The Witness of Preaching

Ministers and preachers come from within the church, not to it from the outside. Basing his book on this premise, Long shows seminary students and pastors how to reach beyond themselve and the congregation to the greater reality of God's presence and concern for all the world. His clear writing style will appeal to ministers and students from all churches and denominations.

"Tom Long’s wisdom about the practice of preaching is matched only by his care for the person of the preacher. In this new edition of his classic text, he helps those engaged in the ministry of proclamation to think more deeply about what we do and why we are doing it. He also reminds us that we are not as alone as we sometimes feel, which makes this book an essential resource for all who bear public witness to the gospel." --Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Seeds of Heaven

"Like the first edition of The Witness of Preaching, this new edition offers excellence in scholarship that never gets lost in theory. Tom Long puts flesh and blood on his wise homiletical guidance so that readers not only come to new understandings of the preaching craft, but can see and hear how to put this guidance into practice. Reading this book feels like a conversation with a wise mentor, a conversation always grounded in the reality of living congregations. Seasoned preachers, as well as students, will be energized by this lively conversation. If you can choose only one book as a partner in your own preaching journey, this is the one." --Barbara K. Lundblad, Joe R. Engle Associate Professor of Preaching, Union Theological Seminary