Fortress Press

Working Preacher Books

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A new series of compelling, timely books on biblical preaching.

Luther Seminary and Fortress Press are launching a new book series called Working Preacher Books. We believe that God uses good preaching to change lives. Our books will help preachers make the Bible come alive every time they preach.

Working Preacher Books will provide:

  • engaging exegesis for lectionary preachers;
  • practical insights on the art and craft of preaching;
  • innovative ideas about integrating topical series;
  • and more!

What you won't find is someone else's sermons, sermon outlines or illustrations, or multivolume, academic works that weigh down your bookshelf. Instead, think of Working Preacher Books as an extension of WorkingPreacher.org, where we take deep dives on the topics, issues, and questions that matter most to ministry professionals as you engage a complex world and changing church from the pulpit.

  • For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions

    For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions

    Beverly Zink-Sawyer (Author), Donna Giver-Johnston (Author)

    In For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions, Beverly Zink-Sawyer and Donna Giver-Johnston offer a process for creating biblically grounded, relevant sermons for events that arise from calendars, celebrations, or circumstances by considering the occasion, the gathered listeners, and the ways God is at work in that season.

    $19.99

  • The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word

    The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word

    Steve Thomason (Author)

    In The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word, Steve Thomason's winsomely illustrated text shows preachers basic principles and visual techniques to create and use images that will make them even more effective communicators than they already are. Preachers need not be skilled artists or technological wizards to apply Thomason's ideas.

    $19.99

  • Divine Laughter: Preaching and the Serious Business of Humor

    Divine Laughter: Preaching and the Serious Business of Humor

    Karl N. Jacobson (Author), Rolf A. Jacobson (Author), William H. Willimon (Foreword by)

    The authors look closely at both the cultural phenomenon of stand-up comedy and theories of humor, asking what preachers can learn from both. Divine Laughter brings the task of preaching into conversation with both the comedic parts of the Bible and the theological parts of the comedic in order to bring a new kind of life to preaching.

    $19.99

  • Real People, Real Faith: Preaching Biblical Characters

    Real People, Real Faith: Preaching Biblical Characters

    Cindy Halvorson (Author)

    Real People, Real Faith portrays biblical characters as multidimensional human beings who journeyed with God. Cindy Halvorson provides practical tools for creating portraits of real people whose relationship with God is like our own. Being touched by a biblical character's story can help one experience the Divine's love and care for them.

    $18.99

  • Honest to God Preaching: Talking Sin, Suffering, and Violence

    Honest to God Preaching: Talking Sin, Suffering, and Violence

    Brent A. Strawn (Author)

    Brent A. Strawn focuses on the importance of honesty in preaching, especially around three challenging Old Testament themes: sin, suffering, and violence. He makes the case that preaching honestly about these topics is critical in the church today. Without honesty regarding them, there is no way forward to reconciliation, health, and recovery. He frames this work specifically for working preachers, to help them speak to these thorny themes with depth and clarity.

    $19.99

  • The Peoples’ Sermon: Preaching as a Ministry of the Whole Congregation

    The Peoples’ Sermon: Preaching as a Ministry of the Whole Congregation

    Shauna Hannan (Author)

    In The People's Sermon, Shauna K. Hannan argues that preaching is not a solo endeavor. It is a communal practice, a ministry of the whole congregation that is most faithful when the process is shared. She invites readers to reflect on what preaching is and to explore roles in the congregation's preaching ministry. Further, she guides readers and their communities through a process that will equip hearers for their roles in the preaching ministry.

    $19.99

  • Preaching the Headlines: Possibilities and Pitfalls

    Preaching the Headlines: Possibilities and Pitfalls

    Lisa L. Thompson (Author)

    Preaching the Headlines reframes preaching as an ongoing conversation between the modern world and the world of the biblical text. Preachers use what they know about life as a bridge to the text, while life in the text provides the bridge back to faith in the contemporary world. The goal of the book is to provide a process to aid preachers in doing theological reflection on the everyday world as an integral part of sermon development.

    $19.99

  • Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart

    Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart

    Donna Giver-Johnston (Author)

    In Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart, Donna Giver-Johnston teaches preachers how to communicate effectively--how to get away from their notes and make a more personal connection with their listeners. Grounded in a theology of the incarnation, she offers a step-by-step method for writing sermons with the fewest, most impactful and memorable words and delivered by heart to communicate a message that captures the ears and hearts of listeners.

    $19.99

  • Preaching Jeremiah: Announcing God's Restorative Passion

    Preaching Jeremiah: Announcing God's Restorative Passion

    Walter Brueggemann (Author), Carolyn J Sharp (Foreword by)

    In this book, Walter Brueggemann conducts in an experiment in homiletics. He wants us to wrestle with the question: What if we allow the canonical shape of the book of Jeremiah to instruct us concerning the shape and trajectory of the sermon? The preaching task requires honesty about what God requires and a clear proclamation of what God has done and will yet do.

    $5.00

    $19.99Save 75%

  • A Lay Preacher’s Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon

    A Lay Preacher’s Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon

    Karoline M. Lewis (Author)

    In A Lay Preacher's Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon, Karoline M. Lewis provides lay preachers with an essential and accessible guide to the basics of Sunday-morning preaching. In this go-to resource for lay preachers, Lewis lays out in a concise and clear format the steps to preaching a faithful sermon, a process that can be immediately applied to weekly sermon preparation.

    $21.99

  • The Gospel People Don't Want to Hear: Preaching Challenging Messages

    The Gospel People Don't Want to Hear: Preaching Challenging Messages

    Lisa Cressman (Author)

    Lisa Cressman, founder of Backstory Preaching, provides tools to craft difficult sermon messages that can be heard. Part 1 focuses on the preacher's preparation, the building of mutual trust with listeners, and the authority needed to proclaim the gospel with empathy, compassion, and skill. Part 2 focuses on the sermon itself with practical suggestions on what to say and how to say it.

    $4.75

    $18.99Save 75%

  • Leading with the Sermon: Preaching as Leadership

    Leading with the Sermon: Preaching as Leadership

    William H. Willimon (Author)

    Prolific author William H. Willimon makes the compelling case that two key pastoral tasks--preaching and leadership--complement, correct, strengthen, and inform one another. Preaching is the distinctive function of pastoral leaders. Leadership of the church, particularly during a challenging time of transition in mainline Protestantism, has become a pressing concern for pastors. This book shows how the practices, skills, and intentions of Christian preaching can be helpful to the leadership of a congregation.

    $18.99

  • Preaching from the Old Testament

    Preaching from the Old Testament

    Walter Brueggemann (Author), Rolf A. Jacobson (Foreword by)

    Walter Brueggemann shows Christian preachers how to consider the faith witnessed in several Old Testament traditions and to help them discover rich and suggestive connections to our contemporary faith challenges. He claims that sustained engagement with the Old Testament is worth the effort for the preacher. This volume is part of the new Working Preacher Books series designed to provide timely and compelling books on biblical preaching. God uses good preaching to change lives.

    $18.99

  • Digital Homiletics: The Theology and Practice of Online Preaching

    Digital Homiletics: The Theology and Practice of Online Preaching

    Sunggu A. Yang (Author)

    Digital Homiletics demystifies the art of online preaching and helps readers understand both the why and the how of engaging listeners in digital formats. After laying a concise and accessible theological foundation, Yang shares ten methods for effective digital preaching. Readers will find concrete tips and advice for sharing God's word online.

    $19.99

    Available April 30, 2024

  • Preaching the Gospel of Justice: Good News in Community

    Preaching the Gospel of Justice: Good News in Community

    Jennifer L. Ackerman (Author)

    The call to holistic preaching has many dimensions. Are we called to preach the good news of God's grace? Advocate for justice? Is preaching worship? A prophetic act? "Yes," Ackerman answers--to all of the above. Through personal stories, biblical examples, and concrete advice, readers will learn how to join gospel and justice in community.

    $19.99

    Available April 30, 2024

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