Preaching That Speaks to Women

In most twenty-first century congregations, women outnumber men by as much as fifty percent or more. Unfortunately, masculine anecdotes and a lack of understanding of the different ways women and men listen, learn, and perceive ideas of leadership and power leave many women feeling detached from the messages conveyed from the pulpit. How can a pastor effectively minister to both men and women? How do the ways in which women understand sermons differ from those of men? Preaching That Speaks to Women invites preachers to consider how gender affects the way sermons are understood and calls them to preaching that relates to the entire congregation. Drawing from her experience as a teacher of ministry students, as well as her experience as a missionary, conference speaker, and radio Bible teacher, Alice Mathews explores both the myths and legitimate boundaries for speaking about women as listeners. She considers the ways women think about themselves, make ethical decisions, handle stress, learn, and view leadership and power and applies the results to the task of preaching. Mathews advocates effective preaching that does not ignore women or merely typecast women in narrowly defined roles.

Alice P. Mathews (Ph.D., Iliff School of Theology and University of Denver) is Lois W. Bennett Distinguished Associate Professor of Educational Ministries and Women's Ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Previously, Alice served as a missionary in Europe for seventeen years, taught at Denver Seminary, and was dean of the Seminary of the East (Philadelphia Center). She is widely known as co-host (with Haddon Robinson) of the daily Bible-teaching radio programDiscover the Word. She is the author of A Woman God Can Lead, A Woman Jesus Can Teach,and A Woman God Can Use.