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Women's Voices and the Practice of Preaching
Expert, practical help for women who preach or lead worship
Many women preachers and worship leaders have trouble speaking; they struggle to fully use their physical voices. Maintaining that there is often a disconnect between the woman's self-understanding as a preacher and her own body, Nancy Lammers Gross presents not only techniques but also a theologically empowering paradigm shift to help women fully embody their God-given preaching vocations.
Grounding her work in the biblical story of Miriam, Gross begins with a discussion of how women are instrumental in the work of God. She then tells stories, including her own, of women's experiences in losing connection to their bodies and their physical voices. Finally, Gross presents a constructive resolution with exercises for discovering and developing a full-body voice.
Many women preachers and worship leaders have trouble speaking; they struggle to fully use their physical voices. Maintaining that there is often a disconnect between the woman's self-understanding as a preacher and her own body, Nancy Lammers Gross presents not only techniques but also a theologically empowering paradigm shift to help women fully embody their God-given preaching vocations.
Grounding her work in the biblical story of Miriam, Gross begins with a discussion of how women are instrumental in the work of God. She then tells stories, including her own, of women's experiences in losing connection to their bodies and their physical voices. Finally, Gross presents a constructive resolution with exercises for discovering and developing a full-body voice.
182 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2018
Until recently very few women had access to the pulpit. The assumption of most congregants was that their preacher would be male and thus have a particular form of voice. As women have entered the ranks of the preacher, questions have arisen in congregations about the nature of female voices and whether they are appropriate to the function. As a male preacher, I have a voice that is accepted in most contexts. I don't usually think about my voice. It is what it is. For the most part, it has deemed appropriate.
This book by Nancy Lammers Gross focuses on women's voices in relationship to preaching. The author teaches speech communication at Princeton. She has discovered over time that many women struggle to find their voice. There is often a timidity about its use, that often is reinforced by culture. She has written this book to help address the challenges posed to women preachers. The first part of the book addresses the challenges, while the last part provides a workshop.
She is upfront that this book is written to and for women. As a male this is not addressed to me, however, the early chapters are illuminating and helpful to both women and men. For men it is a reminder of the challenges women face that we have not. For the good of the whole we might all benefit from it.
I read the book as part of committee selecting top books from 2017. It carries a strong recommendation from one of our committee members, who is a woman preacher and who believes this is a must read. I take her affirmation as reason to engage.
This book by Nancy Lammers Gross focuses on women's voices in relationship to preaching. The author teaches speech communication at Princeton. She has discovered over time that many women struggle to find their voice. There is often a timidity about its use, that often is reinforced by culture. She has written this book to help address the challenges posed to women preachers. The first part of the book addresses the challenges, while the last part provides a workshop.
She is upfront that this book is written to and for women. As a male this is not addressed to me, however, the early chapters are illuminating and helpful to both women and men. For men it is a reminder of the challenges women face that we have not. For the good of the whole we might all benefit from it.
I read the book as part of committee selecting top books from 2017. It carries a strong recommendation from one of our committee members, who is a woman preacher and who believes this is a must read. I take her affirmation as reason to engage.
April 8, 2018
This is a fantastic read on the mechanics of preaching in a female body. Nancy Lammers Gross asserts that preaching is a full-bodied experience and many women are disconnected from their own bodies, thus seeming to have little "voice" in the pulpit. Lammers Gross explores the reasons for this disconnection (denominational structures, history, body image, sexual violence, etc.) and writes helpfully about how to positively reconnect with one's body.
I would highly recommend this book for female preachers who are wanting to find their "voice" and develop a strong preaching voice.
I would highly recommend this book for female preachers who are wanting to find their "voice" and develop a strong preaching voice.
September 22, 2023
Really unique preaching text, focuses on literal voice (as opposed to metaphorical voice) of women, moving from Miriam to experiences to science and then offers practical exercises for developing voice. Good resource for teaching preaching to women (and men could definitely benefit from this too), understanding struggles of women preachers, navigating voice work in speaking/preaching
May 14, 2018
Claiming the voice to be a full body instrument, Lammers Gross unfolds the myriad of ways in which a woman uses her voice, or not, to preach the Word of God. She opens up ways to see the connection of the voice to the body, and the body to self-understanding. A voice is not only sound created by human beings in order to communicate; the voice of a preacher that is free and strong is created by God in order to convey nothing less than the reconciling ministry of Jesus Christ. Lammers Gross attends to the struggles that keep women from speaking up and speaking out in service of the church.
Lammers Gross takes as seriously a woman’s whole body as she does the vocal folds in the larynx used together with air in the lungs to create sound. The connection to the diaphragm and as well as to the bottom of our feet creates the resonance of a voice. The whole body informs the quality of one’s voice. The experience of living in her body with her voice from childhood through adolescence into adulthood shapes how a woman speaks.
After teaching preaching to women for more than twenty-five years, Lammers Gross sees women struggle to speak and get stuck. She sees how disconnected women can be from our bodies. She explores the learned need of so many women to ask permission before speaking or lose altogether our right to speak to the truth of our experience. She investigates the dynamics of how women’s voices get lost in the crush of pressure to have a certain kind of woman’s body and the rigor (or is it torture?) to get “it” into shape.
Lammers Gross tells her own story, and she welcomes the voices of her students to tell their stories as only they can, moving from silence to speaking freely. She is a patient author: she teases apart the complex dynamics that keeps a good woman hiding under a bushel when she speaks. Her writing and teaching touch those of us bent-over by years of uncertainty and doubt. She helps us connect to our bodies, stand taller, and use an embodied voice.
She ends her book with practical exercises for helping us connect our voices with our bodies and our experiences so that the reader comes into the full power and authority of her unique voice. If her book is a fabulous encouragement, I can tell you: her workshop is even better!
Lammers Gross takes as seriously a woman’s whole body as she does the vocal folds in the larynx used together with air in the lungs to create sound. The connection to the diaphragm and as well as to the bottom of our feet creates the resonance of a voice. The whole body informs the quality of one’s voice. The experience of living in her body with her voice from childhood through adolescence into adulthood shapes how a woman speaks.
After teaching preaching to women for more than twenty-five years, Lammers Gross sees women struggle to speak and get stuck. She sees how disconnected women can be from our bodies. She explores the learned need of so many women to ask permission before speaking or lose altogether our right to speak to the truth of our experience. She investigates the dynamics of how women’s voices get lost in the crush of pressure to have a certain kind of woman’s body and the rigor (or is it torture?) to get “it” into shape.
Lammers Gross tells her own story, and she welcomes the voices of her students to tell their stories as only they can, moving from silence to speaking freely. She is a patient author: she teases apart the complex dynamics that keeps a good woman hiding under a bushel when she speaks. Her writing and teaching touch those of us bent-over by years of uncertainty and doubt. She helps us connect to our bodies, stand taller, and use an embodied voice.
She ends her book with practical exercises for helping us connect our voices with our bodies and our experiences so that the reader comes into the full power and authority of her unique voice. If her book is a fabulous encouragement, I can tell you: her workshop is even better!
January 13, 2022
Nancy Lammers Gross' little book, Women's Voices and the Practice of Preaching is just the right length for what it does. Its purpose is to help people find their public speaking voices. The target reader is a woman preacher but men who have trouble speaking with a strong voice are helped by the book too.
Gross spends quite a bit of space in her book describibng the ways people's voices get stifled in their lives. I think these chapters are helpful to get the reader to face the real issues that may be holding people back from speaking out and speaking out with strength. As my own reading of the book neared the back of the book I was wondering if Gross would offer solutions on how a person, once self-understood, could lean to speake with more force. There is a one chapter exercise focussing on John 11 where the reader is encouraged to read the chapter (through verse 44) with the kind of passion the people in the account (Mary, Martha, Jesus) likely evoked when they made their statemens at the time of the events in the record. It is a good exercise that easily extends to other readings in the Bible. I really think it will help preachers who find themselves holding back with their voices.
Gross spends quite a bit of space in her book describibng the ways people's voices get stifled in their lives. I think these chapters are helpful to get the reader to face the real issues that may be holding people back from speaking out and speaking out with strength. As my own reading of the book neared the back of the book I was wondering if Gross would offer solutions on how a person, once self-understood, could lean to speake with more force. There is a one chapter exercise focussing on John 11 where the reader is encouraged to read the chapter (through verse 44) with the kind of passion the people in the account (Mary, Martha, Jesus) likely evoked when they made their statemens at the time of the events in the record. It is a good exercise that easily extends to other readings in the Bible. I really think it will help preachers who find themselves holding back with their voices.
February 28, 2018
I waffled between a 4 and 5 star on this and ultimately went to 4 for two reasons. This book is so insightful about women who need to use their physical voice in public settings. I love that it includes case studies, exercises and more, and I learned a lot about myself in reading it and pondering the questions Ms. Gross asks her readers. All of that warrants a 5.
I moved it down to a 4 because it gets overly technical in a couple places, making it a tough read for anyone who has to carve study time out of already over-full days. There's nothing wrong with technical, but there were some places where it was just over the top. The second reason was in the middle of the first full paragraph on page 46. I object to the shoe issue! I draw confidence from my stiletto heels and the added height they give me, just as I draw confidence from wearing a red dress. It's a trick I used to use when I had to go speak before state senate and house committee meetings. The high heels stay!
I moved it down to a 4 because it gets overly technical in a couple places, making it a tough read for anyone who has to carve study time out of already over-full days. There's nothing wrong with technical, but there were some places where it was just over the top. The second reason was in the middle of the first full paragraph on page 46. I object to the shoe issue! I draw confidence from my stiletto heels and the added height they give me, just as I draw confidence from wearing a red dress. It's a trick I used to use when I had to go speak before state senate and house committee meetings. The high heels stay!
May 10, 2023
Nancy Lammers Gross has written an insightful book on the power of voice and the impact our experiences can have on our voice, from early beginnings into adulthood - "When women are disconnected from their bodies, they are disconnected from their voices." Lammers Gross expounds on the connection of the voice to the body and takes readers on a self-reflection exercise to assist the reader in discovering their own full-bodied voice. The book is a must-read for women who seek to use their God-given voice for kingdom-building.
March 25, 2024
This is one of the first books I've read that is women-centered in regard to preaching, and I LOVED it!!! I have never considered how embodied preaching can be. A game changer for my ministry. It doesn't feel like I have to put on a voice anymore. It feels like I can bring in my own voice. Amazing book for any women who hope to preach. Beautiful.
May 10, 2018
An exemplary book. I already have 5 people lined up to read my copy. For those empowered already, it is moving. For those voiceless, it is inspiring. For those in between, it is shaping. I recommend it for all women, preachers and else, as well as any interested in rhetoric and the female voice.
August 31, 2024
Highly recommend this book. Great practical excersises would’ve benefited from more in depth examples but still great
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews