Homiletics Masterclass Series: Prayerful Preaching Preparation

Cultivate a Spirituality of Preaching in Your Ministry

For those of us who preach regularly, all too often we become stuck, unsure where to begin; or we find ourselves at the end of the week, searching for a message, putting together text or an outline at the last minute. Let's break out of this cycle, for the Glory of God and the good of those we are called to serve.

Join St. Vladimir's Seminary's inaugural Homiletics Masterclass in Prayerful Preaching Preparation. Whether you are a new or experienced preacher, this one-month program will help you establish an effective, edifying, and sustainable weekly practice that cultivates a spirituality of preaching, in which preparation is integrated into daily prayer and spiritual study, and the homily flows organically from this process.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • Integrate homily preparation into daily prayer and spiritual study

  • Develop concrete reflections on the Gospel’s call to you and your community

  • Cultivate a spirituality of repentance for preaching

Meet Your Instructor

Rev. Dr. Lucas Lynn Christensen
Ph. D. (Notre Dame ’25)
Assistant Director, St. Vladimir’s Compelling Preaching Project

The Rev. Dr. Lucas Lynn Christensen is a published scholar whose research explores Liturgical Aesthetics, Homiletics, Sacred Art & Architecture, Sacramental Theology, Spiritual Senses, and Mysticism. His most recent work investigates vivid descriptions of art, architecture, and ritual practice in Early Byzantine festal homilies, bridging Late Antique theories of rhetoric and image.

Fr. Lucas provides ongoing education in homiletics as Assistant Director of the Compelling Preaching program at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, a research and resource project funded by the Lilly Endowment. 

He earned his M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2016.

Course Format & Schedule

Live Zoom Sessions:
Thursdays, 8:00–8:45 p.m. ET

Dates:
March 5–26, 2026

Access Period:
Feb 26 - April 24

  • This first session introduces three practices of prayerful, Christ-centered reflection that will form the foundation of homily preparation for this Homiletics Masterclass. Participants begin integrating reflection and brief writing into daily prayer to practice these stages, and will have the opportunity to discuss both synchronously and asynchronously in addition to the weekly live sessions.

  • This week, participants explore how to prayerfully discern and to describe Christ calling us to return to Him through one of the pericopes from the week’s services.

  • In this third week, participants will expand on the call to repentance discerned in the reading by exploring how sin is a misdirected desire for Christ, which needs to be reoriented toward its proper end.

  • This final week, participants will express concretely how Christ fulfills the longing we sought for in vain elsewhere. From the preparatory practices participants have integrated over the past four weeks, they will compose a single-sentence summary of the homily’s trajectory to guide its focused composition and delivery.

Tuition & Registration

Course Fee: $200
Refund Policy: No refunds after February 26, 2026

To participate, you’ll need to create a username and password during registration. All course materials and recordings will remain available through April 24, 2026.

Requirements: By no means is it required, but this series is geared toward participants who will preach liturgically; all should have a practical interest in preaching in, or as informed by, Eastern Christian tradition.

What’s Included

  • 4 live discussion sessions (~60 min. each)

  • 4 pre-recorded lectures

  • 4 slide presentations to accompany each lecture

  • Optional reading material

  • Opportunity to interact with instructors live (via Zoom) or messaging (Google Classroom) throughout each week.

  • Access to session recordings and all course materials from February 26–April 24, 2026.

Max 15 participants.

You may submit questions ahead of time for each live Zoom discussion with your professor.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. This is a non-credit, non-transferable enrichment course designed for personal spiritual and theological growth.

  • No. While the course is grounded in the Orthodox tradition, it welcomes students of all Christian backgrounds and those exploring Orthodoxy.

  • No problem. All live Zoom discussions will be recorded and available to watch anytime during the access period.

  • After registering, you’ll use the login credentials you created to access the course platform. All content will be available starting February 26.

  • No, readings are optional and provided for those who want to explore topics more deeply.

  • Not at this time. This course is for personal enrichment and does not offer a certificate of completion.

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