They are preaching to the preachers

A preacher's got to catch them early. A good message. Passionate delivery. A dash of humor doesn't hurt either.

That's how you keep them in the pews.

The secrets and skills of some of the nation's best preachers are on display in downtown Minneapolis churches this week at the Festival of Homiletics, one of the largest conferences in the country devoted to the art of preaching.

Close to 1,800 pastors and homiletics scholars are attending the annual conference aimed at building more effective preachers. Sermonizing is one of the primary roles of preachers -- one of vital importance as many Protestant faiths face decreasing or stagnant membership numbers, pastors say.

"I'm looking for things that inspire or touch me, that kind of renew me, so that I can try to do it better when I get back home," said Irv Arnquist, pastor at First Lutheran Church in International Falls, Minn.

Arnquist is an admirer of William Willimon, a bishop with the United Methodist Church who's considered one of the most talented preachers in the country. Willimon gave a sermon to conference-goers on Wednesday at Central Lutheran Church.

"If I see his name on a sermon, I'll read it," Arnquist said. "He's good at taking a Bible passage and writing a sermon that captures what the text is about. He captures what's in there and addresses it in ways that speak to people."

He swung into serious mode, comparing Easter's end to life's ebbs and flows. "I don't care how many trumpets you rent ... Easter just doesn't last.

"The day after Easter there were 40 people killed in a bombing in Pakistan. Then a day or so later, tornadoes swept through Alabama. You have these incredible highs followed by these depressing lows. Things just don't last, including Easter."

Brian McLaren, an author, former pastor and Christian activist, told pastors gathered at Central Lutheran Church on Thursday that "there's a dimension to preaching a lot like pregnancy coaching."

McLaren said that just like there are different stages to birthing a child, there are different stages of faith development. He encouraged pastors to reach out to all congregants, whatever stage they may be in. To do that, pastors should be confident, practical, honest and humble, he said.

"You are all beautiful people," he said. "You're dedicated. You are called by God."

He urged preachers to focus on other issues: ending poverty and hunger, the bullying of gays and lesbians, the sex trafficking of women and children.

Jennifer Thomas, a pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Mo., took in both the message and the method. Hanson is effective, she said, because his message is clear and he connects with people. He makes frequent eye contact. He gestures with his hands to help make his point.

"You have to be dynamic in the pulpit or you lose the attention of people," she said.