When the authors of this book set about analyzing the data and reporting the findings of their extensive study on how laity hear sermons, they thought they would be sharing what listeners reported helps them enter into the meaning of a sermon and what keeps them from hearing what the preacher is saying. In a way, Believing in Preaching accomplishes this. But what the authors and researchers did not anticipate was the remarkable diversity with respect to how people listen to sermons. The authors no longer speak of the way people listen to sermons, as if everyone hears sermons in the same way. They speak instead of different clusters or patterns of listening that are present even in the same congregation and certainly in different congregations. Using excerpts from the study interviews to illustrate the diversity of answers, Believing in Preaching is organized around ten patterns of responses that reveal the range of ideas active within many congregations. The authors reflect on what we can learn about preaching from laity and include theological reflection on how the listeners' understanding of preaching fits with and even shapes their understanding and living out of the Christian faith.
