Experiential Preaching
This course serves as the foundation for the CPX. For proclamation of God’s good news to be transformative for congregations, sermons must engage not only the mind but also the heart. In this workshop, participants will explore the different tasks of sermon preparation through the lens of inviting hearers to experience the gospel personally instead of only learn about it from a distance.
The course will be taught by Dr. O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology at SMU.
“Where Your Treasure is, There will Your Heart be also”: Preaching Matters of the Heart in the Gospel of Matthew
The word treasure occurs frequently in the Gospel of Matthew. Cognates (or related words) for the word treasure occur more times in Matthew than in any of the Synoptic Gospels. Mark only uses the word once (Mk 10:21). Luke uses it five times (Lk 6:45; 12:21,33,34; 18:22). In contrast, Matthew uses the word eleven times (Mt 2:11; 6:19 [2x],20 [2x],21;12:35 [2x];13:44,52;19:21). Most of those occurrences (five of them) appear in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus seeks to show his disciples what the reign or rule of heaven demands. Literally, he says: “Do not treasure up (thēsaurizete) for yourselves treasures (thēsarous) on earth, where moth and rust consume and where robbers break in and rob. But treasure up (thēsaurizete) for yourselves treasures (thēsaurous) in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where robbers do not break in and rob. For where your treasure (thēsauros) is, there also will be your heart” (6:19-21). What does Matthew say about the connections between the heart and allegiances? This course helps preachers to see the value of reading and preaching Matthew’s Gospel as a work that, among other things, constantly exposes and interrogates allegiances of the heart.
The course will be taught by Dr. Abraham Smith, Professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology at SMU.
Humor Us! The Positive Power of Humor in the Pulpit
This workshop will unleash the positive potential of humor beyond the opening joke. It will present humor as a powerful, often neglected tool of communication and demonstrate how humor can function sermonically to expose hypocrisy, foster compassion, and invite listeners into a shared experience of the presence of God. We’ll practice noticing preachable examples of humor in our inner lives, life around us, and even(!) in the Bible.
The course will be taught by Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship, Perkins School of Theology.
Preaching as Performance/Embodiment
Preaching is far more than the “delivery” of content. Creating experiences of the gospel demands the full involvement of the preacher in finding their voice and embodying the good news. This course will explore the literal and metaphorical power of finding one’s voice in proclaiming the gospel with conviction and passion.
This course is taught by Dr. Nancy Lammers Gross, Arthur Sarell Rudd Associate Professor of Speech Communication in Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, and draws on her book Women’s Voices and the Practice of Preaching (2017).
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for each course taken. Each class earns participants .33 CEUs. 4 classes = 1.33 CEUs, 5 classes =.1.66 CEUs. Please email to register to receive CEUs for the completed classes.