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Louisville Seminary Announces the 2025–26 Faithful Steward, Distinguished Alum, and First Decade Award Recipients

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (LPTS) is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2025–26 Faithful Steward, Distinguished Alum, and First Decade Awards. These honors recognize alums and community members who exemplify faithful service, transformational leadership, and enduring impact in ministry and beyond.

Please join us for a celebratory reception on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM (ET) in Hundley Hall at Gardencourt (on the Louisville Seminary Campus) as we gather to honor Rev. Lant Davis, Rev. Dr. Joseph D. Small, Rev. Dr. Barbara Barnes, and Rev. Dr. Stephanie Welsh Walker, for their remarkable contributions to the Church and the world.

Please be sure to RSVP by Friday, April 17.

Questions? Contact Aaron Taylor, Alum Engagement Associate, at ataylor@lpts.edu

Faithful Steward Award - Rev. Lant Davis (MDiv '01)

Lant Davis earned his Masters of Divinity from Louisville Seminary in 2001 and first served as assistant to the president at the seminary. Demonstrating a deep commitment to the institution, he served as a Louisville Seminary trustee from 2007 until 2020, chairing the board during his final five years of service. A Birmingham, Alabama native, Lant earned degrees from Duke University (BA) and Yale Law School (JD). He practiced law in Birmingham for 19 years before his call to ministry in 1998. He later served as pastor at Central Presbyterian (2005–2016) and Mountain Brook Presbyterian until his retirement in 2020.

Distinguished Alum Award – Rev. Dr. Joseph D. Small (DMin '81)

Joe Small served as director of the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship (1989–2011). He has been adjunct faculty at Dubuque and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and is currently seated on the boards of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology and the Institute for Church Renewal. Additionally, he has led several international ecumenical dialogues for the World Council of Churches. In addition to his Doctor of Ministry from Louisville Seminary in 1981, Dr. Small also earned degrees from Brown, Pittsburgh (MDiv), and Princeton (ThM). He has served as a pastor in Maryland, Ohio, and New York. A prolific theologian, Small has authored over ten books, including A Pastoral Rule for Today (2019), and numerous scholarly papers.

Distinguished Alum Award – Rev. Dr. Barbara Barnes (MDiv '87)

Barbara Barnes has a profound history with our institution. Her contributions to LPTS include serving as Interim Director of Communications, Associate Director of Continuing Education and Lay Education (1983–1985), and as an Adjunct Professor of preaching. She has also dedicated 22 years of service to the Louisville Seminary Board of Trustees. Her professional ministry included co-pastoring at Crescent Hill Presbyterian (1987–1998) and Oxford Presbyterian (1998–2014). She holds credentials from Muskingum (BA), Columbia (MA), and San Francisco Theological Seminary (DMin). In retirement, she remains active in hunger justice and earth care at Harvey Browne Presbyterian.

First Decade Award — Rev. Dr. Stephanie A. Welsh Walker (DMin '21)

Stephanie Welsh Walker earned a Doctor of Ministry from LPTS, a degree that anchors her work as a strategic chaplain and business leader. Recognized by Crain’s Chicago as a 2020 Notable Healthcare Hero, she currently serves as the executive director of Along the Journey LLC. In this role, she provides trauma-informed care and grief support for organizations and individuals navigating workforce reductions and life transitions. She holds an MBA from Benedictine University and an MDiv from Garrett-Evangelical. An accomplished author and industrious leader, she draws on over a decade of crisis management experience to drive organizational change.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT LOUISVILLE SEMINARY

May 15, 2026 | 4:00 PM

Baccalaureate Worship

May 16, 2026 | 10:00 AM

Commencement Ceremony

2026 Grawemeyer Lecture: "Invisible Hands: Enslaved Christians, Collaboration, and 

the Making of Early Christianity"

April 16, 2026

7:00 PM (ET) - Lecture | 8:30 PM Reception/Book Signing

Free to attend. Registration Required.

Hybrid Lecture | In-Person Reception

Based on her 2026 Grawemeyer Religion award winning book, "God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible," Moss' lecture will reveal how enslaved Christians - scribes, readers, and collaborators - were indispensable to the production, circulation, and authority of early Christian texts, even as their labor was rendered invisible in later tradition. It will reframe early Christianity not as the work of apostles and bishops but as a collective enterprise shaped by the work and ingenuity of a wider group of invisible and uncredited actors. Register here!

Chaos Ministry: Intergenerational Worship in Small Churches

April 30, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon (ET)

$50 per person

Hybrid (Location details provided upon registration)

Imagine worship that brings together every generation -children, youth, adults, and elders - through creativity, movement, and art. Imagine a space where everyone feels included, inspired, and able to participate fully.

Our upcoming Lifelong Learning workshop is designed just for faith leaders like you - especially those serving small or limited-resource churches. You don’t need a big budget or a large team to foster broad participation in your worship services. You just need a willingness to try something new. Register here!

Your Call Matters! Apply today for all master-level programs.

Live out your calling by practicing theology, finding belonging, and working for justice.

At Louisville Seminary, faith meets action in a diverse learning community committed to shaping leaders for a more just world.

• World-Class Faculty
• Flexible & Part-Time Options
• Online and In-Person Learning
• Merit- and Need-based Financial Aid Available 

The Next Master-Level Cohort Begins Fall 2026!

Click here to apply or to learn more about our flexible options.

Led by the Holy Spirit, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary educates people to proclaim the Gospel, to care for all, and to work for justice in communities everywhere. 

To make a financial gift supporting the pastors, therapists, scholars, chaplains, and community leaders currently being educated at Louisville Seminary, click here.