The Art of Preaching in Times of Crisis: Anne Zaki on Sharing the Hope of Christ When It Matters Most

People are often most receptive to the Gospel during times of crisis. Are we prepared to share the hope of Jesus Christ when it matters most?

In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Jason Watson interviews Dr. Anne Zaki, a distinguished lecturer at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo. They delve into Anne’s journey in ministry, her unique perspective on preaching during crises from her experience in Egypt during the Arab Spring & Covid 19 pandemic, and the critical role of preaching in fostering hope and resilience. The conversation covers diverse contexts of preaching, the psychological and theological perspectives on crisis, and practical advice for preachers navigating challenging times.

Main Points:

Preaching in Times of Crisis: Explore Anne’s extensive research on preaching during crises like the Arab Spring and COVID-19, highlighting effective strategies and common challenges.
Developing a Framework for Crisis Preaching: Learn about Anne’s «Hexagon of Horizons» framework, designed to guide preachers before, during, and after crises.
Psychological and Theological Perspectives on Crisis: Understanding the interplay between psychological resilience and theological grounding in times of crisis.
The Role of Suffering and Hope: Insights on how the themes of suffering and hope are central to Christian preaching and spiritual formation.
Practical Advice for Preaching During Crisis: Practical tips and strategies for preachers to maintain effectiveness and compassion during crises.
Applying Learnings to Global Missions: How the insights and strategies discussed can be applied to enhance global missions and support the global church.

Call to Action:

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Links & Resources:

Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo: https://www.etsc.org/
Calvin University: https://www.calvin.edu/
Additional reading on crisis preaching:
- Crisis Preaching Bibliography — https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PVhlurJujcvoNpxslgqoZwtEJdstKgEF/view?usp=sharing

Elements of Crisis Preaching — https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nb1DKjxd33Ppx7k8U3LCHj6P9ZefegNI/view?usp=sharing

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Guests in This Episode

Anne Zaki

Anne Zaki grew up in Cairo in a pastor’s home and has been involved in various teaching and leading ministries since her teen years. At 16, she represented Egypt at Pearson College in Canada. She later attended Calvin University for a liberal arts Christian education.

Anne earned a Master’s degree in social psychology from the American University in Cairo under Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim. She married Rev. Naji Umran and served at Heliopolis Community Church before moving to North America in 2002. There, she and her husband earned Master’s of Divinity degrees at Calvin Theological Seminary and served churches in Michigan and British Columbia. In 2011, they returned to Egypt with their four sons.

Anne worked at Calvin University for 13 years as the Resource Development Specialist for Global and Multi-cultural worship, coordinating international worship conferences in 15 countries. Since 2000, she has been a psychologist and counsellor. Since 2013, she has taught courses on Preaching, Communication, Psychology, Theology, Practices of Worship, and Spiritual Formation at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo. In 2022, she earned a PhD in theology with a concentration in Preaching from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Her interests include travel, learning about cultural influences on the church worldwide, creating new ministries, mentoring youth, administration, poetry, and music.