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Seminary students from the eleven Episcopal seminaries and Episcopal students from non-Episcopal seminaries are invited, with the endorsement of their dean, to participate in a five-day in-depth seminar on the art and skill of preaching.
The Preaching Excellence Program begins on a Sunday evening with Evening Prayer and continues through a concluding Eucharist the following Friday morning. In between, the gathered community participates in liturgies, lectures, small preaching groups and spiritual direction. PEP is intended to help you with the way you proclaim the Gospel. Groups are each led by a professor and a parish priest with a deep commitment to preaching. The feedback and encouragement you receive in your small preaching group can serve as a model for years into the future as our program is to encourage every preacher to become part of a preaching group in one’s local community.
Each student is housed in a private room. Meals are shared in common. We usually meet on the campus of a university close to a major transportation hub.
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These students are selected by the Deans and faculty members as the most promising and
proficient future preachers for the Church. The Foundation recruits a teaching staff composed of professors of preaching
and accomplished parish priests to provide the leadership for each conference. In addition, reowned experts in the field of
homiletics are invited to lecture to the conference community. These guest lectures have included
James Forbes, William Sloane Coffin, Robert Bellah, William Willamon, Walter Bruggemann, Barbara Brown Taylor,
Daniel Matthews, Edmond Browning, Robert Capon and Thomas Long.
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Have completed at least one full year of seminary |
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Have completed at least one preaching course |
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Must be in the process for Ordination |
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Are endorsed by your seminary Dean |
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| PEP costs $1,500 per student. That
includes travel, room, board and the program for the week. However,
the vast majority of those expenses are paid for by the Episcopal Preaching
Foundation. If you are accepted into the program, the Dean of your seminary
is asked to contribute $100. Your bishop is also asked to contribute
$100. And your home parish is asked to contribute $100. You are also
required to contribute $100. We view PEP as a cooperative venture. The
Foundation itself is funded by contributions from bishops, parishes,
individuals and foundations. |
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Click Here to Register for the PEP Conference!
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| A little more than twenty years ago as I was
sitting in my regular pew listening a sermon, I wondered, “What
can I do to help support preaching and preachers in the Episcopal Church?” At
about the same time, then Presiding Bishop John Allin called the Church
to a ministry of evangelism, and especially as it concerned our seminarians.
The eleven Episcopal seminaries responded to our offer of assistance
with enthusiasm and PEP began. Since then our program has been led by
such well known preachers as Barbara Brown Taylor, James Forbes, William
Sloan Coffin, Frederick Buechner and Thomas Long. |
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PEP is a gift to the Church, but it is a gift
that depends on the generosity of others. Please consider supporting
PEP through our Adopt A Seminarian program.
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Most of our PEP participants are coming directly
from the conclusion of a full year of seminary activity. A week at PEP
provides significant program content, but also has aspects for rest
and renewal. PEP now includes a spiritual director in residence, and
every participant is urged to schedule a private meeting. Although every
day of PEP is unique, here is the general flow of a day to give you
an idea of what you can expect.
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A Typical Day at PEP
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7:30 - 8:30 |
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Breakfast |
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8:30 - 9:15 |
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Morning Prayer with sermon |
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9:30 - 12:00 |
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Preaching Groups |
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12:30 - 1:13 |
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Lunch |
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1:30 - 2:30 |
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Lecture or Workshop |
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2:30 - 4:30 |
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Personal Time |
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4:30 - 5:15 |
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Evening Prayer with sermon |
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5:30 - 6:45 |
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Dinner |
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7:00 - 8:00 |
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Faculty presentation, Music
Trip to Philadelphia, or Banquet |
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You will be one of nine students meeting several
times during the course of the week who will present a sermon that you
have prepared for the program. Feedback for the sermon is provided by
your peers as well as a professor of homiletics and a parish priest.
The atmosphere is one of support and constructive comment. The goal
is not to have everyone preach in the same way, but to help develop
your own preaching voice. One of the great gifts of the week is having
so many teachers of preaching gathered in one place, each with a unique
style. The consequence is a delightful way to approach the breaking
open of the Word in the midst of the people of God.
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Click Here to Register for the PEP Conference!
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