Mixed Methods Preaching Conference

Rev. Dr. Edward L. Branch’s greatest mission is to fulfill his global call to preach, teach and share the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. He began his journey at 16 years of age in Chicago, Illinois when he was licensed and ordained to preach by the No. 2 New Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. In 1977 he was called to Pastor the Third New Hope Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan and has served this church and community for 42 years. He has now been bestowed the honor to serve as Pastor Emeritus for this dynamic and transforming congregation.

Pastor Branch is shifting his focus from the local pastoral work to establishing his global ministry; God is up to something! Through E.L. Branch Ministries, Pastor Branch is committed to using his unique gift, expertise and anointing to partner with God and make great things happen in our world. Pastor Branch is a highly revered New Testament Scholar, Professor of Scriptures, expert in Personal and Team Leadership Development, Author, Historian, Teacher and Preacher. Pastor Branch also provides coaching and transformative strategies for preparing for Transitions, strengthening Relationships and embracing Minimalist Living.

Pastor Branch holds a Masters of Arts degree, Masters of Divinity degree and a honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio.

Pastor Branch says to all whom he connects with around the world that “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”…

Dr. Courtney V. Buggs joined the CTS faculty in 2019, as a Louisville Postdoctoral Fellow.  In 2021 she was appointed to the CTS regular faculty as Assistant Director of the PhD program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric, and Assistant Professor of Homiletics. She was appointed Director of the PhD program in 2023.

Buggs’ interest in the study of preaching began as she served faith communities in the United States and abroad, across Pentecostal, Methodist, and Baptist traditions and in multi-faith military chapel settings.  Her research interests include ecumenical preaching practices, women and preaching, womanism, and critical pedagogy.  Buggs has published journal articles and a book chapter, all related to preaching.  She has also published denominational resources and writes theological reflections for local churches.

Buggs’ interest in theological education and preaching grew in local churches as she raised questions about equity for women, ordination for women, and religious authority, inside and outside the pulpit.  Her questions, not always welcomed, led her to pursue theological studies, in search of better understanding of the church and historical practices that shape contemporary religious life.  Exposure to womanism provided much needed language for her experiences and gave her a lens through which to do theological reflection in ways that spoke to her lived experiences. Buggs has served churches in a range of ministerial capacities and is ordained in the American Baptist Churches, USA.

She is passionate about preaching, teaching and working with students, particularly first-time preachers.  Buggs enjoys the exploration of texts with others, and watching words come to life in the preaching moment.  She considers her ministry of coaching and coaxing masters and doctoral students as holy work.  Aside from teaching preaching, Buggs is a regular guest preacher in various congregations, and provides pulpit supply.  Additionally, she does workshops and training for pastors and clergy, on topics such as preaching, theological thinking, and teaching teachers.

Prior to entering formal theological education, Buggs served in the United States Air Force for almost 22 years as a commissioned officer.  A graduate of Louisiana Tech University’s ROTC program, she earned a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology.  Buggs went on to earn an MPA from University of Oklahoma; a Masters in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University; an MDiv from Candler School of Theology; and a PhD in Religion-Homiletics from Emory University.

Reverend Dr. Leslie D. Callahan serves as the first female pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, a 119-year-old church located in the heart of Philadelphia.

Dr. Callahan earned the Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Harvard University/Radcliffe, the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Religion from Princeton University. Her research interests include religious history in the United States, particularly independent African American Christianity and Pentecostal studies.

Dr. Callahan was ordained in 1997 at Judson Memorial Church and served as Minister of Christian Education at the First Baptist Church of Princeton, New Jersey. She also served as interim pastor of Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

A gifted professor, Dr. Callahan, served on the faculty of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) as Assistant Professor of Modern Church History and African American Studies. Prior to her time at NYTS, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of religious studies.

Rev. Dr. Brandon Thomas Crowley is an African-American pastor, preacher, author, and scholar in religion, theology, and queer theory. Since 2009, he has served as the Senior Pastor of the Historic Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton, Massachusetts, one of America’s oldest Black congregations founded by formerly enslaved persons at the end of Reconstruction and one of the nation’s few open and affirming historically Black churches. In addition to his pastoral role, Dr. Crowley is a Lecturer in Ministry Studies at Harvard University’s Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has taught courses at Boston University, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, the New York Theological Seminary, and the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. Reverend Crowley earned a Ph.D. in Church and Society and a Master of Sacred Theology with a certificate in social justice from Boston University’s School of Theology. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Harvard University’s Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion with a moral cosmopolitan pastoral leadership certificate from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Reverend Crowley’s first manuscript is Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations with Oxford University Press. His scholarship reflects his commitment to fostering inclusivity and challenging societal norms within African American faith communities. Beyond his pastoral and academic roles, Dr. Crowley serves on various boards and leads several communal organizations. He serves as a member of the inaugural Council of Religious Practitioners and Scholars for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Dr. Crowley is an active member of the Harvard Alumni Council and membership selection committee, the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Community Benefits and Needs Assessment Committees, and holds the position of Executive Director and Chief Curator of the African American Lectionary. Ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., and licensed by the National Baptist Convention of America, Dr. Crowley brings a wealth of wisdom and dedication to his work. He resides in Boston with his husband, Tyrone Sutton, an administrator in the Boston public school system, and their beloved 14-year-old Maltese pup, Bishop.

Pastor Tisha Dixon-Williams is a proud product of Brooklyn, NY. She currently serves as the Sr. Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton in Bridgehampton, NY. She is the first woman to be elected to office in the 99-year history of the church.

Pastor Tish is passionate about ministry and the work that God has called her to do. She has devoted her ministerial and professional careers to addressing the whole person as it relates to one’s spiritual and emotional well-being.

She is currently studying at the prestigious Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and studied Theology and Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. Pastor Williams has also been conferred the Doctor of Practical Theology from Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2016, she became a Fellow of the Princeton Theological Seminary Black Theology and Leadership Institute and currently serves on the WIM (Women in Ministry) committee of Princeton Theological Seminary. She is also a Hampton University PRIME (Pastoral Renewal in Ministry Excellence) Fellow.

As the creator and chief curator of Who’s That Lady? a global women’s ministry movement, she conducts and organizes in-depth bible studies, retreats, and conferences that highlight women of the Bible. In July 2019, Rev. Williams in partnership with Restoring Hopes Ministries opened the Who’s That Lady? Academy for all Children a preschool that educates and supports HIV-positive children in Miwani, Kenya.

In addition, her first book, “I See You, Sis: Inspirations from Heroic Women of the Bible Hidden in Plain Sight” was released in October of 2020 and debuted as an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Rev. Williams’ groundbreaking research and scholarship in practical ministry gave birth to “The Emotionally Intelligent Preacher”, “Send in The S.W.O.T.” and most recently, The Praxis Point which is scheduled to launch in January 2024.

Rev. Williams serves on the General Conference Council of the Missionary Baptist Conference, USA, and on the Board of Regents for Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Tish passionately believes that her life is a true reflection of Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. She resides in Bridgehampton, NY with her husband Deacon Larry Williams.

Rev. William H. Lamar IV is Pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC and a student in the PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric. He’s studying the intersection of theology and homiletics. In the “dance between theology and rhetoric in Christian preaching,” Bill is most attracted to theology and how it expands and contracts the homiletical imagination. For his dissertation, he is focusing on the theology of the cross and homiletics to answer the following:

How does the theology of the cross shape proclamation?
How does the theology of the cross form the ethical commitments of Christian communities?
Do congregational ethics change when different theologies of the cross undergird preaching?

His recent achievements include preaching and lecturing at the Festival of Homiletics, lecturing (via Zoom) in South Africa to honor the preaching and scholarship ministries of Dr. Allen Boesak, and writing a chapter on preaching in a forthcoming book published by Alban Press.

The Rev. Dr. Nicole McDonald is a Pediatric ICU Chaplain at Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Her research interests lie at the intersection of pastoral care, preaching, and rhetoric. Currently, she’s interested in the epistemological aspects of the call to preach in the African American preaching tradition. For her dissertation, Nicole focuses on the call narrative and preaching of queer womanist preacher Bishop Yvette Flunder to understand the form and significance of the call, and the nature of Flunder’s apocalyptic message. Through rhetorical critical methods, she researches how call narratives inform sermons and biblical interpretation.

Dissertation:
Yvette A. Flunder: The Apocalyptic Prophet

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III is senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He is a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker with an eye toward justice and equality, as evidenced through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He founded The Unashamed Media Group, a justice centered, faith-based agency committed to producing and curating stories to inspire the heart and challenge the mind. His most recent book is Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World: Finding Hope in an Age of Despair (2015). In October 2020, Dr. Moss created Otis’ Dream, a short film about his grandfather’s unsuccessful attempt to vote in 1946.

Dr. Moss preaches a theology of liberation rooted in a Black Spirituality of love and justice.  His passion for African American culture and history combined with a deep appreciation for jazz and hip hop, have culminated in a unique message of hope and healing through a jazz narrative on American democracy.  Most recently his messages have been featured on the Meditative Stories Podcast as well as On Being with Krista Tippett.  The COVID 19 pandemic provided a new opportunity to convey scriptural messages through a cinematic and sermonic lens.  The Unashamed Media Group has produced 5 short films/sermons using cinematic liturgy in 2020.  Dr. Moss is ordained in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ.  Dr. Moss was identified by the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary as one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English language in 2018.  He is married to Monica Brown Moss and they are the grateful parents of the amazing team of MK and Eli.

Rev. Dr. Nick Peterson holds a PhD from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University, a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College in Africana Studies and Business Management, and a Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary.  His dissertation, On Being an Issue of Delores: A Meditation on Black Faith in an Antiblack World, explores how black faith engenders intramural care practices, which he calls black-on-black care.  This transformative care contends with and sometimes exceeds the constraints of antiblackness.  As a practical theologian, Peterson interrogates how intentional and unintentional practices shape Christian identities and configure worldviews.  Teaching in preaching and worship, he is acutely interested in the ways biblical interpretation, tradition, culture, and social location inform public proclamation and liturgy.  Dr. Peterson is an ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and has served broadly in the local church as assistant pastor, pastor, minister of music, and youth minister.  He has demonstrated commitment to ecumenism and has held positions in Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Mennonite, UCC, and UMC contexts.  Peterson and his spouse NaKisha have twin 6-year-old sons, Zayden and Zander.

Pastor R. Janae Pitts-Murdock, a native of Detroit, Michigan, and ordained into the gospel ministry at New Bethel Baptist Church under Rev. Robert Smith, Jr., is a lover of God and God’s people. Pastor Janae is a lifelong learner who believes that excellence honors God, and for her, anything less is unacceptable.

Pastor Janae is a graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies, Carnegie Mellon University with a Master of Science degree in Public Policy & Management, United Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree, and University of Memphis with a Master of Business Administration. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and served as Chaplain of the Southern Region which includes Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and the Bahamas. She currently serves as Chaplain of the Midwest Region which includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ontario, Canada.

Pastor Janae was a civilian employed by the U.S. Department of the Army as a U.S. Presidential Management Intern and later as a Logistics Management Specialist. She was employed at The Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks. While grateful to have been on assignment and away from The Pentagon on that day, Pastor Janae mourns with those who lost loved ones. Pastor Janae served as Lead Pastor at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, TN under Pastor Frank A. Thomas. While at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Pastor Janae charismatically led transformation focused ministries into new models of ministry and spearheaded the church’s satellite campus launch. After Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, Pastor Janae was employed by the City of Memphis as the Coordinator of Teen Services for the Memphis Public Library and Information Center where she was responsible for teen programming at 18 public library locations. In this role, she spearheaded the $2 million construction and development of a digital teen learning lab, CLOUD901, transforming Memphis youth from information consumers to information creators. Pastor Janae also served as Connections Pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Rogers, Arkansas where she created systems to connect members to serving opportunities and improve ministry administration.

In August 2019, Pastor Janae began her tenure as the Interim Senior Pastor at Light of the World Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, Indiana. During that period, the church experienced healing, revitalization, and renewed strength. Under her interim leadership, Light of the World has launched a leadership development strategy that nurtured church leaders quarterly, faith formation strategy that trained Sunday School and Small group leaders, and initiated numerous virtual ministries like daily prayer calls, online meditation, wellness groups and growth groups to aid members during the COVID-19 global pandemic. She accomplished all of that while pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary. In November 2020, Light of the World Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) elected Pastor Janae to be their sixth Senior Pastor and first female Senior Pastor in their 154-year history.

Pastor Janae is a member of numerous civic and service organizations including the National Council of Negro Women (Indianapolis Section), Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and board member of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Pastor Janae is united in holy matrimony to the one she calls, “God’s embodiment of divine love,” Jeffrey Allen Murdock, PhD, who is Professor of Choral Music Education and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Arkansas. He is the Founding Director of the Arkansas Center for Black Music, the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year, National Music Director of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Together they parent two sons, Jeffrey III and John Patrick.

Rev. Dr. E. Dewey Smith is the Senior Pastor/Teacher of The House of Hope Atlanta, The House of Hope Macon, and The House of Hope WestPointe – one church in three locations – with a membership roll of more than 10,000. A proud native of Macon, GA, he has been a minister of the gospel for more than 30 years. He commenced his preaching ministry at age 17 and his pastoral ministry at 19.

Smith is a learned man. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, in Atlanta, GA; graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Science degree from Amridge University in Montgomery, AL; and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. He was inducted into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Board of Preachers at Morehouse College as a “Distinguished Preacher.”

Smith has always had a passion to redress those things that plague the community and burden the people he serves. Throughout his ministry he has been heavily involved in prison reform, re-entry programs, human services and community development. He opened The Haven House, a fully staffed, professional and licensed counseling center to address the emotional and mental health concerns of people in the community.  In 2013, Dr. Smith launched The Tabitha’s House, a non-profit organization that provides housing, counseling and support to young girls rescued from human trafficking.

Smith is also professionally involved in music, media, film and television production. He launched “The Hope TV Network” in 2020, and its programs have received over 300 million views and 22 prestigious Telly Awards. In October of 2021, Smith released his first solo project, “God Period,” under his record label, Pebble Street Records.  “God Period” was named one of the top albums of 2021 by Billboard, and his first single, “Your Presence Is A Gift,” scored #1 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay Charts. He is a 2022 Stellar Award winning solo artist and two-time Dove Awards solo artist nominee.

Additionally, Smith is the Founder/Overseer of the Ambassadors Assembly Network, a fellowship of hundreds of pastors and leaders from across the globe.  Ambassadors Assembly is an ecumenical fellowship that provides ministry oversight, comprehensive ministry strategies and para-church support to churches and leaders throughout the world.

Dr. Smith is married to the lovely, former Andrea Fambro, his best friend of over 30 years. They have been blessed with two sons: Kamari Elijah and Kylen Isaiah.

Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas currently serves as the Director of the Compelling Preaching Initiative and the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. A revised and updated version of They Like to Never Quit Praisin’ God: The Role of Celebration In Preaching was released in August 2013. To complement this classic preaching book, Thomas published, in 2014, Preaching as Celebration Digital Lecture Series and Workbook. For many years, Thomas has also taught preaching to Doctoral and Masters level students at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, and United Theological Seminary of Dayton, Ohio. He is the CEO of Hope For Life International, Inc., which formerly published The African American Pulpit. Thomas also serves as a member of the International Board of Societas Homiletica, an international society of teachers of preaching.

Thomas is the author of How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon and Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching, released by Abingdon Press respectively, February, 2018 and November 2016. He also co-edited Preaching With Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons 1750 to the Present with Martha Simmons, published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2010. This critically acclaimed book offers a rare view of the unheralded role of the African American preacher in American history. Thomas is also the author of several other books on subjects from matters of prayer to spiritual maturity.

Thomas served with distinction as the senior pastor for two remarkable congregations: New Faith Baptist Church of Matteson, Illinois, and Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church of Memphis, Tennessee, for eighteen years and thirteen years, respectively.

Thomas holds a PhD in Communications (Rhetoric) from the University of Memphis, a Doctor of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministry degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary and United Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary, and a Master of Arts in African-Caribbean Studies from Northeastern Illinois University.

Thomas and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Joyce Scott Thomas, each earned their Certified Professional Coaching Certificate (CPC) from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). Based in their coaching experience, Thomas published with Hope For Life International Press, The Choice: Living Your Passion Inside Out, in  October 2013. Thomas explains and explores the spiritual and coaching process to live your passion from the inside out.

Thomas and his wife have two adult children, Anthony William and Rachel Dickerson (Milton).

Rev. Dr. Catherine E. Williams joined the faculty at Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2017 after serving both the academy and the church. Her Princeton Theological Seminary PhD dissertation was on developing a distinctive, post-colonial homiletic rooted in the music of calypso for her birth place, the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She has served as Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care at Princeton United Methodist Church. A graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, she is an accomplished musician who has taught piano and voice. Her higher ed teaching experience includes work as a Graduate Instructor at Princeton Seminary and as an Adjunct Professor at Palmer Theological Seminary, where she earned her MDiv.

Her research interests include the symbiotic relationship between preaching and sacred song, particularly in worshiping communities of color; deconstructing the colonialist hegemony of European and North-American approaches to preaching and worship; intentional, inter-cultural pedagogy as a learning strategy in worship and preaching classrooms; theorizing and affirming the preaching and worship practices of underrepresented communities of faith.

In this workshop you will develop your ability to critically think, write, and preach with a womanist lens (hermeneutic) in order to preach a womanist sermon. You will create and deliver a womanist sermon by employing one of the five tenets of Womanism that reflects womanist preaching: Radical Subjectivity, Traditional Communalism, Redemptive Self-love, Critical Engagement, Appropriation and Reciprocity.

In this workshop, you will engage in the art of spontaneous, Spirit-led preaching in an immersive workshop where you will learn or continue to hone your homiletical ability to deliver engaging, impactful sermons that resonate with an audience at any moment.

In this workshop you will explore AI technology and its application in sermon preparation. You will be asked to consider the theological and ethical implication of using AI, while also developing healthy safeguards for employing this technology.

In this workshop you will consider what is seen, said and done as church practice and deemed acceptable in an effort to identify language and liturgy that may be harmful and counterproductive. You will engage scripture and examine traditions in an effort to identify and disrupt the harmful influences of colonialism on the church in general and the Black church in
particular.

In this workshop, you will learn how prophetic rhetoric aids in the pursuit of justice and liberation in the public square. You will integrate lived experiences with theories about prophetic rhetoric to develop and/or expand your prophetic preaching ministry within your context.

This workshop explores the profound truth that life depends on death, and that death is not simply the end of life, but the precondition for new life. Just as the foods we consume must die for us to live, so too, in the Eucharist, we partake in both the death and resurrected life of Christ.

In this workshop you will explore the art of sermon design through an expository 3-movement model. This workshop will guide participants from the foundational elements of sermon construction—digging deep into the roots of scripture—to the development of dynamic and engaging presentations that branch out to connect with and inspire congregations.

Gardner C. Taylor is considered to be one of the most dynamic preaching voices in the last century. Drawing from Taylor’s own wisdom and reflections, you will develop strategies for crafting relevant sermons that proclaim the “majesty of life, of the glory of its possibilities, and the greatness and glory of God.”

In this workshop you will examine the experience of concluding the sermon with whooping. We will define whooping, discuss the history of whooping, and review sermons to assess the flow of sermonic material and the use of vocal gift as movement toward the sermonic conclusion. Participants will be exposed to information to assist them in further study of whooping.

Have you ever faced a deadline but struggled to find a suitable text to inspire a sermon that was not yet written? Have you ever had a great sermon idea thematically but couldn’t find a suitable text to “Prime the pump” for constructing the sermon? This workshop in applied homiletics is designed to focus on a unique process of finding and selecting a text for preaching. Participants will begin to creatively center new strategies for finding and selecting a text for preaching, especially when a text for preaching has seemed elusive.

More Coming Soon!