Tyshawn Gardner joined the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies in 2022 as an associate professor and the Director of the Preministerial Scholars Program. Previouslyhe served as the senior pastor of the Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as the vice president for student affairs at Stillman College, and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Alabama and at Beeson Divinity School. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Gardner earned an undergraduate degree in business management at Stillman College, an MDIV at Samford’s Beeson Divinity School (with the Most Distinguished Student honor in his graduating class), and a PhD in Christian Preaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His first book, Sacred Anthropology: Prophetic Radicalism for Pulpit and Pew, (Fortress Press, October 2022) and his forthcoming textbook, Social Crisis Preaching: Biblical Proclamation for Troubling Times (Broadman & Holman Academic, March 2023) continues the scholarly focus of his graduate studies. His research focuses on the theological, social and ethical dimensions of preaching. He is passionate about teaching preachers to address racism and injustice through biblical preaching and practical theology. He has also published several essays and book reviews. Gardner is a board member of the Evangelical Homiletics Society. He is also a member of the Academy of Homiletics and the Society of Biblical Literature. He enjoys an active preaching and lecturing schedule in preaching conferences, churches, colleges and seminaries across the country. Gardner’s history of community service includes serving as President of the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) from 2016-2019, former Disaster Relief Coordinator for the Alabama Missionary Baptist State Convention, as the founder and CEO of Citizens Impacting Community Association, Inc., as an advisory board member for Elevate Tuscaloosa Cultural Arts and Tourism, and also for the Martin Luther King Jr. Realizing the Dream Committee at the University of Alabama. When he is not at work, he enjoys a good movie or Netflix series, reading, attending or watching sporting events, and spending time with family in addition to entertaining friends and family with his wife. He is married to Shonetay Gardner. The Gardeners have four children and three grandchildren.