One Gospel, Many Ears: Preaching for Different Listeners in the Congregation

Every time a congregation gathers for worship, many different people, from different points in life, with different needs and perspectives come together; each refracting messages through their own lenses. Each person processes communication in ways that are influenced by age, gender, race, personality type, ethnicity, education, and social and economic backgrounds. Jeter and Allen explore how these factors affect the ways in which members of the congregation receive and process sermons, and how the preacher can optimize the opportunity for each to hear and understand the gospel and one another.

Ronald J. Allen is Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He is author of many books, including Patterns of Preaching and Interpreting the Gospel, and coauthor of One Gospel, Many Ears and Listening to Listeners, all from Chalice Press.Joseph R. Jeter, Jr., is Granville and Erline Walker Professor of Homiletics at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas, and is the author of Re/Membering from Chalice Press.