Effective preaching in "traditional orality" congregations requires preachers to anchor their sermons with strong stories and images, elements that connect especially with the parts of the brain that evoke feeling and motivate action. Sociobiological research and some forms of postliberal homiletics suggest this approach is effective in motivating Twenty-First Century congregations in the direction of doing their faith. I support this conclusion with a four-year preaching project in a "traditional orality" congregation, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Minonk, IL, a project that traces my change from the "idea-anchored" preaching style I learned in seminary to an "emotion-anchored" style that uses story and image more effectively. With input from groups of members from that congregation, I engaged in a process of preparing sermons anchored by stories and images that helped us engage with particular preaching texts. Then I sought responses through group interviews to see if these sermons helped people reflect more deeply on the sermon and its implications for their behavior. This process has encouraged me to develop a preaching style that better incorporates my mid-career wealth of emotional wisdom and better engages the listening participation of my congregation.
