As the nineteenth-century German theologian Tholuck said, "A sermon ought to have heaven for its father and the earth for its mother." But if such sermons are to be born, heaven and earth have to meet in the preacher.
John R. W. Stott

Billy Graham preaching in an elevator would be a little overwhelming, but Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood" teaching in the Los Angeles Coliseum might tend to underwhelm. The number of listeners determines much about the style of preaching. What flies with one group flops with another.How you convince a handful differs from how you sway a crowd. Even the optimum content for a sermon will vary with the size of the congregation. Some subjects work best in the give-and-take of a group; others shine in mass meetings. Certain techniques lend themselves to a midsized crowd; others to an intimate setting. Skillful preachers select their subjects and techniques with an eye to the audience.This is the subject William Kruidenier explores in the following chapter. ...