Jana Childers 
Professor of Homiletics and Speech Communication
PhD, Graduate Theological Union
>> Visit faculty member´s web site <<
Biographical Information
Jana Childers, Professor of Homiletics and Speech Communication, has a clear sense of the difference between preaching and teaching. "Preparing to preach is introspective, it's you and the desk you are sitting at," Childers said. "But when you teach, you are engaged with the world even as it is in the process of changing. You see where students are coming from and what they, and the world, are moving toward." Childers, who holds a PhD from the Graduate Theological Union and Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, enjoys an international reputation as a preacher. A popular conference speaker, she has also been featured by the Chicago PBS show "Thirty Good Minutes" and on the "Great Preachers" television series. Childers has written, edited and contributed to many books and articles on the art of preaching, including the award-winning Birthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on Creative Process. In addition to her role as Professor of Homiletics, Childers served as SFTS dean from 2002–09. "I listen to people's first sermons. I try to spend as much time pointing out the good things as I do finding places to improve. Adult learners want to succeed." Prior to coming to SFTS, Childers was a pastor in Pluckemin, N.J., an experience she draws on in teaching. Childers focuses on presentation skills as well as content. "It is unlikely that anyone else will ask them in their adult life to pay attention to their diction. I want their congregation members to say, 'Oh, I can hear you clearly.'"
|
 |
