The Transformative Preaching Lab (TPL) is an initiative of Duke Divinity School. Launched in 2023 thanks to a grant from the Compelling Preaching Iniciative of the Lilly Endowment, the TPL seeks to create a balance between knowledge and faith. Through a collaborative model of cohort learning that highlights experience as the main source of knowledge for a preacher, this program is our attempt to hold “an ear to the ground.” How can the Church and preachers continue to be relevant to a world that goes beyond the bubbles of theological training? Where does what we learn in preparation to become ministers connect with the needs of the daily life of people? Specifically, from the perspective of the Hispanic House of Studies that houses this program, how can the Gospel become compelling to oppressed and marginalized communities who need a word of hope that affirms a shift for the present and not just a promise for the future?
