By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary preaching professor Dennis Phelps is serving as the 2015-2016 president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society.
EHS promotes the exchange of ideas related to instruction in biblical preaching, academic publication in homiletics and the effective communication of the Gospel from a biblical-theological standpoint.
Phelps joined the NOBTS faculty in 2006 and occupies the J.D. Grey Chair of Preaching. He has 19 years in theological education, including 10 at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and more than 21 years in pastoral ministry. In addition to his teaching duties, Phelps also leads the alumni relations office at NOBTS.
Phelps is a frequent guest presenter at preaching conferences, including a pastors’ preaching and evangelism conference in Belarus, and has appeared regularly at the E-4 Preaching Conference, a collaborative expository preaching conference hosted by the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Seminary and Louisiana College.
EHS will mark its 20-year anniversary when it convenes in October at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Phelps assumed EHS’ presidency at last fall’s annual meeting in Fort Worth, having served the previous year as vice president.
Phelps was among the society’s founders. “Almost 20 years ago many of us gathered at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary outside of Boston to organize a professional scholarly society specifically for evangelical homileticians with a high view of Scripture and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone,” he recounted.
“It has been fascinating to watch the group grow, to see the respected contributions made to national and international scholarship, and to encourage the next generation across several evangelical cultures,” Phelps said. “To serve as the current president of the Evangelical Homiletics Society is quite humbling and exhilarating.”
Phelps holds a Ph.D. in preaching from Southwestern Seminary, a master of divinity in pastoral ministries, theology and in biblical studies from New Orleans Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana College. EHS produces the Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society.
Membership is open to homiletics professors and instructors, pastors, evangelists and others committed to the organization’s goals.
An associate membership is available for graduate students.
“Preaching and Politics” is the theme of the EHS conference Oct. 13-15 at Southwestern Seminary with special guests James Meeks of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago; Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas; and Ralph West of The Church Without Walls in Houston. For information, visit ehomiletics.com.
