Biblical Preaching and Pastoral Leadership for Complicated Times
 
 
LED BY:
Rev. Dr. Brian Blount

Brian K. Blount is President Emeritus of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. He was called to this position in 2007 after serving for 15 years as the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Princeton Theological Seminary.

An M.Div. graduate of Princeton Seminary in 1981, he obtained his B.A. from the College of William and Mary in 1978. After graduating from Princeton Seminary, he went on to become the pastor of the Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Virginia, from 1982-1988. He was William and Mary’s first African-American to receive membership in the Alpha Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and received his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Emory University in 1992. He returned to teach at Princeton Seminary the same year. He served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature from 2017-2018. He served as the president of the Association of Theological Schools from 2018-2020.

His primary work has been in the Gospel of Mark, the Book of Revelation, and in the areas of cultural studies, biblical hermeneutics, and apocalyptic theology. He lectures widely. He was the 2011 Beecher Lecturer at the Yale Divinity School, Yale University. The author of numerous articles, he also preaches and directs adult education classes in local congregations. He is married, and he and his wife, Sharon, have two children, Joshua and Kaylin.

 

 
Rev. Dr. Alex Evans

Alex served as Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond until May 2023. His previous pastorates were in Blacksburg, Virginia (12 years), and Pickens, South Carolina (9 years). Alex's priorities in ministry include preaching and teaching, building community, and engaging the congregation more deeply in mission in the neighborhood and across the globe.

Alex is a graduate of Davidson College, Union Presbyterian Seminary, Yale University, and received his doctorate from Columbia Theological Seminary. Alex's experience and energy in ministry include his devotion to interfaith conversations, racial reconciliation, and care for traumatized police officers. He served as the Director of Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program and volunteered as lead Chaplain for the FBI, Richmond Division. He has been married to Ginger Taylor Evans for over 42 years, and they have three grown children and eight grandsons.