Contemporary Trends in Preaching
2018 A. A. Pedersen Lectureship in Preaching — Featuring Rev. Dr. David Schmitt, Ph.D
In Scripture, God’s word takes on a variety of forms. He uses stories and letters, proverbs and parables, oracles and psalms, to communicate his work of salvation in our midst. In preaching, however, we can sometimes reduce this variety to a small set of familiar forms. Over time, these well-trodden paths can become familiar ruts, both for us and for our people.
Recent work in homiletics has emphasized the importance of rediscovering a variety of forms in preaching. This year’s A. A. Pedersen Lectureship in Preaching will provide an examination of contemporary trends in homiletics, offering examples of what those trends might look like in preaching.
Session #1
An Overview of Recent Trends in Preaching
Session #2
Kerygmatic Preaching
Session #3
Transformational Preaching – Narrative
Session #4
Dialogical Preaching
Featured Speaker: Rev. Dr. David Schmitt, Ph.D
The Rev. Dr. David Schmitt holds the Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Endowed Chair in Homiletics and Literature at Concordia Seminary. The responsibilities of this position involve teaching courses in homiletics and literature and serving as a resource to the church-at-large, through writing, speaking, and conducting workshops and symposia.
Dr. Schmitt joined the faculty in 1995 and serves as Professor of Practical Theology. He has taught courses in preaching, evangelism, pastoral ministry, Christianity and literature, and the devotional life.
Before coming to the seminary, Dr. Schmitt served as pastor of St. John the Divine in Chicago IL. He earned his M. Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1988), an MA in English from the University of Illinois (1990) and an MA and a PhD in English from Washington University in St. Louis (2005).