Collaborative Sermons

Releases August 2026 from Church Publishing • Now available for pre-order

Pre-Order from Church Publishing →

Save 20% with promo codeCOLLAB20— available April 2026 through the "Buy from Us" link.Also available through Amazon, Bookshop.org, and your local independent bookseller.

What if the sermon belonged to everyone?

What if preaching weren't a monologue but a shared act of imagination — and every voice in the room, child to elder, newcomer to longtime member, had something essential to offer in the unfolding of Scripture?

That's the question at the heart of Collaborative Sermons.

About the Book

This is the first book to introduce Living Stories Sermons to the broader Church. Born from an outdoor gathering at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church during the isolation of the pandemic, this Montessori-inspired method uses simple storytelling scripts, wooden figures, felt underlays, and open-ended wondering questions to transform the sermon into a communal conversation.

Each chapter builds a comprehensive understanding of the model — theological foundations alongside practical implementation. Whether you're an experienced preacher hungry for a fresh approach, a lay leader passionate about deepening congregational engagement, or simply curious about what worship can be when it's truly co-created, this book offers grounding, guidance, and real-life examples to help you cultivate authentic, transformative worship in your own context.

Five reasons this book matters now

The sermon as a communal act of faith

Collaborative Sermons challenges the idea of preaching as a one-way delivery and reclaims the sermon as something the whole Body of Christ creates together — young and old — reflecting the early Church's emphasis on shared wisdom, mutual listening, and Spirit-led discernment.

Intergenerational worship as radical hospitality

When children, teens, adults, and elders co-create meaning around Scripture, intergenerational worship stops being a program and becomes a theological commitment. Every voice bears the image of God. Every voice has something essential to offer.

Innovation rooted in tradition

Though the method feels fresh, it's grounded in the Revised Common Lectionary and centuries of Christian practice. This is not novelty for novelty's sake. It's a model for congregations — especially those navigating change or decline — showing how innovation can grow from tradition rather than abandon it.

Analog community in a digital and AI-shaped world

As churches grapple with AI, screens, and ever-more-mediated experience, this book offers a counterbalance: tactile storytelling, face-to-face conversation, and embodied presence as formative spiritual practices that deepen belonging and attention to God and to one another.

Faith formation for a secular age

In a culture skeptical of authority and weary of passive religious consumption, collaborative sermons invite curiosity, wondering, and honest engagement with Scripture — helping congregations bear faithful witness in a world hungry for meaning and connection.

What people are saying

"Of the many ways collaborative preaching is practiced, this is by far the most genuinely intergenerational approach I've seen. Nurtured by a theology of play and grounded in trust, preaching becomes an imaginative 'wondering' space for discerning how Scripture connects meaningfully with sermon-participants. Peter Levenstrong has carefully road-tested and tweaked this method, and his expert advice extends beyond the book through a vibrant online community. Join it, and learn to invite your congregation into creative participation in the church's ministry of proclamation."

— The Rev. Dr. John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Emeritus, Vanderbilt Divinity School; Past President, Academy of Homiletics; author of The Roundtable Pulpit

"More than a sermon method, Living Stories Sermons welcomes readers into a surprising, effective, and holy experiment in 'hearing God's word revealed through our shared act of listening, speaking and wondering.' As a regular worshipper at St. Gregory of Nyssa — where Peter developed this practice — I've watched its theological and pedagogical depth unfold week by week through a whole liturgical year. Throughout the book, Peter keeps the why of a community-created sermon grounded in Gospel discoveries — what Jesus himself did: 'ask a real question, and trust the people in front of him with the answer.'"

— The Rev. Donald Schell, Co-founder, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church and All Saints Company

Pre-order today

Pre-Order from Church Publishing →

Use promo code COLLAB20 for 20% off (available April 2026).

Also available through Amazon, Bookshop.org, and your local independent bookseller.

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