The annual Preachers Conference at Harding University is sponsored by the College of Bible and Ministry and Harding School of Theology. It is a three-day event designed to provide ministers resources they need for preaching, especially materials to aid them in the exposition of God’s Word. The conference is intended to be a time of purposeful retreat for co-ministers in the gospel. It is our hope that all who attend this conference would leave with significant, real progress toward the development of the preaching series as well as a renewed commitment to study and proclaim God’s word. We hope this conference is not only good or beneficial, but also highly relevant and practical.
The 2025 conference was the first ever expansion to a three-day event. In previous years, the conference was held on one day in February. This new format allows for more offerings and presenters, as well as greater opportunities for networking and fellowship.
Although the conference is designed by preachers for preachers, it is not strictly limited to full-time preachers only. All serious Bible students are welcome to attend, especially those who teach Bible classes or lead congregations.
The Dave L. Bland Lecture in Homiletics is sponsored by Harding School of Theology. This annual address highlights the place of preaching both in the academy and in the church. The lecture is named in honor of Dr. Dave L. Bland, retired Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Harding School of Theology. Dr. Bland taught Preaching at HST Memphis for thirty years. The impact of his work in the academy and the church is profound.
Dave L. Bland was born and raised on a farm in northern Colorado. He married his wife, Nancy Cochran Bland, in 1976. They have three sons and six grandchildren. Dave has preached in congregations across the country, including the Eastside Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon and the White Station Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. He first taught courses at Columbia Christian College in Portland for fourteen years. In 1993, he moved to Memphis to begin work at Harding School of Theology as Professor of Preaching, where he taught for thirty years. Dave is the author of several books, including Proverbs and the Formation of Character (Cascade) and Creation, Character, and Wisdom: Rethinking the Roots of Environmental Ethics (Wipf & Stock). He is now retired Professor Emeritus at HST and serves the White Station church as an elder. He lives on an 80-acre farm in Somerville, Tennessee.
He earned his BA from Harding University (a double major in Bible and Speech), an MDiv from Abilene Christian University, a DMin from Western Seminary, and PhD in Rhetoric from the University of Washington.
2010–2021: “Chrysostom Club,” Evangelical Homiletic Society
1991–2021: Life-time Achievement Award, Academy of Homiletics
2016–2017: Distinguished Teacher of the Year, Harding University
2010: Outstanding Alumnus Award, Harding University
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