Luke A. Powery

Dean of Duke Chapel

The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is the dean of Duke Chapel and an associate professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School. Prior to his appointment at Duke, he served as the Perry and Georgia Engle Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. He received his B.A. in music with a concentration in vocal performance from Stanford University, his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his Th.D. from Emmanuel College, University of Toronto.

His teaching and research interests are located at the intersection of preaching, worship, pneumatology, performance studies, and culture, particularly expressions of the African diaspora. He is the author of "Spirit Speech: Lament and Celebration in Preaching," "Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope" and “Were You There? Lenten Reflections on the Spirituals.”

Though nurtured in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition, Powery was ordained by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and has served in an ecumenical capacity in churches throughout Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. He is a member of the Academy of Homiletics, the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Study of Black Religion.