Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), the founding minister of Riverside Church in New York City, was regarded by Martin Luther King, Jr., as ‘‘the greatest preacher of this century.” One of liberal Protestantism’s most influential voices, Fosdick was a proponent of ecumenical Christianity, pacifism, and civil rights, whose radio sermons and writings reached millions.
Since 2016, Augsburg Campus Ministry has hosted the Fosdick Lecture on Preaching. Gifted preachers and storytellers have shared their insights on preaching and topics important to them.
Alan storey
Presenter: Alan Storey
Thursday, April 15, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
625 22nd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454
Rooted in the South African context … Alan is a Gospel storyteller and facilitator of personal and political change.
About our speaker
Alan’s commitment to the Jesus way of justice and peace-making was tested early in his life when he faced conscription into the apartheid regime’s military. He chose to be a conscientious objector. He was arrested and faced trial with a six-year prison sentence as the likely outcome. Alan’s trial was abandoned midway, and he became the last conscientious objector to be brought to trial in apartheid South Africa. Over the years he has been involved in numerous civil society organizations addressing: gun violence, racism; state-capture corruption; xenophobia; homophobia; transphobia; spacial apartheid inequality; sex worker discrimination and campaign for a universal basic income. Alan spearheaded the transformation of the Stipend Policy within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.
Alan recently retired from serving at the Central Methodist Mission in Cape Town. As a Methodist minister for 33 years who lived off weekly words, he is now exploring silence and solitude … while writing. Having recently written the 2025 Andrew Murray Desmond Tutu Prize winning The bell, banners and blasphemy.
Alan has a Honors degree in Theology and a Masters in the Philosophy of Applied Business Ethics. He is a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship Award and a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative (part of the Aspen Leadership Institute).
Alan’s lifelong work remains the experimental practice of the Sermon on the Mount.
Alan’s hope is to contribute to “heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.”
Previous Fosdick Lectures
2016 William Kent Krueger, Minnesota Author, “Storied by God”
2017 Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Minister, Riverside Church, “Good New/Bad News: Preaching the Gospel and the Headlines”
2018 Rev. Mark Hanson, Founding Director of Interfaith at Augsburg, “Unbind Them! Let Them Go! Preaching Resurrection Hope”
2021 Rev. Dr. David Lose, Senior Pastor, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, “Does Preaching Still Matter? More than Ever!” The 2021 Fosdick Lecture is available on YouTube.
2022 Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen, Lead Pastor, and Rev. Angela Khabeb, Senior Associate Pastor, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, “Preaching in a Time of Crisis.”
2023 Senator John Marty and Mindy Greiling, “Hearing. Helping. Healing our Neighbors with Mental Health Challenges” Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Religious Communities.” The 2023 Fosdick Lecture is available on YouTube.
2024 Rev. Barbara Lundblad, Joe R. Engle Professor of Preaching Emerita at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, “Shall the Christian Nationalists Win?” Recording of the 2024 Fosdick Lecture on Preaching
2025 Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis, Lead Minister, Plymouth Congregational Church, “Shall Untruth Win? Faithful Preaching in an Age of Mistrust and Misinformation” Recording of 2025 Fosdick Lecture on Preaching
Previous Lectures
