Popular Texas preacher Dr. Ralph Douglas West will present the 2012 William E. Conger, Jr., Lectures on Biblical Preaching at Samford University March 13-15. The annual lectureship is sponsored by Samford’s Beeson Divinity School.
West is founder and senior pastor of The Church Without Walls in Houston, Texas. The church, founded as Brookhollow Baptist Church in 1987, began with 32 members and now embraces more than 20,000 members who meet in three locations. Six services are held each Sunday.
This year’s Conger lectures theme is “Turning the Preacher Inside Out.” All sessions will be held in Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel at Samford. The public is invited free of charge. The schedule:
Tuesday, March 13, 11 a.m. sermon, Looking Inside the Preachers Heart.
Wednesday, March 14, 11 a.m. lecture, Looking Inside the Preacher’s Head.
Thursday, March 15, 11 a.m. lecture, Looking Inside the Preacher’s Hand.
A by-reservation luncheon at noon on Wednesday is $7.50 per person. Advance payment is required. For reservations, call (205) 726-2731 or 800-888-8266.
West, who first preached as a 16-year-old in his native Houston, is known for a preaching style that includes careful explanation of scripture and an ability to tell stories from contemporary life that enrich the sermon and relate to the congregation.
He holds degrees from Bishop College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and received a doctor of ministry degree from Beeson. He is an adjunct professor of preaching at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary.