Preaching and Music: Powerful Partners in Proclamation

In the current conversation around what makes preaching compelling, Williams’ voice is distinct: compelling sermons allow music to do its share of the preaching, as only music can. Whether through musically book-ending the sermon, drawing on popular music for illustrations, or turning a hymn into a series of mini-sermons, this volume explores several accessible ways to enrich sermon preparation and delivery by partnering sermon and song. Williams is a worthy guide, with degrees in both church music and homiletics and with sensitivity drawn from her pastoral background. With insightful clarity and practiced wisdom, she engages both preachers and musicians in each chapter. This book is a rich resource for the homiletician’s syllabus, the preacher’s bookshelf, and the music minister’s library.

Catherine E. Williams is associate professor of preaching and worship at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvnia. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Church Music, summa cum laude, from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, a Master of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary. Williams is an active member of the Academy of Homiletics and the Hymn Society of the US and Canada.