One of the best things about working at Moorlands College is that I get to teach a module on preaching and communication. I feel a bit like Moses’ mum who ended up being paid for a job she’d gladly have done for nothing! One of the features of the programme is to invite several leaders from different denominations to preach a sermon to the class. We make two simple requests: 1 it must be a sermon preached recently to their own congregation, and 2 they must be willing to answer questions about how they prepare to preach.
Most students rate it as a highlight of the course because they catch a glimpse of what I consider the best definition of preaching, delivered by Bishop Phillips Brooks at the Divinity School of Yale College in 1877; “Preaching is the bringing of truth through personality”. By bringing in a mixture of preachers the class
