The T.J. and Inez Raney Lectureship, later renamed the T.J. and Inez Raney Series was inaugurated in 1951 through an endowment fund provided by Alton B. Raney & Mary Raney. The Raney Series has become one of the most popular educational and theological events held in Little Rock and Central Arkansas.
T.J. and Inez Raney Lectureship Series Past Presenters
1951 Dr. Roy L. Smith
Agent of the Methodist Publishing House and Editor of the Christian Advocate.
1952 Bishop Paul E. Martin
Bishop, Houston, Texas Area, The Methodist Church.
1953 Dr. Ralph Sockman
Minister, Christ Church Methodist, New York City.
1954 Dr. Marshall T. Steel
Former President, Hendrix College.
1955 Dr. George Buttrick
Minister, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, NYC.
Professor, Harvard University.
1956 Dr. Charles Ray Goff
Minister, Chicago Temple (Methodist).
1957 Dr. Elton Trueblood
Professor of Philosophy,
Earlham College.
1958 No Lecture Scheduled.
1959 Dr. Paul Scherer
Brown Professor of Homiletics, Union Theological Seminary.
1960 Dr. Louis Hadley Evans
Minister-at-large-, Board of National Missions, Presbyterian Church, USA.
1961 Dr. Ralph Sockman
Minister, Christ Church Methodist, New York City.
1962 Dr. Robert J. McCracken
Minister, The Riverside Church, New York City. (Cancelled)
1963 No Lecture Scheduled.
1964 Bishop Richard C. Raines
Bishop, Indiana Area, The Methodist Church.
1965 Bishop J. Kenneth Shamblin
Bishop, Louisiana Area, The Methodist Church.
1966 Dr. Louis H. Evans, Sr.
Minister, United Presbyterian Church, USA.
1967 Dr. Charles L. Allen
Senior Minister, First Methodist Church, Houston, Texas.
1968 Bishop Gerald Kennedy
Bishop, Los Angeles Area, The Methodist Church.
1969. Dr. Bryant M. Kirkland
Minister, 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City.
1970 Dr. Edward A. Steimle (Cancelled)
1971 Cancelled.
1972 Dr. A Leonard Griffith
Pastor, Deer Park Church, Toronto, Canada.
1973 Reverend Bill Smith
Pastor, Waialae Baptist Church, Honolulu, Hawaii.
1974 Dr. Edward A. Steimle
Former Brown Professor of Homiletics, Union Theological Seminary, New York City.
1975 Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, Sr.
Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, California.
1976 Dr. John R. Claypool, Sr.
Minister, Christ Episcopal Church, San Antonio, Texas.
1977 Bishop W. McFerrin Stowe
Former Bishop, Fort Worth-Dallas Area, the United Methodist Church.
1978 Dr. Carlyle Marney
Director, Interpreter’s House, Lake Junalaska, North Caroline (Baptist).
1979 Dr. Bruce Larson, Sr.
Minister, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington.
1980 Cancelled.
1981 Dr. William A. Holmes, Sr.
Minister, National United Methodist Church, Metropolitan Memorial Church, Washington D.C.
1982 Dr. Fred B. Craddock
Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
1983 Dr. John Killinger
First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, California.
1984 Dr. Bruce Larson, Sr.
Minister, University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington.
1985 Dr. Barry Bailey
Minister, Firth United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, Texas.
1986 Dr. Joe Harding, Sr.
Pastor, Central United Protestant Church, Richland, Washington.
1987 Dr. James W. Moore
Minister, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Houston Texas.
1988 Dr. Mouzon Biggs, Jr.
Senior pastor, Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1989 Dr. Charles L. Allen
Retired pastor, First United Methodist Church, Houston, Texas.
1990 Dr. James B. Argue
Retired pastor, Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, Little Rock.
1991 Dr. Zan W. Holmes, Jr.
Associate Professor of Preaching, Perkins Theological Seminary, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.
1992 Dr. Barry Bailey
Senior pastor, First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, Texas.
1993 Dr. W.J.A Power Faculty, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
1994 Dr. Leonard I. Sweet
President, Union Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio.
1995 Bishop Ruediger Minor
Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Russia.
1996 Bishop William B. Oden
Bishop of the Indiana Area, United Methodist Church.
1997 Bishop Woodie W. White
Bishop of the Indiana Area, United Methodist Church.
1998 Dr. Walter Brueggemann
Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.
1999 Dr. Leonard I. Sweet
Drew University Theological School, Madison, New Jersey.
2000 Dr. John C. Holbert
Associate Professor of Preaching, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.
2001 Dr. Rodney E. Wilmoth
Pastor, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2002 Dr. David Wilkinson
Astrophysicist and Fellow in Christian Apologetics, St. John’s College, University of Durham, England.
2004 Dr. William B. Lawrence
Dean and Professor of American Church History, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.
2005 Dr. Jana L. Childers
Professor of Homiletics and Speech-Communication, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San
Francisco, California.
2006 Bishop Charles N. Crutchfield
Bishop of the Arkansas Area, United Methodist Church.
2007 & 2008 Rev. Trevor Hudson
Methodist preacher, author, and pastoral therapist from South Africa.
2011 Rev. Brian McLaren
Former pastor, college English teacher, author and innovative Christian leader.
2012 Andy Crouch
Current partner for theology and culture at Praxis, former editor and producer at Christianity Today.
2016 Dr. Stephen D. Wende
Former pastor of First United Methodist Church of Houston, Texas.
2017 Bishop Vashti McKenzie
Interim President & General Secretary of the National Council of the Church of Christ, USA.
2018 Bishop Will Willimon
Dean of Duke Chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke University.
2019 Rev. Dr. Sam Wells
Vicar of Martin-in-the-Fields, London, England, United Kingdom.
2022 Dr. John McKellar
Dean of the Trinity College of the Methodist Collegiate Church & Co-Pastor of White’s Chapel Methodist Church, Southlake, Texas.
Dr. Todd Renner
Co-Pastor of White’s Chapel Methodist Church, Southlake, Texas.
2023 Teach us to Pray Spiritual Retreat featuring – Rev. Victor Resendiz & Dr. Jerry Webber
Rev. Victor Resendiz
Spiritual Formation Pastor/Chandler’s Hope Director, White Chapel, United Methodist Church, Southlake, Texas.
Dr. Jerry Webber
Teacher of Christian Spirituality and director of the Spiritual Direction specialization in the Houston Graduate School of Theology, Houston, Texas.
2023 Allister McGrath
President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics & associate priest in a group of Church of England village parishes in the Cotswold, England, United Kingdom.
2024 Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler, Ph.D. is a 4x New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and professor at Duke University.