Annual Lecture Series

It’s important to Campbell Divinity School that ministers have resources and opportunities available to them throughout the year that enrich them academically, spiritually, and in their ministries. The annual lecture series brings scholars from around the country and world to deliver lectures on a wide variety of topics that are related to evangelism, biblical studies, and preaching.  For the 2025-2026 academic year, we are pleased to invite you to the Prevatte Lectures (October 28, 2025) and the Cammack Lectures (Date TBD).

Prevatte Lectures

October 28, 2025

Campbell Divinity invites you to our annual E.J. and Amaretta Prevatte Biblical Studies Lecture Series, featuring Dr. Lisa Marie Bowens as our guest lecturer. Dr. Bowens, an Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary, earned a BS (cum laude), MSBE, and MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an MTS and ThM from Duke Divinity School. She received her PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and is the first African American woman to earn tenure in Princeton Theological Seminary’s Bible department where she teaches a variety of courses. An award-winning author, she was designated by Patheos as one of the 50 New Testament Scholars to read and follow and recently delivered the prestigious Speaker Lectures at Oxford University in 2023. She has written a number of articles and two books, An Apostle in Battle: Paul and Spiritual Warfare in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 and African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation. Her monograph, African American Readings of Paul, has won several awards, and is the first book to trace historically African American interpretations of the Apostle Paul and his letters from the 1700s to the Civil Rights Movement. She has also co-edited two volumes: Preaching Romans From Here: Diverse Voices Engage Paul’s Most Famous Letter (with Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica) and Do Black Lives Matter?: How Christian Scriptures Speak to Black Empowerment (with Dennis Edwards). Among her current writing projects are two commentaries, one on 2 Corinthians and one on 1-2 Thessalonians. She is a member of a number of professional societies, including the Society of Biblical Literature, the Society of Pentecostal Studies, and the Society for the Study of Black Religion. Learn more.

Register
Schedule of Events
Updated schedule coming soon!

Reunion & Reflection Time on Campus
9:45am – 10:45am
Taylor Hall 118

Join us in Taylor Hall for coffee and light refreshments. Then take time to walk and pray on campus before heading to the first lecture. We invite you to spend quiet moments in Butler Chapel or enjoy the stillness of the Prayer Garden near the Bell Tower on a crisp autumn morning.

Lecture
“Divine Interruptions:
The Apostle Paul and His African American Interpreters”
11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Butler Chapel
Watch the Livestream

Fellowship Lunch
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Location: Ballroom B, Harris Student Union

Enjoy fellowship around the table as a community of faith- all are invited. Be sure to register to save your spot for lunch!

Afternoon Break
1:00pm – 3:00pm

Lecture
“Anointed and Appointed: How Early Black Women Preachers Interpreted the Pauline Epistles”

3:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Butler Chapel
Watch the Livestream

Register for Prevatte Lectures & Luncheon
The Prevatte Lectures are made possible by the
E.J. and Amaretta Prevatte Biblical Studies Lecture Series.
We are grateful for the generosity of our philanthropic community of supporters.

Cammack Lectures

March 16 – 17, 2026

Campbell Divinity invites you to our annual James C. Cammack Institute of Preaching Lectures, featuring Dr. Jim Somerville as our guest lecturer. Dr. Somerville serves as the Senior Pastor of Richmond’s First Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, a position he has held since May, 2008. Before that he served for eight years as Pastor of the First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C. He holds a Master of Divinity in preaching and teaching and a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from Georgetown College, Kentucky, with a degree in Fine Art and before that from the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Dr. Somerville’s articles and sermons have been published in a number of different journals including Christian Century, Lectionary Homiletics, and the Upper Room. He has preached on Day1 (formerly the Protestant Hour) and the Chicago-based 30 Good Minutes. In addition to his work as pastor, he is the Co-Founder of A Sermon for Every Sunday, an online resource featuring “Video sermons from America’s best preachers for every Sunday of the Liturgical Year” (www.asermonforeverysunday.com). Learn more.

Schedule of Events
Check back for schedule & registration details.
This lecture series is made possible by a generous gift given by Chris Cammack.
In appreciation of his father’s love and legacy of preaching, Chris’s gift led to the establishment of the James C. Cammack Institute of Preaching Lectures in 2011.
We are grateful for the generosity of our philanthropic community of supporters.

Reavis Lectures

Check back for information about the Reavis Lectures, coming Fall 2026.

 
The Reavis Lectures are made possible by the L.B. and Mabel Reavis Professorship and Scholarship Program.
We are grateful for the generosity of our philanthropic community of supporters.
 

Additional Information

These events are offered at no charge and will include a ministry focus, a biblical focus, an academic focus, and a preaching focus. The lectures will be held in the Robert and Anna Butler Chapel. Follow Divinity School event signs for parking.

Mark your calendars now! Bring another minister with you and join us for any or all of these spiritual growth opportunities. These speakers will encourage you, stretch you, and inspire you. Campbell University provides a variety of venues for any meals you want to purchase.

We are glad to provide these growth and renewal opportunities for you. 

Available Lodging:

COMFORT INN, FUQUAY-VARINA
7616 Purfoy Rd. (27526)
919-557-9000

QUALITY INN, FUQUAY-VARINA
511 N. Judd Parkway NE (27526)
919-557-2009

HAMPTON INN, DUNN
100 Jesse Tart Circle (28334)
910-892-4333

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS, DUNN
900 East Pearsall Street (28334)
910-892-4400

MARRIOTT FAIRFIELD INN AND SUITES, DUNN
513 Springs Branch Road
Dunn, NC 28334
(910) 891-4064