ACTIVE LISTENING: A TOOL FOR INCREASING SERMON EFFECTIVENESS

It has often been assumed that preaching is basically a monological activity. Attempts have been made to have the sermon become a more active, dialogical form of communication between the participants.;The process used in the action or testing phase of this project were: (1) a training in listening and the use of the paraphrased response; (2) a sermon questionnaire upon which responses for sermon content and meaning could be recorded plus additional related information; (3) feedback sessions in which the paraphrased responses could be shared as a way to measure one's personal listening skills, to reinforce those skills by listening to the responses of other persons, and to offer the preacher a chance to hear what others were hearing in respect to the sermon preached; (4) a comparison with the congregation in general to measure the differences in listening levels.;The results of the project clearly revealed that persons trained in active listening more accurately heard the central content and meaning of the sermon, better retained and assimilated the message, and discovered preaching to be a more vital, deeper means to spiritual growth. In addition, the paraphrased responses gave a standard by which communication could be measured, and the feedback sessions created a feeling of mutual sharing in the faith for the participants.;In summary, active listening not only does increase sermon effectiveness but also becomes a means through which Christian growth takes place in preaching.;One area that seems to have been neglected in enhancing communication in preaching is that of active listening. As basic as listening may be, most persons are poor listeners, and unfortunately, this key element to all verbal communication has generally been ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this professional project is to explore the possibility of using active listening as a tool to enhance communication in preaching, thereby increasing sermon effectiveness as well.