Saint Paul | School of Theology

William K. McElvaney Visiting Professor of Preaching and Director of Continuing Education/Saint Paul Institute

Phone: 816-245-4867
E-mail: mike.graves@spst.edu

Education

Christian Church (DOC), Ordained Minister

Books

What's the Shape of Narrative Preaching? Essays in Honor of Eugene L. Lowry, co-editor with David Schlafer (Saint Louis: Chalice Press, 2008).
Preaching Matthew, co-author with David May (Saint Louis: Chalice Press, 2007).
The Fully Alive Preacher: Recovering from Homiletical Burnout (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006).
What's the Matter with Preaching Today? editor and contributor (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004).
Craddock Stories, co-edited with Richard F. Ward (Saint Louis: Chalice Press, 2001).
The Sermon as Symphony: Preaching the Literary Forms of the New Testament (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1997).

Chapters in Books

Homiletical articles on 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Heb. 10:16-25; 1 Pet. 4-18, in Feasting on the Word, Barbara Brown Taylor and David L. Bartlett, eds. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,forthcoming).
Homiletical articles on Mark 1:21-28, Mark 1:29-39, Mark 1:40-45, in Feasting on the Word, Year B, vol. 1, Barbara Brown Taylor and David L. Bartlett, eds. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008).
"Rhetorical Criticism" and "Comparison," in New Interpreter's Bible Handbook on Preaching (Nashville: Abingdon Press, forthcoming).
"High Church, Low Church: Which Way Is Worship Going?" in Central Thoughts: Ministry in the 21st Century, Thomas Clifton, ed. (Macon: Smyth and Helwus, 1998).

Articles

"Three Good Preaching Words: Beauty and Justice," Call to Worship 42 (February 2009), 37-43.
"Deeply Dialogical: Rethinking the Conversation Called Preaching," Journal for Preachers 32 (Lent 2009), 24-31.
“Lessons Learned from My Dentist: Continuing Education for Preachers,” The Clergy Journal (February 2008), 12-14.
"Preaching and Plagiarizing," The Clergy Journal (September 2004), 18-19.
"The Grammar of Preaching," The Living Pulpit (January-March, 2003), 42-43.
"Holy Saturday: Preaching Between Lament and Praise," The Living Pulpit (October-December 2002), 31 and 40-41.
"Preaching from the Thessalonian Letters," Review and Expositor 96 (Spring 1999), 233-247.
"Caring for the Dying: Proclamation Resources," for Compassion Sabbath, an interfaith project on death and dying sponsored by Midwest Bioethics, Kansas City, 1999.
"Preaching Lukan Parables: A Socio-Rhetorical Approach," Southwestern Journal of Theology 40 (Fall 1997), 17-32.
"Luke 10:25-37: The Moral of the 'Good Samaritan' Story?" Review and Expositor 94 (Spring 1997), 269-275.
"Video Ergo Sum: Preaching and the Electronic Age," Journal of the American Academy of Ministry (Winter/Spring 1996), 17-28.

Published Sermons

"On Having a Word from God," John 1:1-18, Journal for Preachers, 27 (Advent 2003), 8-11.
"Followed by the Sun," Matthew 14:22-33, sermon and interview for Walter Scott Society (February 2001).
"The Daughter's Music, Zephaniah 3:14-18a," Pulpit Digest (July/August 1998), 20-24.
"Characters in Search of a Plot, John 2:23-3:21," for the Alfred P. Klauser Sermon Awards, The Christian Ministry (September/October 1997), 21-23.
"Church Is a Nine-Letter Word, Joshua 7:16-26; Acts 5:1-11," Pulpit Digest (May/June 1996), 26-30.

"Deeply Dialogical: Rethinking the Conversation Called Preaching" (presented at the Chungyup Lectures, Methodist Theological Seminary, Seoul, Korea, November 2008).
Mini-Term on Preaching (Church of Scotland Ministers, Glasgow, Scotland, February 1-6, 2008).
"The Dialogues of Preaching" (presented at the Ministries Council Retreat, Church of Scotland, Dundee, Scotland, February 2008).
Preaching Workshops (presented at the Calvin Symposium on Worship and Preaching, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, January 25-26, 2008).
Warrack Lectures, Church
of Scotland, Saint Andrews University (August 2005).
Continuing Education Workshop, Princeton Theological Seminary (March 2005).
Fellow, College of Preachers, Washington National Cathedral (Fall 2004).
"Renewing Our Preaching, Renewing Ourselves" (Summer Institute of Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, June 2004).
"The Gospel According to You" (Institute for Continuing Ministry Studies, Claremont, California, July 2003).
"Emerson's Three Things" (Baccalaureate address, William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri, May 2003).
"One More Thing" (Baccalaureate address, Chapman University, Orange, California, May 2001).
"The New Homiletic" (four-part lecture, Spurgeon's College, London, England, (November 1999).
I have also conducted numerous workshops on preaching and worship for various churches and regional gatherings.

Academy of Homiletics
Association for Case Teaching
Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Shawnee, Kansas: Professor of Homiletics and Worship (1995-2007)
Religious Speech and Communication Association
Society of Biblical Literature
Spurgeon's College, London, England: Adjunct Professor of Preaching (2001-Present)

Greater Kansas City Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): Regional Minister of Preaching (2000-Present)
Spurgeon's College, London, England: Adjunct Professor of Preaching (2001-Present)
Hillside Christian Church, Kansas City, Missouri: Interim Pastor (2007)
Preaching and teaching in various congregations