Kirchenleitung Durch Das Wort

Although the sermon is regarded as a key instrument in leading the church, it has scarcely been an object of research in Practical Theology. Hence, this study analyses how church is staged in sermons which were preached by deans on the occasion of a visitation. For this purpose, the study takes a closer look at: the visitation as a process of leading, the ways boarders of the church are created, the approaches to community-building, the relation between the dean and the congregation. The study shows that sermons develop their cybernetic function both by staging the multiple dimensions of the church as an institution, an organisation and an interaction; and by presenting and performing collective emotions and a common ethos. Thus, the study's results specify and modify the theory of leadership in the church.