Creativity in Preaching

James L. Heflin  |  Southwestern Journal of Theology Vol. 31 - Spring 1995

Creativity in Preaching. By J. Grant Howard. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1987. 112 pages. Paper, $6.95.  

You can be a creative preacher. In order to be creative, says Howard, “take the things that have been created and use them in new and different ways” (p. 21). Creativity requires some experimentation, and the author hopes to stimulate a willingness to experiment.  

Grant Howard is professor of pastoral theology at Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He also has served as a pastor. This volume offers suggestions for experimentation in preaching. Though he encourages the preacher to be creative, Howard also retains his commitment to the basics. He reaffirms the four essential elements in preaching—the text, the congregation, the preacher, and the act of preaching—in chapter one. In the remaining chapters (2-7) he says that good preaching will creatively re-create the life-settings of the text, of the congregation, and of the preacher, and creatively employ life-setting preaching methods. The last two chapters provide suggestions for the use of the audio and print media and visual aids in preaching, with interesting options for variety. 

This volume stirs interest in creativity and offers some good ways to get started. Some of the suggestions stretch the limits for an oral medium, but the preacher wise enough to experiment should know how to be selective.  

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