Day of Preaching 2026: April 18, 2026 at Belmont University
We invite young preachers from the ages of 16-28 to Belmont University for a Day of Preaching on April 18, 2026! No experience required! This is your chance to preach in a supportive and encouraging environment with other young preachers. Join us for a great day of preaching!
The Academy of Preachers was founded in 2009 to identify, network, inspire, and support young people in their gospel preaching. Over ten years about a thousand young preachers gathered up their Bibles and preached their first sermons with others their age. Initially funded through a generous grant by the Lilly Endowment, the Academy of Preachers came to Belmont University in late 2019. COVID-19 challenged some of the transition efforts and leadership changes brought a pause to the work of the Academy of Preachers.
Our Day of Preaching on April 18, 2026 marks a rebooting of the Academy of Preachers. We are excited for the future and the opportunities it will provide young preachers.
Now funded by the Moench Center for Church Leadership at Belmont University, our Day of Preaching will include keynote speakers, breakout workshops, a panel discussion, and young preachers preaching and encouraging each other.
A small fee of $75 is required for registration by April 11 to cover morning snacks, a box lunch, and incidental expenses for the day. Registration will increase to $100 per person on April 12, 2026. Register today!
Please join us for our Day of Preaching!
Recent News
The World Wasn’t Always His Parish
By Tyler Best AoP ’12, Religion Student University of Evansville
England may be a small country geographically, but it has a tremendous history of creative Christian witness. With that in mind I want to focus our attention on a distinguished native of England and his adventures.
It is rather natural to envision images of Mary Kay Ash, Bill Gates, Madame C.J. Walker, and Steve Jobs when we hear the word “entrepreneur.” These are honestly the names that have come to my mind, but just as these people have affected the lives of millions through their work, there is one individual who may have impacted more lives than Ash, Gates, Walker, and Jobs combined.
Whether you agree with none, some, or all of his theology, there is no denying that John Wesley had an entrepreneurial spirit that was contagious and transformative. When Wesley sought to spread the Gospel to Native Americans in an unknown place, everything did not turn out exactly the way he envisioned. In fact, it isn’t a secret that his endeavor in America was a complete catastrophe. Not only was he unsuccessful with Native Americans, he also had issues with parishioners in the community he served. His experience in America ended as he literally escaped the colony before charges could be brought against him.
Did Wesley cease his ministry endeavors after this failed attempt? Of course not! Sure, he was discouraged and unhappy from the whole experience, but it did not stop him. True entrepreneurs of the Gospel do not allow failures to hinder their eventual success.
Five Star Church: seeking excellence in service
If you’ve ever visited Cleveland, Ohio then you have likely driven past a sign which reads Cleveland Clinic. Consisting of 41 buildings on 140 acres of land, it is safe to say they are a major entrepreneurial enterprise and greatly impact the economic stability of the area. As a native of Cleveland, I am proud to say they hold the title as the fourth best hospital in the country.
Over the years I have had to make several trips to one of the campuses to visit and support friends, family and church members. In addition to their overall hospital rating, they strive to be a five star institution in their customer service. If customer service is about providing individuals with the best and most positive experience while receiving a service, then I would reason that all of life is about customer service.
The Entrepreneurial Gospel: A Reflection on Union Coffee
Across the highway from Southern Methodist University, where I attend Perkins School of Theology, sits a coffee shop. It serves the University and the surrounding community great coffee, builds a great community, and takes up great causes.
What makes Union Coffee unique is its multifunctional space, for this coffee shop is also a church. I know! Take it in! Process it! It is a church of the United Methodist Church.
Now being Baptist I can tell you very little about how they pulled this one off, but what I can tell you is they do it well. They serve amazing coffee, engage us in amazing conversations, and compel us to join them in causes that matter.
If we are to have a conversation about an Entrepreneurial Gospel, we must engage Churches/businesses like Union Coffee. I have been observing this coffee shop since August of 2012 to find their missional framework. Allow me to paint a picture of Union Coffee using their three themes: Coffee, Community & Cause
2300 Miles in a Honda
“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go!’” -Maya Angelou
On August 19, 2010 I situated myself in a Honda Civic with three other women as we began a road trip across the United States. Our final destination was Anderson, IN. What was our purpose? To move my friend and me into our apartment to begin our studies at Anderson University School of Theology, the Seminary of the Church of God (Anderson, IN) Movement.
I was born and raised in the Portland metro region. Leaving God’s green, coastal-lined, mountain range protected, river-filled and tranquil land was unfathomable, terrifying and seemed insane. It was also what I was called to do to further my education and become a better equipped preacher, teacher and minister of the Gospel. Making the decision to move from everything and everyone I knew was challenging to say the least, yet never before had I experienced as much peace.
Keeping the Ship Afloat
Ministry and Entrepreneurship Require Reform, Risk & Relationships
When you ask most entrepreneurs what made them strike out on their own and do something different, perhaps sell or rethink something already on the market, many times they say that it boils down to believing in themselves. That they woke up one morning and genuinely believed that there was something deposited in them by God that gave them permission to take a risk and try something that may or may not have made sense. Entrepreneurship is the ability to recognize the need for reform, to decide you are willing to put yourself at risk to engage it and building the necessary relationships to make it happen.
I do not want to make it seem as if entrepreneurship is all about positive thinking, because it is not. To reduce it to that makes it seem like being an entrepreneur is just about throwing positive feelings into the universe hoping for a cosmic return on your investment. I believe that being an entrepreneur is about being able to harness belief into action. Acknowledging the power that God has deposited in your spirit and creating something different or improving something that needs to reach new people in a new time or space.
The Bible is full of examples of entrepreneurs, people who created and reformed in order to effect change. Rehab, Hannah, Esther, Amos, Paul, Priscilla, Lois, Eunice and Jesus were all people who looked around them, were able to create and reform by building on relationships, and did not allow the risks to dissuade them.
Cheer Section
Though I have never been a huge sports fan, I have always enjoyed supporting my high school sports teams, even since I have graduated. During spring break, my high school’s boys’ basketball team played in the sectional championship game against a local rival team. Unfortunately, our team lost, but one thing sticks out greater than the loss itself… the cheer section. Whether it was the wave, roller coaster, or a rendition of the Harlem Shake, the cheer section had so much energy and was there to encourage the team even when they weren’t doing so well.
As preachers, we may wish that a cheer section would randomly appear as we are preparing for our next sermon so that we feel encouraged to write down what we feel the Holy Spirit has led us to preach. During delivery of that same sermon, we often rely on those in the congregation to give us nonverbal or verbal cues during the sermon so that we can be encouraged and know that everyone is paying attention. Many times we also frequently rely on the encouragement and advice of our advisor as we head into a different season of our lives.
One great source of encouragement for me as a young preacher has been the network of fellow young preachers that I have connected with through both National Festivals I have attended in the past two years. This network of people provides an instant connection with people who have gone through similar experiences that I may be going through. It also allows one the opportunity to encourage preachers that they would have never met if it weren’t for the National Festival of Young Preachers.