Named in honor of the former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, John Hines (VTS ’33), the award celebrates the ministry of preaching and its importance in our Church by recognizing outstanding sermons that are deeply grounded in scripture and focused on the seen and unseen needs of the worshipping community, the nation and the world.
All Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and Laity of the Episcopal Church in America. Sermons preached outside the United States by clergy who are canonically resident in a diocese of the Episcopal Church USA and by laypeople who are parishioners in an Episcopal Church USA congregation will be accepted as entries for the award.
Entries should be sermons delivered to a congregation sometime over the course of a full liturgical year — between the first Sunday and the last Sunday of Pentecost. Entries must be received by the Committee by January 30 of the succeeding year. The award recipient is announced in the Spring.
The prophetic voice must be central within the sermon. Only one sermon per preacher can be submitted. For the 2021 process, entries can be sent as text documents (Word), and/or audio recording. Beginning in 2022, entries will be solely by audio recording. Entries can be sent to HinesAward@vts.edu or by mail to the Seminary.
The John Hines Preaching Award Committee evaluates the finalists following a faculty committee review of all entries. each entry without knowledge of the identity of the entrant.
The Award winners are presented with a certificate (hopefully in their parish setting by a VTS representative) and a cash prize of $2,000. Additionally, they are invited to campus to guest preach and to spend time with students, faculty, and alumni.