Professor Melva L. Sampson to deliver 2026 Presbyterian Lectures at Columbia Theological Seminary
Winston-Salem, N.C. — Winston-Salem, N.C. — Wake Forest University School of Divinity Assistant Teaching Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology Melva L. Sampson will deliver the 2026 Presbyterian Lectures at Columbia Theological Seminary.
The lectures titled, “Digital Insurgent Homiletics: Afro-Womanist-Futurist Strategies for Preaching Liberation,” will explore how preaching can serve as a powerful practice of liberation and resistance in a digital age. These lectures will also extend an invitation for all to enter into practices of faithful imagination during a time of cultural and technological change.
The Presbyterian Lectures will be held February 25–26, 2026, at Columbia Theological Seminary’s Harrington Center Chapel in Decatur, Georgia and will also be available to attend virtually.
Professor Melva Sampson is a nationally recognized teacher-scholar and leader in the fields of preaching, practical theology, and digital ministry. Most recently, she received the 2025 Ella P. Mitchell Pioneer in Ministry Award from WomanPreach! Inc.. The award honors leaders whose work is recognized as pioneering a legacy of justice, access, empowerment, and wholeness for women in preaching or women in non-profit organizations. Her new book, The Pink Robe Chronicles: Womanist Wisdom for Healing, Liberation and Love, will be released in August.
“Professor Sampson’s scholarship represents the kind of bold and innovative theological thinking that is a hallmark of the intellectual community at Wake Forest School of Divinity,” said Dean and Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities Corey D. B. Walker. “Her selection to deliver this year’s Presbyterian Lectures affirms both her outstanding scholarly contributions and Wake Divinity’s commitment to shaping the future of preaching and practical theology.”
For more information about the Presbyterian Lectures 2026, visit Columbia Theological Seminary’s website.
About the Wake Forest University School of Divinity
Founded in 1999, Wake Forest University School of Divinity is a graduate, professional school that is Christian by tradition, Baptist in heritage, and ecumenical in outlook. Guided by the University’s motto, Pro Humanitate, the School prepares leaders informed by a theological understanding of vocation and equipped to serve as agents of justice, reconciliation, and compassion in a complex world. The School offers masters and doctoral degree programs including dual degree programs in bioethics, counseling, education, law, management, and sustainability.
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