On Preaching
About this ebook
This book is about the craft of preaching: how listeners receive meaning, how delivery shapes understanding, and how the smallest choices in voice, structure, and presence can transform whether a message lands or is lost. It begins not with what you want to say, but with what people are able to hear. In so doing, people are drawn in to God's word, enabling them to live out his message.
Written for seasoned preachers and first-timers alike, this accessible guide assumes you already have something worth saying. It also assumes that your message will be heard more clearly, more generously, and more deeply if you develop the skills to communicate it with craft, confidence, and care.
In a world overwhelmed by noise, misinformation, and endless digital distraction, Stephen Cottrell insists that the ancient art of oratory still matters today - and offers ideas and encouragements to ensure your preaching ministry comes alive and that you make every word count.
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About the author
Stephen Cottrell is the Archbishop of York and was for almost ten years Bishop of Chelmsford; before that he was Bishop of Reading. He has worked in parishes in London and Chichester, as Canon Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral, as Missioner in the Wakefield diocese and as part of Springboard, the Archbishop of Canterbury's evangelism team.
He has written widely on evangelism, spirituality and discipleship. Among his most recent books are On Priesthood (2020), a series of Lent and Holy Week meditations, The Things He Carried (2008), a follow up of reflections for Easter Day, The Things He Said (2009), The Nail: Being part of the Passion (2011) and Christ in the Wilderness: Reflecting on the paintings of Stanley Spencer (2012). His bestselling I Thirst was the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent book for 2004.
