What is the Festival?

The National Festival of Young Preachers is an ecumenical, one-of-a-kind event designed to showcase and encourage young people who aspire to be preachers of the Christian gospel. Our purpose is to identify these young people and sustain them in their call to preaching, cultivating within them the conviction that gospel preaching is a vocation of great social and spiritual significance and is worthy of their very best.

The Festival of Young Preachers is not a competition. The Festival is a celebration, an inspiration, an occasion of mutual edification and encouragement. At the final assembly of the Festival, all young preachers who participate are formally inducted into the Academy of Preachers, and thus eligible to serve as a Network Catalyst. The 2012 National Festival will once again be held in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel and the Cathedral of the Assumption. There will be preaching slots for 125 young preachers at the National Festival and registration will stay open until all preaching slots are reserved. To reserve a preaching slot, a $150 Festival fee is required plus submission by mail of the Festival Registration Form.

The 2013 National Festival will be held in in Atlanta, Georgia. Host venue is the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. Registration for the 2013 National Festival will open March 1, 2012.

In addition to the National Festival of Young Preachers, the Academy of Preachers offers opportunities for institutions, organizations, and denominations to host Festivals of Young Preachers. A “Festival in a Box” is now available to anyone interested in hosting such as event. A workshop on hosting a festival will be held in conjunction with the 2013 National Festival. To learn more about hosting a Campus Festival, click here.