Baylor’s Truett Seminary Appoints New Holder of the David E. Garland Endowed Chair in Preaching
WACO, Texas (June 2, 2025) - Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the appointment of Tyshawn Gardner, PhD, to the David E. Garland Endowed Chair in Preaching effective June 1, 2025. Gardner is succeeding Scott M. Gibson, DPhil, in this esteemed role. Gibson served as the Garland Chair from 2018 until the time of his retirement at the end of the spring 2025 semester.
“I am honored to have such a distinguished master preacher and scholar of preaching as Dr. Gardner named to the David E. Garland Chair in Preaching,” said David E. Garland, PhD, professor of Christian Scriptures emeritus. “Someone has said about preaching, ‘When trumpets are needed, flutes will not do,’ and Dr. Gardner is indeed a trumpet. His commitment to proclaiming the gospel and his gift for teaching promise to inspire Truett students also to heed the clarion call and skillfully proclaim God’s word faithfully, in season and out of season.”
In keeping with University policy and practice, the recommendation for Gardner to be named to the Garland Chair was made by Truett Seminary Dean, Todd D. Still, PhD. Following consultation with numerous others both within and beyond the Seminary, Dean Still’s decision was affirmed by Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse.
“It is rare for a seminary to have one endowed chair in preaching, much less three!” observed Dean Still. “With the retirement of Rev. Dr. Scott M. Gibson, the David E. Garland Endowed Chair of Preaching was vacated. Fortunately, Baylor’s Truett Seminary already had a person on her faculty of the caliber and stature necessary to occupy this chair—Rev. Dr. Tyshawn Gardner. It is with both gladness and gratitude that I am appointing Rev. Dr. Gardner, one of the country’s premier theoreticians and practitioners of homiletics, to this coveted position. He will add additional luster to the chair named in honor of Truett Seminary’s fourth dean, a widely recognized and celebrated scholar-preacher.”
Gardner received a BS from Stillman College, a MDiv from Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, and a PhD in Christian Preaching from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where his research focused on social crisis preaching, prophetic preaching, and rhetoric in the African American preaching tradition. Among his various publications, Gardner’s book Social Crisis Preaching won Preaching magazine’s Book of the Year Award for 2024.
Gardner came to Truett in 2024 as an associate professor of preaching. He also currently serves as the assistant director of the Kyle Lake Center of Effective Preaching. In that capacity, he oversees the African American Preaching Conference and the E.K. Bailey Preaching Celebration. Before coming to Truett, Gardner served as associate professor and director of the Pre-Ministerial Scholars Program at Samford University and as an adjunct professor at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School.
“It is a great honor to be named the David E. Garland Endowed Chair in Preaching at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary,” said Gardner. “Truett’s world-class faculty and staff, along with its exceptional student body, continue to challenge me to serve the academy and the Church for the glory of God alone. I am humbled and glad to develop and prepare men and women to be effective preachers and faithful ministers in the Church and the communities in which they will live and serve.”
The appointment of Gardner to serve as the Garland Chair has been enthusiastically endorsed by many, including by Robert Smith, Jr., PhD, distinguished professor of divinity at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, who said, “Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University’s appointment of Dr. Anthony Tyshawn Gardner to the esteemed David E. Garland Chair of Preaching affirms his homiletical excellence, preaching prowess, and his theological depth in addressing the pressing educational, moral, and spiritual challenges of our time. His preaching and teaching integrate rigorous exegesis with a profound sensitivity to issues of justice, mercy, and righteousness—hallmarks of a theologically rooted public witness who ministers to the academy and the Church.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition embedded into Baylor, a Christian R1 University. Truett’s mission is to equip God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist World Alliance, Truett Seminary provides theological education leading to the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Contextual Witness and Innovation, Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology and Food Justice, Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies (online), Master of Theological Studies, Doctor of Ministry, and PhD in Preaching. In addition to a number of distinctive programs, institutes, and centers, Truett Seminary also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. Besides its flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has locations in Houston and San Antonio. Visit the Truett Seminary website to learn more.