This book is a preaching study guide for those interested in learning about the ways in which some of the mechanics of preaching have changed. Although the book admittedly has leanings toward the African American Protestant faith community (because so few books on the mechanics of preaching have been written with it in mind), the mechanics of preaching discussed in this book apply to all preachers, regardless of ethnicity. It is simply a matter of applying them to fit one's context. This study guide is offered for use in the classroom, by pastors to train their preachers, and for all who desire to strengthen their preaching skills. If you want to use the mechanics of preaching effectively in the 21st century, this book is your road map. Martha J. Simmons is now the leading scribe on African American preaching. No one else has edited a larger number of sermons, edited and co-edited a larger number of books, and or written more about African American preaching in the past 30 years, than she has. She served as the head of The African American Pulpit Journal (TAAP) for more than a decade. TAAP remains the only African American-owned preaching journal in history. In 2007, she created The African American Lectionary, an online free resource for clergy, Christian educators, and worship leaders, As of summer 2012, it contained more than 11,500 pages of material for churches. She is also the co-editor of the only African American preaching anthology, "Preaching With Sacred Fire: African American Sermons from 1750 to the Present" (W. W. Norton Publishers, 2010). She holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Candler School of Theology) and a law degree from New College of Law, San Francisco, CA.