EMMA INESON is Principal of Trinity College Bristol, having previously trained there for ordination and subsequently serving for seven years as Tutor in Practical and Pastoral Theology. Following ordination, Emma and her husband Mat went on to a job-share curacy in the Diocese of Sheffield, before spending four years as chaplains of the Lee Abbey community in Devon. This instilled in Emma the significance of community as a primary means of transformation, a theme she continues to pursue at Trinity. Emma is a member of General Synod of the Church of England. Her PhD research explored power and authority in the language of worship, and the interface between language and faith continues to fascinate her. Having been on the receiving end of warm hospitality at the home of Emma and Mat, and knowing something of Emma’s concern to see the church equip disciples for the whole of life, I was grateful for her willingness to respond to a few questions on the significance of preaching.
AB We seem to go through phases where the value of preaching is called into question – it’s seen as passé, or overly authoritarian, or not able to communicate with people more used to watching YouTube videos than listening to monologues. And then there are other times where preaching seems to come into its own. Plus, the reality is that most churches still devote a significant chunk of their gathered worship to opening up a passage of the Bible. What’s your own sense of how the importance of preaching is currently perceived?
