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PT500 Introduction to Preaching

Rm 304/Chapel
W 8:30-11:15
Richard F Ward, Instructor
Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship
X6449
Richard.Ward@ptstulsa.edu
Richardfward51@gmail.com

Description You will receive in this course an introduction to one of the central ministries of the
Christian church—the art and craft of preaching. We will concentrate on the theories, theologies,
and practices that inform and enrich the ministry of preaching. It will focus on the ‘why’ of
preaching and proclamation as well as the ‘ how’ and ‘what’. There are prerequisites—namely
NT 500 and TE 500—since students will be expected to have a basic knowledge of biblical
exegesis and theological interpretation. The class size is limited.

Learning Goals At the end of this course, you should be able to:
 Prepare and speak sermons in a congregational setting
 Develop a homiletical idea from a text, theme, or image
 Be conversant with the literature in homiletics that increases one’s knowledge of
preaching
 Offer helpful feedback to fellow preachers
 Assess one’s own strengths and areas of growth in the ministry of preaching

Methods of Teaching The students in this class will work towards their learning goals through:
 Attentive and critical reading of assigned texts
 Watching and listening to recorded sermons
 Practice preaching
 Writing exegetical papers for preaching from assigned texts
 Offering helpful feedback to peers

Evaluation and Assessment Students will be evaluated on their progress and achievement of
learning goals by means of:
 The traditional grading system in place at PTS
 Feedback on practice preaching from the instructor and peers1

List of Assignments
 Classwork: attendance, discussion of readings, practice preaching (oral exercises and
‘mini-sermons’, quality of feedback offered to peers
 Two homiletical essays, each modeled after the essays in Feasting on the Word. (960-
1040 words each). The essays may focus on the designated categories for entries into that
volume: “Exegetical”, “Theological”, “Pastoral”, “Homiletical”

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Individual sermons are not graded. Preaching will be graded as classwork in a manner similar to the ways that
preaching is assessed and evaluated in congregational settings
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 Two full sermons, each to be preached in class and recorded. Each sermon will be 10-12
minutes on texts selected from Feasting on the Word.

Attendance Policy The PTS policy reads: “Class attendance and participation are important.
Any student who misses 20% or more of the class contact hours for a course, for any reason,
cannot pass or successfully audit that course. The intention of the policy is not to be punitive, but
to recognize that students should retake courses for credit if they miss a significant number of the
class contact hours” (PTS catalogue)

Disability Policy Phillips Theological Seminary is committed to providing equal access to its
programs of graduate professional education for all qualified students with learning, physical,
medical, and/or psychological disabilities. The Seminary aims to provide reasonable
accommodation for qualified individuals (based on clinical documentation) to ensure their access
and participation in Seminary programs2.

Texts and DVDs:

David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor eds. Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 4
Season After Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville,
KY 2010. ISBN: 978-0-664-23103-3.

Paul Scott Wilson, ed. The New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching Abingdon, 2008.

Reserve:

Patterns of Preaching. Ronald J. Allen ed

Great Preacher Series (DVD)

Schedule of Topics:

Sept 1 Introductions, Review of the Syllabus and Expectations for the Course
In class exercise: identifying your ‘preaching parents”

Early beginnings in homiletics

Assignment for next week: Read the following articles in NIBHOP (New Interpreters’ Bible
Handbook of Preaching)

“Authority (Theology)” p.440; “Sermon as Proclamation” p.414 “Theology of Proclamation” p.

493 ;“Word of God” p. 502

Sept 8 Theologies of Preaching and Proclamation

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For details, see ‘Disabilities Policies and Proced`ures” in the Student Handbook, pp.17-18
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Assignment for Next Week: “Exegesis of the Self” p.; 267; “Devotional life/lifestyle” p. 227;
“Character” p. 225; “Oral/Aural Communication” p. 356; “Performative Language”, p. 234;
“Metaphor and Figures of Speech” p. 193

Sept 15 1. Preaching as an Oral Event; 2. Preaching and Selfhood

Assignment for next week: “African American Biblical Interpretation” p. 3; “Exegesis”, p. 17;
“Liberation Criticism” p. 45; “Feminist Criticism” p. 149; “Four Senses of Scripture” p. 28;
“Without Notes” p. 429 The exegetical essays in Feasting pp. 98-121 (Proper 21, Year C)
Recommended: Sermons from part 4 in Ron Allen’s Patterns (on reserve)

Sept 22 1. Preaching from a Text (exegesis for preaching), 2. Preaching Without Notes
(extemporaneous preaching)

Assignment for Next week: Read “The Four Pages of the Sermon” p. 384; “The Preacher’s
Week” p. 241; “Inductive” p. 390; “Narrative Form” p. 396; “New Homiletic” p. 398; “Point
Form” p. 401; “Focus and Function Statements” p. 187; “Illustrations” p. 189 Recommended:
read the following sermons in Ron Allen’s Patterns of Preaching (on reserve). Paul Scott Wilson,
p. 80-86; R. Scott Colglazier, p. 22-28; L Susan Bond, p. 64-70; Eugene Lowry, p. 93-97

Sept 29 Finding Form and Function in Preaching

Assignment: Prepare to speak a‘mini-sermon’ without the assistance of notes

Oct 6 Mini-Sermons

Assignment for after break Write your first homiletical essay on one of the following texts:
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Ps 149; Eph 1: 11-23; Lk 6:20-31 DUE: October 15th

Reading: “Anthropology”, p. 435; “Funeral” p. 385; “Mystagogical Preaching” p. 394; “”Seeker

Messages”, p. 411; “Special Occasion”, p. 419; “Wedding”, p. 426

October 11-15; 18-23rd Concentrated Course Weeks

Oct 27th Special Topics in Preaching (see reading list above)

Assignment Read: “Anxiety” p. 217; “Manuscript” p. 394; “Performing the Manuscript” p. 236;
“The Preacher’s Creative Process” p. 239

Nov 3 Preparing to Preach a Full Length Sermon—A Workshop

Nov 10th In class preaching and discussion—1st round

Nov 17th In class preaching and discussion 1st round

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DUE: 2nd homiletical essay. Use one of the following texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Ps 46; Col 1:11-20;
Lk 23:33-43

Nov 24 Make up/ More Special Topics

Thanksgiving Break

Dec 1 In-class preaching and discussion—round 2

Dec 8 In class preaching and discussion—round 2

Bring in a prayer for the preaching ministries of your classmates

We will dismiss with worship on the 15th

December 15th—prayers and wrap-up