Sherman Haywood Cox II, Author at Soul Preaching

Notes or No Notes…What is important?

April 26, 2007October 22, 2009

Joseph Webb stated that passion is more important than eloquence in his book Preaching Without Notes. I heard a preacher who is pretty effective with a full manuscript. A few weeks ago he preached a sermon that moved many people. However, today he preached a sermon completely without notes. He did have more passion than normal. He also moved around and had better eye contact with the people. But, his sermon had some major structural problems.

blog / Without Notes

Options for Preaching without Notes

April 24, 2007October 22, 2009

How do they do it? All of us have seen the ministers preaching without notes. They seem to show a confidence and power. But the question many preacher’s ask is how do they do it?

blog / General / Black Church

Alcoholics Anonymous or Church – Where is the Community?

April 24, 2007October 22, 2009

The Reformed Blacks of America Blog has a post up on the community of care created by Alcoholics Anonymous groups. One seminary student said to the author:

Ã¢â‚¬Å“Michael, I felt more accepted and received amongst that group of individuals than I do my own church family.Ã¢â‚¬Â

blog / Preaching

Systematic Sermon Listening

April 21, 2007October 22, 2009

The very interesting Blog Unashamed Workman has a post up on systematic sermon listening. The author notes that he listens to a lot of sermons, but has not systematically listened to sermons. Now he has compiled a list of sermons that will take him all the way through the Book of Genesis.

blog / Black Church

Is Your Church Musician Being Paid?

April 19, 2007October 22, 2009

“Higher Compensation for Musicians” is the third trend that Martha Simmons wrote about in the African American Pulpit Spring Edition of 2007.

blog / Black Church

What’s Happening to Sunday School?

April 18, 2007October 22, 2009

Now we continue our look in the I would encourage all to subscribe to the African American Pulpit Spring Edition of 2007. As noted before, that issue is dedicated to discussing 21 trends in the contemporary Black church.

Theme or Story

Black Church / blog

Clergy Couples in the Black Church

April 17, 2007October 22, 2009

I would encourage all to subscribe to the African American Pulpit and especially purchase the Spring Edition of 2007. That issue is dedicated to discussing 21 trends in the contemporary Black church.

Aphorisms and Hesitation

April 16, 2007October 22, 2009

Henry Mitchell notes that these two features of Black Preaching Style are not as dominant as other ones. Mitchell notes that aphorisms are common in all traditions of preaching, but aphorisms or “clever, pithy statements.”

blog / Preaching Methods

Black Preacher as a Student of Words

April 13, 2007October 22, 2009

In the Class Preaching in the Black Tradition, I saw one of my classmates, Rev. John Cox, with a hand held computer. I saw he had a hand held Bible in one hand and one of those computers in the other. He was punching things into it. I asked him after class, what is that computer?

Slow Delivery and Repetition

April 11, 2007October 22, 2009

As we continue our series on Black Preaching Style, Henry Mitchell notes that a slower rate of vocal speed is usually used when presenting Black sermons. He notes that there are those who do have rapid fire delivery. Dr. Frederick D.

Preaching Style / Preaching Methods

Subjectivity and Rhetorical Flair in Preaching

April 10, 2007October 22, 2009

Henry Mitchell states: “Real soul preaching demands rhetorical flair” in the book Black Preaching: The Recovery of a Powerful Art. He also states: “The flow and phraseology of the King James Version will never die in America while Black Christianity stays Black.”

Black preaching demands not just saying what you want to say, but the way in which you say it. The preacher should use “rhetorical flair” to aid the presentation of the gospel through the sermonic event.

Preaching Methods / Preaching Style

Story Telling and Role Playing

April 9, 2007October 22, 2009

As Henry Mitchell notes in his book Black Preaching: The recovery of a lost art, African American preachers often engage in a sermon that is “story telling.” sometimes they even change into the character that they are preaching and preach a first person story.

General / blog

Do You Hear It?

April 5, 2007October 22, 2009

Preaching Style / Preaching Methods

Black Preaching Style – Call and Response

April 3, 2007October 22, 2009

Call and Response is one of the central components of Black preaching. The congregational participation is so important that many preachers subconsciously pause to leave room for the congregation to respond.

Author: Sherman Haywood Cox II

Notes or No Notes…What is important?

Options for Preaching without Notes

Alcoholics Anonymous or Church – Where is the Community?

Systematic Sermon Listening

Is Your Church Musician Being Paid?

What’s Happening to Sunday School?

Theme or Story

Clergy Couples in the Black Church

Aphorisms and Hesitation

Black Preacher as a Student of Words

Slow Delivery and Repetition

Subjectivity and Rhetorical Flair in Preaching

Story Telling and Role Playing

Do You Hear It?

Black Preaching Style – Call and Response

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