# Event Details - **Event Name**: KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 08:00 pm (-05:00) - **Event Description**: KMSI 40th Anniversary Opening Lecture with Rev. Dr. Tyshawn Gardner, “Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher”About this EventVanderbilt Divinity School and the Kelly Miller Smith Institute on Black Church Studiesannounces40 Years of Legacy and Imagination for Beloved Community: 40th Anniversary Opening LectureRev. Dr. Tyshawn GardnerAssociate Professor of Preaching, David E. Garland Chair in Preaching, and Assistant and Director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University“Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher”October 7, 20266:00 pmVanderbilt Divinity School411 21st Ave. S., Room 124Nashville, TN 37240“Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher”Kelly Miller Smith, Sr. remains one of the most prolific preachers in American history. Yet, his work in and beyond Nashville, signifies that he was much more than a preacher. Smith, Sr.’s ministry in and beyond First Baptist Capitol Hill stands as a model for pastors who serve amidst the most divisive time in America. An organizer, an educator, and a Civil Rights leader, who possessed an unrivaled dedication to his family and the Body of Christ he served, Kelly Miller Smith, Sr. was more than just a preacher.In partnership with First Baptist Capitol Hill. https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/2f45d340-bfbf-11f1-b7bb-7f2ea2efbfad-rimg-w1110-h740-dcb8b8b8-gmir.jpg Rev. Dr. Tyshawn Gardner Reverend Dr. Tyshawn Gardner currently serves as Associate Professor of Preaching, David E. Garland Chair in Preaching, and Assistant Director of the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, TX.Prior to his appointment at Truett Seminary, Dr. Gardner served as Associate Professor and Director of the Preministerial Scholars Program at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, Senior Pastor of Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for 19 years (2003-2022), as Vice President for Student Affairs at Stillman College (2019-2022), and as the President of the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the SCLC from 2016-2019. Rev. Gardner received the Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and the Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, in Birmingham, where the Dean and faculty selected him as the Most Distinguished Student in 2014. He earned the PhD in Christian Preaching with distinction from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY., where his research interest was the social crisis preaching of Kelly Miller Smith, Sr., prophetic preaching, and the use of rhetoric in the African American preaching tradition. Rev. Gardner is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He has published two books, Sacred Anthropology: Prophetic Radicalism for Pulpit and Pew with Fortress Press (2022), and Social Crisis Preaching: Biblical Proclamation for Troubling Times with B&H Academic (2023) which was named Book of the Year by Preaching Magazine in 2024. His third book, I Heard the Preaching of the Elder: The Life, Proclamation, and Protest of Kelly Miller Smith, Sr. with Baylor University Press was published in April 2026. His fourth book, Pulpits in Protest: African American Preaching Across the Ages will be published in the Spring of 2028. Rev. Gardner is a sought-after preacher and lecturer. His social and community activism warrants him the opportunity to be visible and vocal in the community and allows him to be actively engaged in intricate events and the affect they have on our community. Rev. Gardner is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He is also a member of the Academy of Homiletics and the Evangelical Homiletics Society, and the Ministry Collaborative. Rev. Gardner has a heart for social and racial justice and works tirelessly to see reconciliation and unity in the community. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/nashville/kmsi-lecture-kelly-miller-smith-sr-more-than-just-a-preacher/100002001898403013 - **Event Categories**: fitness, Nonprofit, science-fair - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 2 hours - Location: Vanderbilt University Divinity School - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Nashville - **state**: TN - **country**: United States - **location**: Vanderbilt University Divinity School - **lat**: 36.1466963 - **long**: -86.8007657 - **full address**: Vanderbilt University Divinity School, 411 21st Avenue South, Nashville, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/d0311e3f20d0ec0dbac707993ad8950e89db9b6b5a137457ab7a9d841b967836-rimg-w1200-h800-dcb8b8b8-gmir.jpg?v=1790473568 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher being held? - **A:** KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher takes place on Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Wed, 07 Oct, 2026 at 08:00 pm at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, 411 21st Avenue South, Nashville, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher? - **A:** KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher is organized by Vanderbilt Divinity School. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "KMSI Lecture : Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.: More Than Just A Preacher", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/d0311e3f20d0ec0dbac707993ad8950e89db9b6b5a137457ab7a9d841b967836-rimg-w1200-h800-dcb8b8b8-gmir.jpg?v=1790473568", "startDate": "2026-10-07T18:00:00-05:00", "endDate": "2026-10-07T20:00:00-05:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/nashville/kmsi-lecture-kelly-miller-smith-sr-more-than-just-a-preacher/100002001898403013", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Vanderbilt University Divinity School", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "411 21st Avenue South", "postalCode": "37240", "addressLocality": "Nashville", "addressRegion": "TN", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "36.1466963", "longitude": "-86.8007657" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "KMSI 40th Anniversary Opening Lecture with Rev. 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