Harkening to the Sound: The Influence of a Clergyperson's Vocal Code on the Homiletical Message with Recommendations for Transplanted Preachers

Abstract

In the field of homiletics, attention is given to structure, content, and delivery, but previous work has often neglected to consider how the sound of a clergyperson’s voice impacts the message the audience hears. In the quantitative segment of this project, a study was designed to examine how hearers make assumptions of preachers based on their vocal code, with findings suggesting that hearers do form biases based on the sound of a voice. The qualitative segment reports experiences from a dozen transplanted clergy. These findings are evaluated within a missional contextualization framework, resulting in suggestions for future clergy who are navigating significant demographic transitions.