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The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III (center), with (from L to R): the Very Rev. Ian Markham, Dean and President of VTS; Stephen Humphrey, Vice-chair of the VTS Board of Trustees; the Rev. Melody Knowles, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at VTS.
Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) has conferred an honorary doctoral degree on the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III. The Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa was awarded to Dr. Moss in recognition of his prophetic ministry and work as a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker, who has championed love, justice, and a theology of Black liberation.
The degree was awarded in VTS’ Immanuel Chapel at the seminary’s annual Eucharist Commemorating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the day after Dr. Moss had delivered the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Lecture, entitled “A Mixtape for Homiletical DJs”, at the seminary.
Dr. Moss’s ministry has been marked by extraordinary growth and transformative leadership. At Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, he oversaw an expansion from 125 congregants when he arrived to more than 2,100 when he left. He currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, the largest and one of the most influential congregations in the United Church of Christ, with a membership exceeding 8,500.
A commitment to justice has shaped Dr. Moss’s ministry and public witness. His father was a close associate of Dr. King’s during the Civil Rights Movement and co-pastored Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with Dr. King’s father. Dr. Moss has continued this civil rights and justice work through his own writing, including Get Home Safely: 10 Rules for Survival, created in response to the death of Michael Brown, a Black teenager who was killed by a police officer.
Dr. Moss is the author of several books, including Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World, and has had work published in Sojourners, The African American Pulpit Journal, and other prominent publications. Through his film company, Unashamed Media Group, he has produced and curated stories that confront systems of oppression and call communities toward transformation.
The citation said: “As a preacher, poet, activist, author and filmmaker, you have championed love, justice, and a theology of Black liberation that has inspired thousands. You are widely recognized as one of the most gifted preachers of your generation, known for your development of “Blue Note Preaching” – a form of proclamation inspired by the improvisational traditions of jazz, blending theology, storytelling, and cultural critique into a powerful and distinctive voice.”
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of VTS, said: “It was a joy to have the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III with us. We were in the presence of a gifted preacher of the Gospel who had the capacity to make us all see things differently. Everyone who heard him was grateful.”
You can watch Dr. Moss’s lecture, “A Mixtape for Homiletical DJs,” here:
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