Established in 1991, the Festival of Preaching is a series of lectures and worship experiences devoted to the art and gift of pulpit ministry. Those attending the conference enjoy probing scholarly lectures and participate in creative and diverse worship services. Each Festival includes a number of lectures by the featured speaker, and worship services are led by an invited worship leader.

In 1992, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto gave a substantial gift to McMaster Divinity College for the endowment of the Festival. The event subsequently was named in honour of the Rev. John N. Gladstone, pastor for 28 years of Yorkminster Park and an alumnus of McMaster University. In 1993 and 1996, Dr. Gladstone was the principal worship leader. With its focus on Christian proclamation, the purpose of the Gladstone Festival is to offer students, faculty, alumni, and local church leaders illuminating and provocative biblical, theological, and pastoral insights for ministry.

The Gladstone Festival of Preaching has, in a short time, become an event of national ecumenical significance, as is evident from the following list of distinguished Festival Lecturers and Associate Homileticians:

• 2011 - Friday, October 28 - Kent Edwards, Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada, CA - "Deep Preaching"
• 2009 - Friday, October 30 - Darrell Johnson, Regent College, Vancouver, BC - "Transformational Preaching"
• 2007 - Saturday, September 29 - Leonard Sweet, Drew Theological School, Madison, NJ - "Giving Blood - The Art & Craft of EPIC Preaching"
• 2006 - John McAuley - Muskoka Woods Sports Resort, Rosseau, ON
  "Preaching on Empty"
• 2005 - Michael Quicke - Northern Theological Seminary, Chicago
  "Preachers as God's Change Agents" 1992 - William H. Willimon, Duke University: “Preaching and Evangelism in Today’s World”
• 2004 - Haddon Robinson - Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts - “Preaching in a Wilderness Time; Crying for a Voice”
• 2003 - Barbara Brown Taylor - Piedmont College, Demorest, Georgia. : “The Preaching Life”
  (Diane McLellan Walker, Pastor, Pelham Centre United Church, Niagara Presbytery, Ontario.)
• 2002 - Stephen Farris, Knox College, Toronto School of Theology - “Preaching for a Church in Conflict”
  (John Bell, Iona Community, Scotland)
• 2001 - Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago Divinity School - “Preaching In Three Modes”
  (Cleophus J. LaRue, Francis Landey Patton Associate Professor of Homiletics, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J.)
• 2000 - Eugene Lowry, Saint Paul School of Theology - “A New Homiletic for a New Millennium”
  (Donna Eleanor Allen, Instructor of Preaching and Worship at Saint Paul School of Theology)
• 1999 - Paul Scott Wilson, Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology - “Theological Use of the Bible in Preaching”
  (Elizabeth Achtemeier, Adjunct Professor of Bible and Homiletics, Union Theological Seminary (Ret.), Richmond, Virginia)
• 1998 - Edwina Hunter, Union Theological Seminary - “The Word Made Flesh: Preaching in Christ’s Body”
  (R. Maurice Boyd, Minister of The City Church, New York)
• 1997 - Thomas G. Long, Princeton Theological Seminary - “Taking the Listener Seriously in Preaching”
• 1996 - John R.W. Stott - “A Call to Faithfulness”: “Poetry and the Preacher”
• 1995 - Anthony Campolo, Eastern College - “Preaching to a Youth Culture”
• 1994 - Frederick Swann and Charles Adams - “The Function of Music in Christian Worship” and “The Contribution of Black Preaching to the Christian Tradition”
• 1993 - David Buttrick, Vanderbilt University - “Preaching towards God’s Future”

Please contact the College at 905-525-9140 ext. 24401 for further information about the Gladstone Festival.