The Fred B. Craddock Lectures on Preaching

Rochelle Scheuermann is Associate Professor of Evangelism & Leadership and serves as Program Director for the Doctor of Ministry degree and Assistant Dean of Ministry and Evangelism in the A. Duane Litfin Divinity School. She earned her M.Div. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to coming to Wheaton, Rochelle served as Program Director & Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies and Vice-President of Academics at Lincoln Christian University. She is an ordained minister and served as Associate Pastor at a church plant in downtown Salt Lake City, UT.

In addition to holding memberships in several academic societies, Rochelle is active in the Evangelical Missiological Society, having served on the national board in multiple roles, including society President (2022-2024), national co-chair (2015 and 2020), and JEMS editor (2024-2025). She is a peer-reviewer for Missiology, a board member for Can Do Kids International, an advisory editor for Koinonia Journal, an advisory board member for Koinonia Inclusion Network and a member the Lausanne Mission and Disability Catalyst Group “Community of Practice.” Rochelle’s research interests include disability and the church, theology of mission, and the intersection of preaching and culture. She has contributed articles to numerous peer-reviewed journals and anthologies; is author of Disability and Evangelism: The Good News of the Fullness of God’s Kingdom (2026, IVP Academic), co-author of the textbook, Preaching in the Contemporary World (2006, Global University). In 2022 she received a Knox Fellowship Award for Research in Evangelism for her article “Apologetics and Disability: Reframing Our Response to the Question of Suffering.”

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

“Building Accessible Bridges: Engaging Disability in the Preaching Event”

Lecture #1: Disability in Text and Context, 10:30 AM
Lecture #2: Disability in Sermon Construction & Delivery, 1:30 PM

The Fred B. Craddock Lectures on Preaching honor one of Johnson University’s most renowned and respected alumni. Craddock’s voice has been one of the most influential in homiletics over the last fifty years. A Baylor University research study, published by Newsweek, named Craddock as one of the twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. His scholarly approach to the biblical text and his folksy storytelling combined to make Craddock an exceptional model of creative, effective communication.

Craddock received his education at Johnson University, Phillips Seminary, and Vanderbilt University. He served churches in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Georgia, and taught at Johnson University, Phillips University, and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He held the title of Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Emeritus, at Candler, and the Minister Emeritus of Cherry Log Christian Church. He wrote extensively in the fields of preaching and New Testament and spoke at prestigious lectureships around the world.