The purpose of this research project is to find avenues to connect peoples’ stories to the broad Christian Story. In a time when competing stories vie for the attention of congregants, the sermon becomes an essential vehicle to convey the message of God’s love and grace. By connecting people’s stories to the Christian Story, people are able to see who they are and whose they are, and are invited to become what God calls them to be. This project examines how different theological worldviews contribute to how people understand the Gospel. Using the work of W. Paul Jones, sermons are focused on five theological worldviews and are examined to see the effectiveness of communicating the message. There was not sufficient data to determine that focusing on theological worldviews proved more effective, however, the implication for preaching is that by broadening the scope of preaching sermons become more accessible to a wider audience.
