Jaclyn Williams
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Preaching and Chaplaincy
BA, University of Houston
MFA, University of Washington
MDiv, Fuller Theological Seminary
PhD, University of Birmingham (UK)
Courses Taught
PR500: Homiletics
PR501: Preaching in the African American Tradition
PR538: Preaching as Leadership
PR548: Methods of Embodied Preaching
ET535: The Ethics of Life and Death
Campus Affiliations
Awards
Parish Pulpit Fellowship (Fuller Seminary)
Diversity in the Arts Scholarship (University of Washington)
Areas of Expertise
Spiritual and pastoral care, preaching as embodied art, practical ministry as spiritual practice, theology and theater practice and performance, arts-based spiritual practice
“Through all aspects of our being, we can be holistically present in the story of God and humanity. We can be present to the collective of stories. Our artist self guides us in this work because creativity and community are hardwired into our humanity. In that place of presence, we preach, we accompany, and we live and breathe the theology that we claim.”
Jaclyn Williams
Bio
Before joining Fuller’s faculty in 2022, Jaclyn Williams served as an adjunct instructor in preaching since 2014, and has also served as an adjunct instructor for the Meachum School of Gospel Haymanot. She holds three degrees: an MDiv from Fuller, an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program, and a BA in Theatre from the University of Houston. She will complete her PhD in Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham (UK) in Fall 2022. Her current research interests include incarnational and embodied preaching, performing artist training as spiritual practice, and resiliency resources in pastoral and spiritual care practice.
Williams is an American Baptist-ordained minister and an Alliance of Baptists-endorsed chaplain. She has been awarded the Parish Pulpit Fellowship (Fuller Theological Seminary), the Excellence in Community Service Award (Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church), and Emerging Artist Award (The Links, Incorporated). She has contributed articles to the Haymanot Journal, which is the official publication of the Society of Gospel Haymanot.She is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Academy of Homiletics, the Association of Professional Chaplains, the Alliance of Baptists, and the Society of Gospel Haymanot.
Additionally, she has worked professionally as an actor, the words of August Wilson, Ntozake Shange, and Williams Shakespeare being some of her favorites to perform. Before her acting career, she trained in classical ballet with the City Ballet of Houston, also studying with the Joffrey Ballet and the Hartford Ballet. Today she views acting and dancing as hobbies, but she uses the skills she honed as a performing artist to enhance her pedagogical practice with students. She often speaks on the connections found between the process of craft as an artist and the process of discipleship as a follower of Christ.
As a preacher, chaplain, educator, and performing artist, Williams is always curious about what it means to holistically walk out a life of faith in all seasons. This curiosity fuels her time in research, practice, and teaching. She views the opportunity to acknowledge and accompany students, colleagues, and others as they follow their curiosities and convictions as an enormous gift.