Rev. Dr. Jennifer Ackerman, PhD
I believe God has called me to serve as a pastor to pastors—to minister to the local church by walking alongside parish pastors as an advocate, partner, confidant, and truth-teller; to inspire and equip church leaders in their practices of worship and preaching; and to aid in the administration of structures and programs that encourage joy and freedom in creatively engaging our ministry communities in loving God and neighbor.
Resources and Reflections for Church Leaders
Part of my role as Director of the Ogilvie Institute of Preaching at Fuller Seminary is production of a variety of resources to serve our community of 1500+ pastors and church leaders around the country who are working at the convergence of worship, preaching, and justice. Below are some samples of newsletters, reflections, and other resources I have created:
REFLECTION: Blessed Are the Peacemakers (10/29/20)
REFLECTION: Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen Indeed! (4/14/20)
RESOURCE: Preach from Home to Reach Your People - encouragement for at-home preaching at start of COVID-19 (April 2020)
RESOURCE: Tips for Preaching from Home (April 2020)
RESOURCE: Sermon Series for the 500 Reformation Anniversary, incorporating themes of justice and the Five Solas (October 2017)
REFLECTION: Post-Election Our Call Is Still the Same (11/9/16)
Sermon Recordings
Video Homily on Acts 2:41-47 and Matthew 6:25-34 — Multnomah Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR — 10/29/23
Sermon on Numbers 12:1–16 (Zoom Worship) — Fuller Seminary Chapel, Pasadena, CA — 1/12/22
Sermon on John 18:33–38 (Christ the King Sunday) — Valley Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR — 11/21/21
Sermon on Mark 13:1–8 (Kirkin o' the Tartan Sunday) — Valley Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR — 11/14/21
Sermon on Revelation 21:16 (All Saints Sunday) — Valley Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR — 11/7/21
Sermon on Ephesians 3:14–2 — St. John's Presbyterian Church, Camas, WA — 7/25/21
Sermon on Isaiah 11:6–10 and Mark 1:1–8 (Zoom Worship) — Community Presbyterian Fellowship, West Covina, CA — 12/6/20
Sermon on Isaiah 40:1–5 and Mark 13:24–37 (Zoom Worship)— Community Presbyterian Fellowship, West Covina, CA — 11/29/20
Sermon on Exodus 14:5–31 and Matthew 25:34–40 (Zoom Worship)— Community Presbyterian Fellowship, West Covina, CA — 11/8/20
Sermon on Acts 19:1-7 and Mark 1:4-15 — Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA — 1/7/18
Sermon on Genesis 28:10-19 and Romans 8:12-25 — Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA — 7/23/17
Testimony in Word and Song — The Artists Outlet, La Cañada, CA— 12/18/16
Presbytery Contributions
Talking About Social Justice (video) - In this Zoom workshop, I facilitated a panel discussion involving leaders from a variety of churches doing significant work around issues of race, immigration, reconciliation, creation care, and more.
Administrative Commission (documents) - In 2018, I moderated an Administrative Commission of San Gabriel Presbytery that was tasked with assisting a small, dying church in determining their future. This April Report to Presbytery summarizes some of the work we did and the resulting recommendations, and this June Report to Presbytery outlines the actions that took place as a result..
GA2016 Amendments (Prezi interactive learning tool) - I created this tool to educate presbytery commissioners on proposed constitutional amendments.
Presbytery Worship (documents) - I planned nearly all times of worship for San Gabriel Presbytery stated meetings 2016-2020, in partnership with the Presbytery Moderator and other presbytery leadership. The collection of documents in this folder are examples of some of the creative expressions of worship we employed during this time.
Books & Papers
Preaching the Gospel of Justice: Good News in Community (Fortress Press, 2024)
Dissertation: Howard Thurman and Sacramental Silence: The Convergence of Worship, Preaching, and Justice (Spring 2020)
Book Review: A Brief History of Sunday by Justo L. González - July 2017 (published in The Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics)
"A New Imagination for Christian Race Relations: Radical Embrace of the Imago Dei" - February 2017 (presented at Princeton Theological Seminary Graduate Student Conference)
"Worship—A Vessel for Navigating the Currents of Postmodernity" - December 2016 (pending publication in in Faith, Embodiment, and Globalization: Postmodernity and Christian Cultural Practices. Eds. Joshua Beckett and Hak Joon Lee.)
