Professor Melva L. Sampson named to inaugural cohort of Gongloff Creative Worship and Prophetic Preaching Fellowship at Brite Divinity School
Winston-Salem, N.C. — Wake Forest University School of Divinity Assistant Teaching Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology Melva L. Sampson was named to the Brite Divinity School inaugural cohort of the Gongloff Creative Worship and Prophetic Preaching Fellowship, a yearlong fellowship that brings together preacher-practitioners and scholars to imagine innovative ways to advance creative worship and prophetic preaching in the Christian church. The Gongloff Fellowship will introduce the Brite community, lay church folk, and ministerial leaders to reimagined practices of worship and preaching at the intersections of faith, context, and justice.
During the 2026–2027 academic year, the Gongloff Fellows will lead educational learning labs while also supporting Brite in exploring how worship and preaching can be reinvigorated, deepened, and re-energized through helping co-design Brite’s flagship, three-day conference – Ministry Week, scheduled for February 1–3, 2027.
“This is a moment for prophets. And yet, increasingly, preachers must be creative to be heard,” said the Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, President of Brite Divinity School. “The Gongloff fellows, named after a dear friend and colleague in ministry, come together to equip contemporary faith leaders for the creative and prophetic work of worship, leadership, and preaching.”
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. and delivered the 2026 Presbyterian Lectures at Columbia Theological Seminary. 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 this inaugural cohort of fellows affirms her outstanding scholarly contributions and prophetic witness along with Wake Divinity’s commitment to shaping the future of preaching and practical theology.”
For more information about Brite Divinity School’s Gongloff Creative Worship and Prophetic Preaching Fellowship visit Brite Divinity School 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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