The first Preaching Workshop was held online for eight weeks from March 20, 2025 (Thursday, 6:00–7:30 PM) to May 8. Each session consisted of a 45-minute lecture followed by a 45-minute discussion, conducted live via Zoom. Participants in this workshop joined from diverse regions including Korea, China, Botswana, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Diego, and New York.
This course was taught by Professor Sooyoung Kim, who earned a PhD in Biblical Exposition from Dallas Theological Seminary. Professor Kim previously taught homiletics at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Korea and is currently teaching preaching at Azusa Pacific Seminary and The Alliance Theological Institute (ATI), the Korean seminary of The Alliance. He also serves as the senior pastor of HIS Church (His Immanuel Sanctuary Church).
After completing the 8-week workshop, participants made various suggestions for the future improvement of the program. The most frequently mentioned area for improvement was increasing opportunities for practical exercises and feedback. Four participants offered feedback in this category, suggesting ideas such as “each participant should have a chance to practice preaching,” “group exercises and presentations,” “group sermon application training,” and “sharing other participants’ assignments and the instructor’s feedback.” These responses clearly indicate a strong desire among participants for hands-on sermon application and growth through mutual feedback.
Two participants also suggested improvements regarding the teaching method. Comments such as “some explanations were difficult” and “encourage more active participation in the class” point to the need for teaching strategies that enhance understanding and engagement.
Additional suggestions included extending the length of each session (1 participant) and providing more practical resources, such as sample sermons or video materials demonstrating sermon application (1 participant). On the other hand, two participants emphasized the importance of learning itself and indicated no specific suggestions for improvement.
Overall, the feedback confirms that the preaching workshop served as a very practical and beneficial training experience for preachers. Six out of ten respondents highlighted the use of the “five Ws and one H” (who, what, when, where, why, how) method as a key strength. They found it helpful in grasping the meaning and main message of the biblical text more accurately. It was particularly praised for helping preachers overcome personal biases and stay focused on delivering text-centered messages.
Three participants shared that the workshop helped them revisit the fundamentals of preaching and bridge the gap between abstract concerns and practical training. They felt that their understanding of sermon structure and biblical insight had deepened, and they appreciated the broader perspective it offered on how to interpret Scripture.
Additionally, one participant noted the value of interaction among participants and expressed hope that such a collaborative learning space would continue and develop into a long-term network.
These reflections show that the workshop was more than a mere lecture—it became a meaningful step toward deeper reflection and practical skill development as preachers. It is anticipated that many more preachers will join future workshops and benefit in similar ways.
