Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to speak at our chapel service at work (yes we actually do have a monthly chapel and a weekly bible study). It was intimidating to preach in front of people again and I had all kinds of nervous things going on that I haven’t experienced in a long time. So I got up in front of everyone and did my thing and afterwards one of my coworkers commented that she saw a different side of me and heard me talk in a “preacher” voice.
If you were raised in a black church like me you know about the “preacher” voice. It’s the voice that preacher’s use only in the pulpit. Like these guys 
It makes things sound interesting and spiritual. I try to shy away from that type of voice and so it caught me by surprise when she said it. I asked my wife and she said everybody has a preaching voice. If they didn’t they wouldn’t be preaching. It wouldn’t sound forceful and important. I thought about this and I guess in a way she is right. I have to talk a certain way in order to just project my voice and speak with authority. On the other hand I want the content of my words to ring with importance without me having to speak in a certain tone of voice. Plus it sounds awfully religious and inauthentic to sound one way in church and another way when I’m talking about Agents of Shield. I want to speak to my audience in a natural way like any stand up comedian would (except for Gilbert Gottfried). What do you think? Should preachers have a preaching voice? Did Jesus have a preaching voice?
