relate the Old Testament to the New Testament and to the church today. This workshop explores two helpful ways in which preachers can connect the two Testaments and open up how God is at work both in the past and the present. One approach is through a fresh appreciation of the imagery and archetypes of the Bible. Another is through a sophisticated approach to the Grand Narrative of Scripture that acknowledges both the radical changes throughout the Bible, and the vital significance of every stage of the story. The workshop will emphasize interpretation rather than technique, but will include opportunities for dialogue, questions, and practical work on selected texts.

Philip formerly taught Old Testament at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He is passionate about demonstrating the relevance and excitement of the Old Testament for Christian faith today. He considers that in doing this it is essential to recover a robust Biblical Theology, the discipline that seeks to relate the message of the whole Bible to the present day. These interests are evident in the topic of the workshop, as well as in several Grove booklets that he has written.

Book tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connecting-the-old-new-testaments-in-preaching-a-preaching-workshop-tickets-690737433257?aff=oddtdtcreator. When prompted enter the password Preach420

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

details tbc

Booking for Summer and Autumn 2024 workshops will open in March

Using personal stories in preaching

Saturday 13 July, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Matt Allen

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

details tbc

Exploring the Big Questions in Our Preaching

Thursday 19 September, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Martin Little

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

details tbc

Preaching from Luke’s Gospel

Tuesday 15th October, 10.30-13.00 | Online via Zoom

Workshop Leader: Neil Richardson

Ticket prices: general, £12; ministry student, £10

details tbc