Leading Through the Hand-Off: Lessons in Pastoral Transition
With careful planning, clear communication, financial foresight, and sensitivity to personalities, churches can not only survive transitions, they can thrive through them.
40 Under 40: Daniel Overdorf
DANIEL OVERDORF
Dean of the School of Congregational Ministry
and professor of preaching,
Johnson University,
Knoxville, Tennessee
I have known Daniel Overdorf since helping his family move to Knoxville decades ago when his father became minister of the Woodlawn Christian Church. Daniel was a preschooler then, and many remember him as a mischievous little boy. That might surprise many who know him now as gentle, kind, and always with a welcoming smile.
As dean of the School of Congregational Ministry and professor of preaching, he exercises leadership through his commitment to the centrality of preaching in the life of the church. He brings theory to practice in ways accessible to undergraduate students both in the classroom and through his writings. Senior students frequently mention Overdorf as one of their favorite professors.
He also demonstrates leadership by promoting the importance of preaching beyond the campus through his involvement with the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship, the residency program at Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona, and his initiation of Preach.FEST, a program that promotes preaching among high school students with scholarship awards for outstanding sermons.
Each year a cohort of students enters into congregational ministry with a greater understanding of their role as Christian leaders, owing much of that understanding to the words and the character of Daniel Overdorf.
“”Gary E. Weedman, president, Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee
Christian Standard
Contact us at cs@christianstandardmedia.com
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Daniel Overdorf has such a humble heart teaching young and old how to prepare sermons. Every time I begin to look at Gods Word I am reminded of sitting in class hearing Prof. Overdorf to narrow it down to the keep your points around one central bullet point of Gods truth that you want to relay to your congregation. Because no one wants to here a sermon that is like a buck shot with points that are scattered.
Thank you for being apart of molding me and encouraging me. You definitely are a great leader and are doing great things for the kingdom.