The Roundtable Pulpit: Where Leadership and Preaching Meet

Collaboration is one of the best ways to make a difference when leading a congregation. Now John S. McClure shows how collaborative preaching is the best way to inspire and guide a congregation.

Most preachers use a sovereign leader-centered style or an inductive (consultative) style of preaching. John McClure shows why these styles are sometimes manipulative and ineffective: they do not take seriously the spiritual wisdom and tested experience that are present in God's people - the laity. In collaborative preaching, a revolving, expanding roundtable is established, where a pastor and as many as ten church members meet to discuss the concerns and ministries of the congregation. The pastor speaks prophetically each Sunday on behalf of this roundtable and honors the Holy Spirit who is at work among the whole people.

2005: John S. McClure is Charles G. Finney Professor of Homiletics
Chair of the Graduate Department of Religion, Vanderbilt University.



He was Frank H. Caldwell Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics at Louisville Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He has tested collaborative preaching with several congregations. His published works include The Four Codes of Preaching: Rhetorical Strategies; Proclamation 5, Pentecost I, 1994; and numerous articles in preaching journals.