International Sermon Studies Association

The International Sermon Studies Association is a multidisciplinary and interfaith organization, bringing scholars and practitioners together to discuss sermon texts and the art of preaching from a variety of academic and religious perspectives.

The association was formed out of the Center for Sermon Studies, founded in 2014, as a service to Marshall University faculty and students, members of faith communities in the tri-state area, and researchers around the world.

Links to projects sponsored by the association can be found at the top of this page.

For more information:
Dr. William Skiles
Associate Professor of History
1000 Regent University Dr., RH 321i
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
wskiles@regent.edu

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board is comprised of faculty, local clergy, and scholars at a variety of institutions.

Larry Bailey, Pastor, Living Water Free Methodist Church, Huntington, WV
Emily Murphy Cope, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Writing, York College of Pennsylvania
Rachel Cope, Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University
Laura Michele Diener, Associate Professor of History, Marshall University
Keith Francis, Event Coordinator, Arete Educational and Event Services
William Gibson, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Oxford Brookes University
M. Cooper Harriss, Assistant Professor in Religious Studies, Indiana University
Zach Hutchins, Assistant Professor of English, Colorado State University
Paul Kerry, Associate Professor, Brigham Young University
Samuel Kessler, Assistant Professor in Religion, Gustavus Adolphus College
Marty Laubach, Professor of Sociology, Marshall University
Patricia McKee, Lecturer, Comparative Study of Religions and Public Humanities, Northern Arizona University
John Morgan-Guy, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Amine Oudghiri-Otmani, Instructor of English, Marshall University
Andrew Reed, Associate Professor of Church History, Brigham Young University
Jeffrey Ruff, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Marshall University
Jessica Sheetz-Nguyen, Professor of History, University of Central Oklahoma
Larry Sheret, Instruction and Emerging Technologies Librarian, Marshall University
William Skiles, Associate Professor of History, Regent University
Stephen Underhill, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Marshall University

Conferences

From 2017-2022, the Center for Sermon Studies sponsored a Conference on Sermon Studies, in partnership with Arete Event Services of Santa Rosa, CA.

The meetings are now sponsored by the new International Sermon Studies Association. Information on the 2025 conference is available now, with proposals due by May 1.

Call for Paper Proposals

International Sermon Studies Conference 2025
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA
September 11-13, 2025
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025

Renewal and revival are pervasive themes in the history of the sermon, as preachers have sought to inspire, edify and encourage their congregations. Our conference this upcoming year will focus on Renewal and Revival in the sermon. We welcome paper proposals that explore how preachers seek, support, advance, and facilitate renewal and revival in religious communities, as evidenced in their sermons. We welcome studies that focus on ancient, medieval, and modern sermons—there are no limitations on the timeframe of the study.

The sermons could have been preached in wide and varied contexts, such as tent revivals in the Great Awakening or as part of resistance activities in totalitarian states. The sermons could have been used in the context of peacemaking efforts during the Vietnam war or alternatively in galvanizing a people for war, such as in the First and Second World Wars. We would like to explore how the elements of the sermon serve to rouse congregations to renewal and revival, as these terms were understood in their contexts.

The conference is organized by Dr. William Skiles (Regent University). The conference will be held on the campus of Regent University, on September 11-13, 2025. Registration is required of all attendees. The Founders Inn Hotel is located next to the campus, and will be the most convenient place to stay for the conference.

All proposals should include:

A paper title
An abstract of 250-350 words
A biographical overview

Submit your proposals to Dr. William Skiles (Regent University) at wskiles@regent.edu.

Journal

Sermon Studies is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that published its first article in January 2017. It is operated under the auspices of the Center for Sermon Studies and the Marshall University Library, and is powered by Digital Commons, the software that is used for some 300 other peer-reviewed journals hosted by universities around the world. It will employ the model of continuous publication, where articles are published immediately upon final acceptance and aggregated into online issues semi-annually or quarterly.

Please visit the journal’s website for additional information about its aims and scope, editorial policies, and submission guidelines.

Request Information

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Online or On Campus

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Online or On Campus Old

Online

On Campus

On Campus Degree Type(Required)

Online Degree Type(Required)

Choose a Program(Required)

High School Graduation(Required)

Are you an employee or the spouse/dependent of an employee?(Required)

Employee

Spouse/Dependent

Email Address(Required)

Company(Required)

Agency(Required)

Employee's Company(Required)

Employee's Agency(Required)

Company Email Address(Required)

Agency Email Address(Required)

Employee's Company Email Address(Required)

Employee's Agency Email Address(Required)

Employee's First Name(Required)

Employee's Last Name(Required)

Employee's First Name(Required)

Employee's Last Name(Required)

Your Email Address(Required)

First Name(Required)

Last Name(Required)

I live outside the US

Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

City(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

State(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Zip Code(Required)

Phone(Required)

I live in Canada

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Agent's Name(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Agent GUID

Agent's Notes

I would like to start application process

By entering my first and last name above and clicking “Learn More” below, this shall constitute my electronic signature and I expressly agree that Regent University may call or text me for marketing purposes at the number I provide above, including through the use of an automatic telephone dialing system and/or artificial or prerecorded voice or message according to the TCPA Terms & Conditions below. Accepting this consent is not required to obtain any good or service.

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.