Holy and active listening

“Holy and active listening” means listening openly and attentively to one another with the expectation that God will speak in and through the conversation. In When God Speaks through You, homiletics professor Craig Satterlee helps preachers and their congregations learn to listen to one another with such grace.

Satterlee demonstrates how individuals and groups can identify, clarify, and articulate their convictions about the Christian faith and share them in a nonthreatening manner. He also helps readers discover their expectations of and reactions to preaching itself. The preacher will come to better know what people listen for, and parishioners will better understand what the preacher hopes to accomplish in the sermon.

Creating discussion groups about preaching frequently results in spiritual growth, renewal, deeper appreciation for difference, new perspective, and motivation for the preacher and the discussion group members and, through them, the congregation. These conversations can prepare congregations for broader conversation about how people’s faith convictions shape both their lives and the congregation’s worship, life together, and mission.