Sixth Annual Joe R. Engle Institute of Preaching to be held June 8 through June 13 at Princeton Seminary 
—Designed to nurture and strengthen the craft of those who preach, whether weekly or occasionally, whether in city, suburb, small town, or rural community—

Princeton, NJ, June 2, 2008–Princeton Theological Seminary will welcome Master of Divinity graduates who graduated between 1999 and 2006, who are currently serving in a congregation or in some other ministry context, and who have some regular responsibility for preaching and worship, to the sixth annual Joe R. Engle Institute of Preaching Sunday, June 8 through Friday, June 13. This year’s theme is “Refining the Practice of Preaching.”

The Engle Institute, envisioned and made possible by the dream and generosity of Joe R. Engle, a member of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, is designed to nurture and strengthen the craft of those who preach, whether weekly or occasionally, whether in city, suburb, small town, or rural community. It offers a unique, interactive approach to preaching renewal. Rather than highlight a slate of national pulpit “stars,” the institute is designed to encourage and nurture pastors who preach regularly in local contexts. Through hands-on workshops, seminars, tutorials, and conversations, Engle Fellows are supported and challenged to seek excellence in their preaching vocations.

The tone of the institute is collegial. Engle Fellows and faculty participate together in the hospitality of the seminar room, the dinner table, and the chapel pew. Daily seminars and workshops address a wide variety of topics ranging from the theology that undergirds preaching to the practical, but crucial, matters of sermon delivery. Some workshops are in lecture format, while others include a preaching practicum. Engle Fellows reconnect vocationally with friends as they practice the craft of preaching in the company of colleagues.

The faculty consists of workshop leaders, a preacher/pastor-in-residence, a director, and a coordinator. This year’s preacher/pastor-in-residence is David A. Davis, pastor of Nassau Presbyterian Church of Princeton, New Jersey. James F. Kay, institute director and the Joe R. Engle Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics at Princeton Theological Seminary, will be the convocation speaker.

Other faculty members include (from Princeton Seminary faculty): Michael Brothers, assistant professor of speech communication in ministry; Sally Brown, Elizabeth M. Engle Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship; Robert Lanchester, assistant in speech; Randall Nichols, director of the D.Min. program and lecturer in theology and communication; and Luke Powery, Perry and Georgia Engle Assistant Professor of Homiletics. The Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister and minister for vision, worship, and the arts at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, will complete the Engle Institute faculty.

Workshops include “Cross Talk: Preaching Redemption Here and Now,” “Person of the Preacher,” “Power of Story: Narrative Preaching toward Personal and Social Holiness,” “Preaching Grace in a Troubled World,” and “Preaching to Churches in Conflict or Transition.”

For more information, contact Michael Hegeman at 609.216.2977 or engle.institute@ptsem.edu.