Job Details

SMU 50173 Assistant or Associate Professor in Worship and Preaching

Position Number: 6527357
Location: Dallas, TX
Position Type: Liberal Arts - Religious Studies & Theology

SMU 50173 Assistant or Associate Professor in Worship and Preaching
Perkins School of Theology

Location: Dallas
Open Date: Sep 01, 2025

Description:
Perkins School of Theology at SMU seeks a faculty appointment at the level of assistant or associate professor to fill the LeVan Chair in Preaching and Worship to begin August 2026. The successful applicant will join those full- and part-time faculty members who provide instruction in worship and preaching for the M.Div., M.A.M., M.S.M., and continuing education programs. This is a tenure-track or tenured appointment.

Responsibilities

A. Full-time teaching and scholarship in worship, with ability to teach preaching.

1. Teaching courses in the various degree programs and formats of Perkins School of Theology and, if appropriate, in the Ph.D. curricula of the Graduate Program in Religious Studies of Southern Methodist University.

2. Scholarship, including publications, in the field of Worship.

B. Participation in the life and work of Perkins School of Theology, the Graduate Program in Religious Studies, and other parts of Southern Methodist University, including the structures of governance, exercising the responsibilities normally assumed by faculty members.

Qualifications:
Minimum qualifications

A. Ph.D. or equivalent degree.

B. Demonstrated achievement or promise as a scholar and teacher in the field of Worship.

C. Demonstrated achievement or promise as a teacher in the field of Preaching.

D. Commitment to the primary objectives both of Perkins School of Theology to prepare persons for leadership in the church and in various forms of Christian ministry, and of the Graduate Program in Religious Studies to prepare persons for leadership in the academy.

E. Commitment to teaching in all the degree programs of Perkins School of Theology and in all approved modes of instruction (including in-person, online, and hybrid).

F. Commitment to working in a religiously and theologically varied community.

G. Ordination in a Christian denomination.

Preferred qualifications

A. Knowledge of and appreciation for the worship tradition and practice of the United Methodist Church and other Christian denominations.

B. Experience in pastoral leadership.

C. Ability to lead chapel ministry programs.

D. Demonstrated achievement or promise as a scholar in the field of Preaching.

E. Ability to teach in church music.

F. Background, interests, perspectives, and abilities that complement those of other members of the faculty, with an openness to creative pedagogical and academic collaboration across disciplines.

Application Instructions:
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/170454

Applications must include: 1) a cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, (3) teaching statement and research statement, (4) a writing or publication sample, and 5) three confidential letters of recommendation. Submit application materials electronically to Interfolio https://apply.interfolio.com/170454 to the attention of Ms. Avery Pryer, Executive Assistant to the Dean.

Review of applications will begin October 15, 2025, but to ensure full consideration for the position, the application must be received by December 15, 2025. The committee will, however, continue to accept applications until the position is filled. The committee will notify applicants of its employment decisions after the position is filled. Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.

SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.