Do women preach differently to men?

It has been said: "Why would you even want to hear a woman preach - aren't they just the same as men but with less  experience?"

 

When I was at a women's conference a couple of years ago, I asked the group of girls that I was eating lunch with, why do you like  to hear a woman preach. What's different about them?

 

We came up with over ten reasons that women's sermons are different to the male version. Here are the ones that I can remember:

 

1. Choice of examples.
Men are more likely to talk about sport, or cars, or something from politics or public life. Women are more likely to use an example

from their family, or about something like scissors! (The scissors are an illustration of "holiness" that I remember from a Katoomba  Women's Convention many moons ago). 

 

2. Rapport

Women tend to have a different way to gain rapport with the audience/congregation. For example, women seem to expose more of their weaknesses than men, this can be very encouraging especially if you're feeling weak at that point, and if the preacher shows that they are weak, but equally shows that they are relying on God's strength and God shows himself to be present in that situation. Women tend to be able to do this more. It seems more acceptable in our society for a woman, rather than a man, to be weak.

 

3. References

Women give more references. If they've learned something women are more likely to say where they learned it. Men are more likely to just state something as fact. (This is something that I learned in my Psych degree, and some in the the group that I was talking to had recognised that they had noticed this difference in women and mens speach and preaching).

 

4. Theological Eyes

Women often have a slightly different "take" on a passage than men. They may see different nuances in the main point that they're making, or see different theological connections to that main point.

 

5. Application

Specific application of a passage, of course, are very different in women's preaching than in that of men. For example, both a woman and a man could come to the conclusion that "we must not lust" is the main point of the passage. But that main point will be applied in very different ways by women and men. Men always talk about pornography, and being careful of what you see on the internet, and of looking at co-workers in a certain way. This is all valid and true application, but none of it really speaks to me because they are not the temptations that I face in this area. Women are more likely to be attracted to someone's personality - this opens up a whole new type of application on sermons on lust ... women tend to preach about lust very differently to men. Other applications can be different as well - what does it mean to "trust God" or to "have faith in a crisis" - I suspect women and men would discuss these things very differently.

 

6. Feelings

Women tend to place a stronger emphasis on feelings and how they fit in with the Christian life. Guys are more likely to preach about facts. Women will more likely preach about things like "self worth" or "feeling validated" or the "emotion" in the passage. These are the type of things that I've heard many guys make fun of. It seems to me that those who make fun of it do so because 1. they don't understand the concept or the language it is couched in and 2. because it speaks to women but not to men. Our sermons (of course) must be applied to relevant areas of the lives of our congregation, and feelings are a huge area for especially women. This point is closely tied with the next point, because often women and men can be talking about the same thing (especially in the rather vague area of the emotions), but use different language. 

 

7. Language

Language that women and men use is subtly different. To hear things well, they are best phrased in our "heart" language. People react to the same fact vastly differently if it is stated in a slightly different way. If I had to listen to two different sermons on the same passage, I'd elect to hear one from a woman and one from a man because I would most likely get a broader understanding of the passage simply because slightly different language would trigger my thinking to go in different directions.

 

8. Structure of the sermon

The structure of a woman's sermon is more likely to be inductive. In contrast, most sermons that I've heard given by men are deductive. That is, in a deductive sermon, the preacher will state the point and then explain why it is so. In an inductive sermon, certain facts (or stories etc) will be presented in a way that leads to (or encourages the listener to discover) the main point for themselves. I've heard a sermon that I heard a woman preach described as "rambling nonsese" by a not-so subtle male listener, not because her points were unsound (they weren't) merely because the structure of hte sermon was unorthodox. I greatly apprecaited the fresh take she had on the issue.

 

9. Life experience

Women have a different experience of life. Simply being a woman shapes our view on life, as does being a wife (not husband) a mother (not father) a daughter (not a son), a life-giver, a multi-tasker, a nurturer... Woman's integration of scripture into their life will shape their life in ways that wouldn't happen to a man, this inevidably shapes their preaching as well.

 

I wonder what you (people out there in cyber world) think of my 9 points? And would you add any more?