The Denver Seminary Compelling Preaching initiative (CPI), made possible by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, has begun for school year 2024-25. Reinforcing the Seminary’s historic emphasis on expository preaching, the CPI aims to provide new opportunities for instruction and discussion among a wide variety of active and aspiring preachers and serve as a blessing to congregations across the country by improving the preaching of many ministry leaders, current and future.
More than mere skill development for better preaching, this initiative promotes practices for developing better preachers, such as coachability, humility, self-awareness, intellectual curiosity, relational authenticity, and a willingness to collaborate.
The Compelling Preaching Initiative will promote mutual learning through peer learning groups, webinars, and in-person gatherings for students and active preachers, launch a new preaching track in the Denver Seminary Doctor of Ministry program, create a preaching video resource library, and reach out across ecclesiastical lines to partner with missionally likeminded leaders and organizations.
Peer Learning Groups
The Compelling Preaching Initiative Peer Learning groups consist of pastors, lay leaders, ministry staff, and students from a variety of churches, all aspiring to become more compelling communicators of the Gospel.
The 2024-2024 school year has members representing nine states and the District of Columbia, these groups are led by experienced ministry leaders.
The leaders and participants have committed to encouraging each other and providing specific, constructive feedback to improve one other’s preaching. We look forward to hearing how their groups are developing and the impact they are having on their own congregations.
Meet the Director
Rev. David Ward is the director of the Compelling Preaching Initiative and adjunct faculty of Homiletics. He is working towards a DMin in Advanced Expository Preaching at Grace Theological Seminary. Rev. Ward holds an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling from Denver Seminary and a BA in Psychology and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rev. Ward has been pastoring for twenty-eight years, and he and his wife, Dr. Angie Ward, have two adult sons.
