Gardner C. Taylor Lectures

Rev. Martha Simmons is an associate minister at Rush Memorial United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Ga. . She gave the 2013 lecture titled "Changes in the Mechanics of Preaching at the Dawn of the 21st Century, Particularly in African American Contexts."

Rev. Martha Simmons is an associate minister at Rush Memorial United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Ga. She gave a sermon on Sept. 24, 2013 as part of the annual Gardner C. Taylor Lecture Series.

Rev. Martha Simmons is an associate minister at Rush Memorial United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Ga. She gave a sermon on Sept. 24, 2013 as part of the annual Gardner C. Taylor Lecture Series.

The Office of Black Church Studies sponsored its annual Gardner C. Taylor Lecture Series on September 25-26, 2012. The 2012 distinguished lecturer was the Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes, Jr., Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where he served for 28 years. He was an adjunct professor of preaching at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University for 24 years. Known as much for his community activism as his preaching and teaching, Dr. Holmes was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from 1968-1972, while he also served as United Methodist District Superintendent. His lecture is titled "Some Unforgettable Lessons I Have Learned About Preaching."

The Office of Black Church Studies sponsored its annual Gardner C. Taylor Lecture Series on September 25-26, 2012, The Gardner C. Taylor Lecture series features lectures and sermons that bring outstanding black preachers to Duke Divinity School, and is named for the Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, pastor emeritus of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 2012 distinguished lecturer was the Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes, Jr., Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke “Community” United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where he served for 28 years. He was an adjunct professor of preaching at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University for 24 years. Known as much for his community activism as his preaching and teaching, Dr. Holmes was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from 1968-1972, while he also served as United Methodist District Superintendent.

The Office of Black Church Studies sponsored its annual Gardner C. Taylor Lecture Series on September 25-26, 2012, the Rev. Clarence Laney Jr delivered the opening worship sermon, “Deep Roots in Shallow Places,” Rev. Laney is a Duke Divinity alumnus and pastor of Monument of Faith Church in Durham, N.C.

Dale P. Andrews gave the Gardner C. Taylor lecture Sept. 27, 2011. Dale P. Andrews, distinguished professor of homiletics, social justice, and practical theology at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion, was the 2011 featured lecturer and preacher for the Gardner C. Taylor lecture series. An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Andrews has served AME Zion churches in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Dale P. Andrews preached in Goodson Chapel Sept. 27, 2011, on Mark 7:24-30 in a sermon titled "Measuring Grace?" Dale P. Andrews, distinguished professor of homiletics, social justice, and practical theology at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion, was the 2011 featured lecturer and preacher for the Gardner C. Taylor lecture series. An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Andrews has served AME Zion churches in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Dr. Gary V. Simpson followed the Rev. Gardner C. Taylor as the senior pastor at Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y.

James Earl Massey is dean emeritus and distinguished professor at-large, Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, Ind., and emeritus Dean of the Chapel at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.

James Earl Massey is dean emeritus and distinguished professor at-large, Anderson University School of Theology in Anderson, Ind., and emeritus Dean of the Chapel at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.

Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, one the nation’s most influential preachers, was presented with a festschrift titled “Our Sufficiency is of God: Essays on Preaching in Honor of Gardner C. Taylor" on Feb. 15, 2010. The celebratory book honoring Taylor was published by Mercer University Press. Recognized as the “dean of preachers in America today,” Taylor, 91, served for more than 42 years as pastor of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 2000.

Dr. Alton B. Pollard is dean of Howard University’s School of Divinity. Before becoming dean at Howard in 2007, Pollard served in both religious and educational institutions. As an ordained Baptist minister, he was pastor of John Street Baptist Church in Massachusetts, New Red Mountain Baptist Church in North Carolina and AME churches in Tennessee. He also has directed the Program of Black Church Studies at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and held faculty appointments at St. Olaf College and Wake Forest University.

Dr. Valerie Bridgeman is associate professor of Hebrew Bible and Homiletics at Memphis Theological Seminary. She also is founding director of the seminary's Return Beat Theology and Arts Institute. She is general editor of Africana worship resources for The United Methodist Church.

The Reverend Dr. Brad Braxton is an ordained Baptist minister, biblical scholar, and teacher of preaching.