“Preaching as Leadership” is the theme for the 2023 Evangelical Homiletics Society (EHS) Conference October 12-14 at Anderson University.
Plenary speakers are Dr. Kyle Small, professor of leadership and director of the Anderson University Center for Leadership and Organizations; and Dr. Pamela Larde, associate professor of leadership at Anderson University and director of education at Institute of Coaching (McLean/Harvard Medical School).
Dr. Small has served as a pastor, professor, academic administrator and a professional coach. His life as a leader and a teacher finds resonance as he explores the alignment between mission and practice for both organizations and individuals. He has a passion to discover the world through theologically shaped social research. His research has focused on leadership, organizations, human formation and action research.
Dr. Larde is the founder of both the Academy of Creative Coaching and Tandem Light Press. She has served as a professor, coach, award-winning author and business owner. She has a passion for engaging in the work of advancing the reach and commitment of the coaching profession to serve and build up heart-centered leaders around the world while being intentional about integrating values of belonging, human dignity, justice and care for the whole person into every fiber of her work.
In addition to the plenary sessions, there will also be a panel discussion, a presentation of papers, an awards banquet, a celebration luncheon and worship services.
A detailed conference schedule, travel and lodging information and an online registration link are available here. Online streaming of plenary sessions is also available. Anderson University students and faculty can attend the conference for free, but will still need to register.
Many Anderson University faculty members have served in EHS leadership roles over the years, including Dr. Kris Barnett, current president and Drs. Chris Rappazini and Michael Duduit as past presidents; also Clamp Divinity School professor Dr. Dante Wright has served on the EHS board.
According to Dr. Barnett, who serves as current EHS president and is associate dean as well as a professor at Anderson University’s Clamp Divinity School, the conference is hosted each year at a seminary or a university with an embedded seminary. For instance, conferences have been hosted by Moody Bible Institute, Truett Seminary, Southeastern Seminary and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
Attending the conference are people who teach preaching in an academic setting, but also Ph.D. students, D.Min. students and pastors who are serious about the academics of preaching, according to Dr. Rappazini, who is site host for this year’s conference and serves as a professor of leadership in the Anderson University Center of Leadership and Organizations.
Drs. Barnett and Rappazini are excited about the direction EHS is taking, drawing in conference attendees not only from across the United States but also from Canada, England and as far away as Australia.
“We had a pretty interesting piece that developed because of the world homiletics emphasis last year,” Dr. Barnett said. “We had a professor from Kenya who was one of our plenary speakers. One of the things he was working on was developing the African Homiletics Society, and so we now have a partnership, an affiliate member we are related to, and that’s been a great experience for me.”
EHS was established more than 25 years ago by Dr. Scott Gibson, who taught homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; and Dr. Keith Willhite, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary. Drs. Gibson and Wilhite desired an academic society for the exchange of ideas related to instruction of biblical preaching. In addition, there was a need for increased competence for teachers of preaching; integration of the fields of communication, biblical studies, and theology; and scholarly contributions to the field of homiletics.
EHS Membership Benefits include connection and networking with others who teach preaching, including senior professors; opportunities to interact with publishers; scholarly and practical enrichment; spiritual encouragement; improved teaching; and a complimentary subscription to Preaching Magazine.
EHS holds annual meetings that include worship and preaching, presentation of academic papers, interaction with colleagues and publishers, professional dialogue, fellowship and a portion of free time for local sightseeing. The Society also offers access to papers presented at the annual meeting.
Further information about the Evangelical Homiletics Society is available on their website.