http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/140758318

Applying factors from the preparation and delivery of children's sermons to a broader worship context in order to enhance the effectiveness of biblical preaching in an intergenerational setting

Preachers today face congregations in which there is an increasing diversity in terms ofwhat people know of Scripture, their experience with God, and their experience with different learning styles. People of all ages come to worship having been daily bombarded with all kinds of information for most oftheir waking hours. Pastors and congregations have for years acknowledged that one ofthe most memorable parts of the worship hour is often the children's sermon. Why does a sermon that connects with children sometimes engage adults in a more compelling way than the sermons prepared for the adults? Are there connections between the principles of effective expository preaching and the very things in a good children's sermon that hold the attention and capture the hearts ofthe adults who are listening in? Some congregations in which there is no nursery provided for young children have, of necessity, learned to accommodate and more fully include younger members ofthe church family. Those who extend this inclusion to the preached word notice a benefit to the adults as well. This thesis-project discusses the challenge ofpreaching to intergenerational congregations, reviews theological issues and relevant literature, and provides a handbook to help pastors and congregations explore ways to better connect the truth of God's word to the lives of God's people by being more mindful of children and young people when preparing and preaching biblical sermons.

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