Current Peer Groups, 2023/2024
Holy Humor!
Recovering the Positive Power of Humor in the Pulpit
The Roberts Center for Clergy Excellence of the Central Texas Conference is partnering with the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU on “Next Level Preaching” - a series of workshops and webinars designed to support and strengthen the preaching ministries of pastors in the Central Texas Conference.
This fall’s offering will be “Holy Humor! Recovering the Positive Power of Humor in the Pulpit” - a preaching peer group for clergy who want to learn strategies for using the positive power of humor and joy in their preaching.
The study will focus on the newly released book Humor Us! Preaching and the Power of the Comic Spirit, (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023) by Alyce McKenzie, a professor of preaching at Perkins School of Theology and Owen Lynch, a Professor of communications at SMU specializing in how humor functions in the classroom and workplace. Each session includes a discussion of portions of the book with discussion and contributions by group members.
The group will be led by Drs. McKenzie and Lynch and will be convened by Rev. Beth Evers, University United Methodist Church, Fort Worth
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Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins and Director of the Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU. She is the author of Novel Preaching: Tips from Top Writers on Crafting Creative Sermons and Making a Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners. |
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Dr. Owen Hadley Lynch, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Corporate Communication, Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University Humor scholar, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, Senior Research Fellow at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, Lyle School of Engineering, SMU Executive Director and Co-founder, Restorative Farms |
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Rev. Beth Evers, Pastor at University United Methodist Church, Fort Worth. Beth Evers is a graduate of Perkins School of Theology and has served as the pastor of the University United Methodist Church in Fort Worth since 2012. Her passion is to help people experience the transforming love of Jesus Christ through worship, relationships, and mission. She loves trying new things and isn’t afraid of change. Beth is one of those people who actually likes meetings (but not coffee), planning and order, yet appreciates the beautiful chaos of church. |
“Preaching and…“ Workshop Series, The Great Plains Conference, UMC
The Great Plains Conference, as part of its Preachers’ Toolkit Menu, is offering a two-part workshop opportunity in 2023 and 2024 based on the “Preaching and…” book series, published by Westminster John Knox Press with the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU.
Part One: Thursday mornings, October 12 and November 9, 2023 --- 9:15am - noon
Topic: Lessons from Advertising for the Pulpit
Based on the book Preaching and the Thirty Second Commercial: Lessons from Advertising for the Pulpit by O. Wesley Allen, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics at Perkins School of Theology and Carrie La Ferle, Professor of Ethics and Culture at the Temerlin Advertising Institute, Southern Methodist University.
Workshop Leader: Dr. O. Wesley Allen
Advertisers aim to “persuade us to invite their product into our life stories.” Sounds a little like preaching! While much advertising conveys different messages from the Christian faith, the best advertising, define as “brand-initiated communication intent on impacting people,” offers preachers’ approaches and techniques that can be helpful in our pulpit communication. In our first session, Dr. Allen will introduce us to key concepts of the book. In our second session, after participants have read the book, we will workshop its strategies for an upcoming sermon(s).
Part Two: 2 Thursday mornings in spring, 2024 (dates to be decided)
Topic: Holy Humor: Unleashing the Power of Humor in the Pulpit!
Based on the book Humor Us! Preaching and the Power of the Comic Spirit, by Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship, Perkins School of Theology and Owen Hanley Lynch , Professor of Communication and Public Affairs at SMU whose research deals with humor’s function in the classroom and workplace.
Humor has gotten a bad rap in preaching, often misused as an opening joke unrelated to the rest of the sermon, or discouraged altogether. This workshop will help preachers understand how humor works and demonstrate specific ways to put it to work in our sermons, both to challenge and to bring hope.
In our first session, Professors McKenzie and Lynch will introduce humor as a divine quality, part of the image of God in which we were created, a gift we can discern in life and the Bible. They will offer insights into types of humor and uses of humor in the pulpit.
In our second session, after participants have read the book, we will practice finding humor in life around us and biblical texts and incorporating it into our sermons.
Workshop leaders: Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship, Perkins School of Theology and Owen Hanley Lynch , Professor of Communication and Public Affairs at SMU
Short Story Sandbox
Co-sponsored by the Great Plains Conference, UMC and the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU.
Short Story Sandbox is a 5 session preaching peer group focused on reading short stories to vitalize our preaching!
Reading short stories can spark preachers’ imaginations and make us better at our craft. Sessions will focus on various aspects of storytelling (theme, tone, plot, point of view, imagery, scene, and character).
Group Leaders:
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Rev. Dr. Larry parsley, a lover of stories and a career Baptist pastor, Larry is currently the senior pastor of Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell, Texas. Dr. Parsley holds a Ph.D from Baylor in preaching and ethics and is a regular contributor to Mockingbird Ministries website (www.mbird.com) and Christianity Today, writing on the intersection of preaching and literature. |
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Dr. Alyce McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins and Director of the Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU. She is the author of Novel Preaching: Tips from Top Writers on Crafting Creative Sermons and Making a Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners. |
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Dr. Lee Ramsey is Marlon and Sheila Foster Professor of Pastoral Theology and Homiletics Emeritus at Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, TN. He is the author of Care-full Preaching: From Sermon to Caring Community and Preachers and Misfits, Prophets, and Thieves: The Minister in Southern Fiction. |
Passion for Preaching - for Early Career Pastors
Co-sponsored by the Great Plains Conference, UMC and the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU.
Preaching is a privilege and responsibility for pastors serving in local congregations. It’s also a skill that can be developed. The Office of Clergy Excellence and the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU have a partnership in creating accessible continuing education opportunities for the clergy of the Great Plains. This five-part zoom webinar explores holy habits for fanning the flame of their passion for preaching, developing ways to stay enthused, creative, and fresh for years to come!
Group Leaders:
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Dr. Lucy Lind Hogan - Hugh LatimerElderdice Professor of Preaching and Worship Emerita |
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Rev. Ivan Milosi - senior pastor at St Luke UMC in Lincoln, NebraskaGraduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in DC as well as a double graduate of Africa University in Zimbabwe with a Bachelor's degree in Divinity in 2010 and a Master's in Peace Governance and Conflict Resolution in 2014. While in DC, Ivan worked on Capitol Hill as the Social Principles Revision Program Coordinator at the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of The United Methodist Church. Before going to seminary in Washington DC, Ivan worked as a youth and campus minister at Wesley Foundation at Perdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, for over a year. Upon his graduation, he was appointed as the pastor of Lakin First United Methodist Church in southwest Kansas, where he served for three years and a half. |
Next Level Preaching - Honing Your Homiletical Skills
The Central TX Conference, in collaboration with the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU, is sponsoring a preaching peer group for clergy who would like to fine-tune their skills in the craft of preaching. Participants prepare for each session by reading a couple of brief articles or book chapters on topics that relate both to content and delivery. Each session includes a discussion of sermons by two group members that the rest of the group have viewed online before the session.
Group Leaders:
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Rev. Dr. Paul Scott Wilson - Professor of Homiletics Emeritus at Emmanuel College of the University of Toronto. Dr. Wilson is a prolific author and one of the most respected and recognized teachers of homiletics in North America. He is the author of a number of books, including The Practice of Preaching, Imagination of the Heart, God Sense: Reading the Bible for Preaching, and The Four Pages of the Sermon, all published by Abingdon Press. He is the General Editor of The New Interpreter's Handbook of Preaching. |
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Rev. Beth Evers - Pastor at University United Methodist Church, Fort Worth. Beth Evers is a graduate of Perkins School of Theology and has served as the pastor of University United Methodist Church in Fort Worth since 2012. Her passion is to help people experience the transforming love of Jesus Christ through worship, relationships, and mission. She loves trying new things and isn’t afraid of change. Beth is one of those people who actually likes meetings (but not coffee), planning and order, yet appreciates the beautiful chaos of church. |
