Ever since the 1971 publication of Fred Craddock's As One Without Authority, many mainline preachers have been encouraged to structure their sermons inductively, beginning with specific examples and experiences and not stating the "point" of the sermon until nearly the end. However, many homileticians are currently arguing that the trend favoring inductive, or narrative, preaching has run its course. Nowadays many preachers are more likely to structure their sermons deductively: "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them in three or four or five specific points, and then tell them what you've told them." While the technology utilized in Power Point sermon outlines may be new, the deductive form at of such sermons could easily be mistaken for sermon outlines from the 1950s. This project acknowledges this particular preacher's strong proclivity for preaching inductively, and demonstrates what happened when the preacher committed to preaching an equal number of inductive and deductive sermons. This project also examines the responses of listeners in a particular congregation to a variety of inductive and deductive sermons. This project will show that while many listeners do seem to appreciate hearing a variety of sermon forms, it is not easy to predict which listeners will prefer certain forms based on learning styles or personality types. Nonetheless, many homileticians advocate preaching a variety of sermon forms as an act of "pastoral care" that seeks to reach as many listeners as possible. Finally, given the fluidity of sermon styles and structures in today's rapidly changing, "emerging church" culture, the need to be rhetorically nimble and to develop a wide repertoire of both sermon and worship forms may be greater than ever.
