Next Level Preaching 2023-24: Holy Humor! Recovering the Positive Power of Humor in the Pulpit
Online Sessions Begin Oct. 11 / Continuing Ed Series Cost $100
The Central Texas Conference’s Roberts Center for Leadership through its partnership with the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence (PCPE) at SMU is offering a series of workshops and webinars designed to support and strengthen the preaching ministries of CTC clergy. The 2023-24 offering in this series is Holy Humor! Recovering the Positive Power of Humor in the Pulpit. This preaching peer group is an continuing education opportunity for clergy who want to learn and sharpen 
strategies for using the positive power of humor in their preaching. The course is designed for preachers with at least 3-5 years of regular preaching experience as it encourages pastors to further develop their craft of preaching.
While the course is limited to 15 participants, there are some slots still left to be claimed for the five-session series of workshops led by Dr. Alyce McKenzie, LeVan Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology, and Dr. Owen Hadley Lynch, humor scholar and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU. Together, they wrote Humor Us: Preaching and the Power of the Comic Spirit. The course will use this book throughout its sessions.
If that’s not enough to gently nudge you off the fence, perhaps a cost of only $100 for the series might help. “I wish I could have paid only $100 to attend Dr. McKenzie’s class when I was at Perkins, I would have signed up every semester!” quipped Rev. Beth Evers, senior pastor of University UMC in Fort Worth and the Chair of the Central Texas Board of Ordained Ministry. “I believe this could be a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a meaningful continuing education experience that also brings joy and laughter at a time when we all could use the blessing of humor in our lives and our pulpits.”
Classes meet monthly from 9:15 a.m. – Noon on the following Wednesdays: Oct. 11, Nov. 1, Dec. 6, Jan. 17 and Feb. 7. More information about the course, including the focus of each session, a tentative schedule for each session, info on the workshop leaders and more is available at pcpe.smu.edu/blog/holy-humor-recovering-the-positive-power-of-humor-in-the-pulpit.
strategies for using the positive power of humor in their preaching. The course is designed for preachers with at least 3-5 years of regular preaching experience as it encourages pastors to further develop their craft of preaching.While the course is limited to 15 participants, there are some slots still left to be claimed for the five-session series of workshops led by Dr. Alyce McKenzie, LeVan Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology, and Dr. Owen Hadley Lynch, humor scholar and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU. Together, they wrote Humor Us: Preaching and the Power of the Comic Spirit. The course will use this book throughout its sessions.
If that’s not enough to gently nudge you off the fence, perhaps a cost of only $100 for the series might help. “I wish I could have paid only $100 to attend Dr. McKenzie’s class when I was at Perkins, I would have signed up every semester!” quipped Rev. Beth Evers, senior pastor of University UMC in Fort Worth and the Chair of the Central Texas Board of Ordained Ministry. “I believe this could be a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a meaningful continuing education experience that also brings joy and laughter at a time when we all could use the blessing of humor in our lives and our pulpits.”
Classes meet monthly from 9:15 a.m. – Noon on the following Wednesdays: Oct. 11, Nov. 1, Dec. 6, Jan. 17 and Feb. 7. More information about the course, including the focus of each session, a tentative schedule for each session, info on the workshop leaders and more is available at pcpe.smu.edu/blog/holy-humor-recovering-the-positive-power-of-humor-in-the-pulpit.
