Career Center

Vanderbilt Divinity School seeks applications and nominations for the Charles G. Finney Chair in Homiletics beginning fall 2022. The appointment will be made at the rank of full professor. The ideal candidate would be a practical theologian who works at the intersection of Homiletics and Liturgics; demonstrates deep commitments to interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches; attends to religious practices within public, cultural, and/or faith contexts (including but not limited to preaching and worship); and shows an awareness of practices and leadership within the broad trajectory of religious vocations.

Although the search focuses primarily on the Homiletics and Liturgics Area of the Graduate Department of Religion, it is open to a wide array of approaches to teaching and research on the history, theology, methods, theories, and practices of religious communication or ritual studies in ways that will contribute to the Homiletics and Liturgics faculty at the Divinity School.

The appointment entails advising in the four divinity degree programs (M.Div., M.T.S., Th.M., and D.Min.), which prepare students for ministry and public leadership, and the graduate department of religion (M.A., Ph.D.), which prepares students for teaching and research. The successful candidate will arrive prepared to teach the introductory courses in Homiletics along with advanced courses in theory and method. Appointed faculty will join the Homiletics and Liturgics Area of the Graduate Department of Religion, share responsibilities for teaching the ministerial arts requirement in preaching, and offer a range of courses relating preaching and worship or practices of ministry and public leadership in today's world.   

We especially welcome applicants from underrepresented candidates. Vanderbilt Divinity School has strong commitments to social justice and places a high value on diversity among its faculty and student body, as well as in research and teaching. Successful candidates will evidence commitment to these priorities. (see: https://divinity.vanderbilt.edu/about/purposes.php)

Successful applicants will have completed either:  a doctorate or its equivalent focused on the history, theology, and practice of Christian preaching and worship. Moreover, the candidate should possess a substantial publication record to demonstrate expertise in the area; be able to teach a wide variety of students; be attentive to possibilities for working with other University units; and have an interest in facilitating programs for local clergy, laity, and public leaders.

The search committee will begin reviewing applications November 1, 2021. Cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three recommendation letters should be submitted via Interfolio.

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