Our Vision
The church has been and continues to be the cornerstone of the African-American community, and preaching provides the foundation for the African American church. Unfortunately, scholars have limited access to the records of the Black pulpit, and many existing recordings of the great African American pulpit voices are not available to a wide audience. No such library exists.
To respond to this need, Clamp Divinity School of Anderson University is launching the Center for the Study of African American Preaching, which will provide a treasury of scholarly resources on the subject and will proceed with protecting this legacy by digitizing and making available the great African American pulpit voices of the past century.
The Center has three primary purposes:
To encourage scholarship in the study of the history and nature of African American preaching, including the development of dissertations and scholarly articles on the topic.
To develop a publicly-available resource library of digital recordings of well-known African American preachers, for use for both study and inspiration.
To endow scholarships and fellowship opportunities for African-American pastors and leaders seeking to enhance the scholarly knowledge and resources in African-American preaching.
Dr. Gaidi K. Burgess
Executive DirectorDr. Gaidi K. Burgess hails from Flint, Michigan. He received his early education from the Flint Community Schools. He subsequently attended Prairie View A&M University to pursue an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. Although he worked briefly in the engineering profession, God changed his major. After he joined the Jordan Grove Baptist church of Houston, God called him to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical Studies (B.S.B.S.) from the College at Southwestern (Texas Baptist College) and a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) with a double concentration in Preaching and New Testament from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) from the School of Theology at Southwestern with an emphasis in Preaching and a minor in Pastoral Studies. His research interests include sacred rhetoric; Christ-centered preaching; doctrinally sound, text-driven preaching that leads to culturally relevant application; and church revitalization through the medium of “redemptive preaching.”
Dr. Burgess serves as Assistant Professor of Christian Studies. He teaches courses on preaching, spiritual formation, and pastoral leadership. His primary goal in the classroom is to demonstrate to his students the nexus of the academy and the church through expositional preaching and intentional pastoral care.
Since 2005, he has been the lead pastor of the historic Greater Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Houston, Texas. Through his visionary leadership, he is leading Greater Mount Zion to experience true revival. New ministry opportunities such as R.E.M.A.I.N. (Recognizing Each Member’s Area of Input and Needs) allow members to serve God in their area of giftedness. Dr. Burgess has a passion for youth and children. He encourages spiritual, academic, and social excellence, especially for those who historically have been marginalized and underrepresented.
Dr. Burgess is married to WaWinta. They are the blessed parents of one son, Gaidi II and one daughter, Genesis. Next to his family, his greatest joy is to be used by God to spread His good news of salvation. He believes it is the efficacy and power of God’s Word that enables all of God’s people to live purpose-filled lives and to experience victory in Jesus.
“Preaching may be confrontational sometimes, certainly exhortatory, but it should have an added sense of the majesty of life, the glory of its possibilities, and the greatness and glory of God. It’s saying something, but it’s saying something in a glorious way.”
~ Gardner C. Taylor
Make a Contribution
In order to make the vision for this Center a reality, we seek the support of key leaders who believe in the power and the future of the African American pulpit. Our goal is to raise $200,000 over the next five years, which will enable us to establish the Center, begin the acquisition of scholarly materials, begin digitizing materials for public access, and provide initial support for promising future scholars.
You can be part of this important effort. Your gift of $5,000 – either as a one-time gift or giving $1,000 each year for the next five years – will help us in establishing the Center and advancing its mission. And with your gift or commitment of $5,000, you will be designated a Fellow of the Center for the Study of African American Preaching, which will include special invitations to events sponsored by the Center and access to the study resources collected within the Center.
Even if you are unable to become a Fellow of the Center, your gift of any size will help to advance the mission of this important project.
Submit a recording for review.
If you would like to submit a recording or media (tapes, CDs, etc.) for consideration in the Center for the Study of African-American Preaching, fill out the following form and we will be in contact with you regarding your submission.
The center will return any non-digital media resources upon digitization.