Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Robert Stephen Reid, Emeritus Professor of Communication at the University of Dubuque

Description: Whether you are a pastor standing on the church platform, a professor engaging questions of faith, an author or a digital faith content creator seeking to encourage faith, you need to be able to frame what you have to say to fit the audience to whom you are (p)reaching. Most of us have a default, one-size fits all “screen” that shapes the implicit or explicit response we hope to elicit. Yet audiences searching for meaningful faith talk and text are increasingly diverse in the worldview questions they bring to these engagements. So, Christian communicators who want to be effective in reaching people with differing worldviews will want to know what their own default worldview voice is since that voice is the second nature set of assumptions of their faith appeals. They will also want to know how they can bring greater congruence and authenticity in the expression of this voice as their witness to faith in God. So, in this workshop you will gain fresh insight into the dominant, second-nature voice you depend on that speaks your faith, and discover ways to shift your (p)reaching voice as needed to help take listeners on a shared journey of coming-to-understanding in matters of faith.

Robert Stephen Reid (PhD, University of Washington) is Emeritus Professor of Communication at the University of Dubuque, where he served as Dept Head for 14 years and Director of the graduate Master of Arts in Communication (MAC) program for 17 years. He served as homiletics faculty for the Seattle School of Theology and Ministry and Fuller Theological Seminary, Northwest. He also served as the Convener of the Rhetoric Working Group of the Academy of Homiletics from 2000-2015. Bob’s revised edition of The Four Voices of Preaching (Integratio Press, 20024) is now available. It is one five books about preaching/homiletics he has published. Notable in his published essays is the overarching introductory essay on the Rhetoric division of The New Interpreter’s Handbook of Preaching (Abingdon Press: 2008) that examines preaching from the perspective of “Seeking a Response.” Connect with Bob here: https://robertreid.academia.edu/