Performing the Word: Preaching as Theatre
 The Reverend Doctor Jana L. Childers, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Homiletics and Speech-Communication at San Francisco Theological Seminary, is a Presbyterian minister who served congregations in Kansas and New Jersey before joining the seminary faculty. She holds a B.A. from Wheaton College, an M.Div degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.xml version='1.0' encoding='%SOUP-ENCODING%' Interests in the arts, spirituality and worship supplement Jana’s “central and great love” – preaching. She has appeared at churches and conferences across the country in the one-woman showBerries Red(1987-1997), produced the original musicalPush Up the Sky(1997-1999) at the GTU and is currently working to bringAimee!, a play about the life of Aimee Semple Mc Pherson, to the stage. She is the author ofPerforming the Word: Preaching as Theatre(Abingdon Press, 1998), co-editor ofThe Abingdon Women’s Preaching Annual, Series I, editor ofBirthing the Sermon: Women Preachers on Creative Process(Chalice Press, 2001) which was awarded the Religious Communication Association’s Book of the Year award, and editor of the forthcomingPurpose of Preaching(Chalice Press,2003). Jana has appeared several times onThirty Good Minutes,the television program produced by the Chicago Sunday Evening Club and was recently featured on the Odyssey Channel’sGreat Preachersseries.