Program Design
The Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative (CGPI) aims to identify, train, and support emerging preachers across the Synod, by working together with the 11 presbyteries and with key partners at Alma College, Johnson C. Smith Seminary, and the addition of new Synod staff dedicated to CGPI.
Identification: Together with leaders from each of the 11 presbyteries and 650+ churches, we seek to identify up to 35 church leaders (ruling elders and others) each year for participation in the Initiative (approximately three persons per presbytery). These will be leaders with limited or no formal training in preaching and/or theological education but who are gifted with traits that can be further developed to develop compelling and effective preachers. These traits include, but are by no means limited to, (1) a commitment to studying Scripture and the Christian tradition, (2) congregational leadership, both spiritual and administrative, (3) comfort with public speaking, and (4) experience as worship leaders / liturgists / scripture readers.
The program director will work together with presbytery leaders, pastors, ruling elders, campus ministry directors and others to identify potential participants. Anyone who is a member of a PCUSA church within the bounds of the Synod of the Covenant is eligible to apply. A letter of recommendation from a pastor or presbytery leaders is required.
Potential applications are asked to complete an application in order to help the Synod staff and advisory committee discern participants for each 18-month program. The application ensures that potential participants understand the scope and requirements of the Initiative and to begin thinking carefully about preaching and the proclamation of the Gospel.
Training: Participants will receive training via three primary means of instruction: an annual conference, monthly cohorts, and written listener feedback.
1. Each new cycle of CGPI will begin with a conference held in June at Alma College. The conference will run from Thursday evening through Monday morning, over the first or second weekend of June (in 2026 it will be June 4-8). At the conference, participants will have the opportunity to focus on the craft of preaching with a larger set of colleagues and mentors. Participants will build relationships with other church leaders, their mentors and cohort leaders, keynote speakers, worship leaders, pastors, and synod and presbytery staff. Participants will attend sessions and workshops that include: an overview of the Bible, methods of exegesis (biblical interpretation), the principles of Reformed theology, sermon preparation and delivery, the basics of public speaking, storytelling, and more. Throughout the conference there will be opportunities for all participants to worship together and hear sermons from leaders from across the Synod the greater PCUSA. Initiative participants will attend the conference twice, once at the beginning of their program and again 12 months later, alongside the next cycle of participants. All costs (room and board) as well as travel expenses are covered by the grant.
2. Participants will be assigned to a cohort group of ~5-7 fellow participants and a mentor. Each cohort will be led by an experienced preacher-mentor who possesses strong gifts in both proclamation and small-group facilitation. Cohort groups will meet monthly, online over Zoom, and cover spiritual practices for preachers, watch and discuss video lectures by guest homileticians, and eventually preach sermons of their own and receive feedback. The video lectures will be condensed versions of the monthly Preaching Workshop coordinated by the Synod and will include topics such as: oral rhetoric, hermeneutics (methods of interpretation), sermon structure, social justice, anti-racism, and evangelism. In addition, each month cohort members will reflect on a recorded sermon from a local worship service, or a sermon delivered over zoom to the cohort. The mentor will facilitate the conversation, focus on the sermon’s assertions about the Triune God, its proclamation of God’s grace, its connection to the biblical passage, and its overall effectiveness in engaging listeners. Over the 18-month cycle each participant will preach two to three sermons to their cohort and receive feedback from their peers and mentor. Finally, the cohorts will meet in person for two overnight gatherings during the latter half of the cycle. Cohorts will be organized geographically when possible to best facilitate in-person gatherings.
3. Participants will receive written feedback on their sermons via listener surveys designed to guide preachers towards improvement (rather than “grade” or criticize sermons). Such coaching feedback instills the confidence and hope needed for compelling preaching. Twice during the second half of the program, participants will preach before worshippers who will complete a survey that asks questions such as: “What was the main point of the sermon?,” “How did the sermon connect with the scripture passage that was read before it?,” and “How might you put your faith into action after hearing this sermon?”
Support: The final element is care for the souls of our emerging preachers. At each cohort gathering, members will share spiritual disciplines and practices. The preacher-mentor will lead these gatherings in ways designed to strengthen the spiritual lives of each participant and to strengthen their love for God and neighbor. The groups might practice lectio divina, worship together, read a devotional book together, share prayer requests and pray for one another. Together with the in-person meetings and the annual conferences there will be ample opportunities for networking and forming not only connections across the Synod but spiritual friendships that will serve as a support network in the struggle of each preacher to faithfully proclaim the Word of God.