Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Worship
Brannon.Hancock@indwes.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Ministerial and Professional Background

Born into a family of Nazarene pastors, but never one to follow the conventional path, Brannon first sought to fulfill God’s call to ministry by pursuing a career in contemporary Christian music. After several years of touring internationally and releasing two epically underrated albums, the road took an unexpected turn and he ended up in Scotland at the University of Glasgow. The Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts at Glasgow was the perfect setting to allow him to bring together his interests in worship, theology, poetry, fiction, film, music and the visual arts.

After four years in Glasgow (2003-2007), Brannon and his wife moved back to the USA with a 3 month old son, a half-finished Ph.D. thesis, and no job. In December of 2007, he accepted a call to join the pastoral staff of Xenia Church of the Nazarene, near Dayton, Ohio. (This was like “going home” in many ways, as Brannon was born in Dayton, where his dad served as a youth pastor in the late-70s, and on top of that, Xenia is home to his mom’s side of the family!) As worship pastor at Xenia Naz, Brannon led a team of about 50 volunteers in the areas of music, technology and creative arts. He completed his PhD in 2010 and was ordained in 2011.

Brannon feels called to serve God’s Kingdom by guiding the spiritual and theological formation of individuals and congregations. For nearly 7 years in Xenia and now in his local church in Marion (First Church of the Nazarene), he fulfills that call by serving as a pastor and worship leader, shaping the worship services that in turn shape the church. He is excited to extend his vocation to serve a wider array of congregations and their pastors as a professor at Wesley Seminary.

Personal Information

Brannon is married to Gloria, a singer, worship leader and Wesleyan pastor’s kid. They have their hands full with three young children: Andrew, Joseph and Cecilia. When he’s not reading, writing or teaching, Brannon is usually found making noise on one of the eleven instruments he plays, or eating ice cream while watching a movie or TV show with Gloria (after the kids are in bed, of course). He is a fan of coffee, bowties, anti-heroes (e.g. Batman, Greg House, Walter White), awkward humor (e.g. The Office, Jim Gaffigan), and all kinds of music, especially Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Bjork, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Gillian Welch, Jack White and U2.

Ordination

Elder, Church of the Nazarene, Southwest Ohio District (2011)

Awards and Honors

Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (2004-2007)
University of Glasgow Postgraduate Scholarship (2004-2007)
Coulter Prize in Divinity, University of Glasgow (2005)

Education

B.A. (summa cum laude) English Literature, Trevecca Nazarene University (2002)
M.Th. Literature, Theology and the Arts, University of Glasgow (2005)
Ph.D. Literature, Theology and the Arts, University of Glasgow (2010)

Publications

Books

The Scandal of Sacramentality: the Eucharist in Literary and Theological Perspectives (Pickwick, 2014)

Select Articles

“Fracturing: the Eucharist, Body Modification, and the Aesthetics of Brokenness” – chapter in This is My Body: Reflections on Embodiment in the Wesleyan Spirit, eds. Christina Smerick and John Brittingham (Pickwick Press, 2015 – forthcoming)
“Corporate Worship: More than Just Icing on the Cake” – chapter in Renovating Holiness, eds. Josh Broward & Thomas Jay Oord (SacraSage Press, Jan 2015)
“Credo: Who We Are in Christian History” – Holiness Today (Summer 2015)
“How to Stay Sanctified on Facebook” – Holiness Today (Summer 2014)
“From Music Minister to Worship Pastor: The Qualifications of a Worship Leader” and “A Practical Guide for Nazarene Worship Leaders” – Grace & Peace Magazine (Summer 2013)
“Literature and the Christian Faith,” “The Arts,” and “Popular Culture” – entries in Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology, ed. Al Truesdale (Nazarene Publishing House, 2012)
“Krzysztof Kieślowski” and “Federico Fellini” – entries in The Encyclopedia of Religion and Film, ed. Eric M. Mazur (ABC-CLIO, 2011)
“Prophetic Profanity: On South Park on Religion, or, Thinking Theologically with Eric Cartman” (with Michael W. DeLashmutt) – chapter in Taking South Park Seriously, ed. Jeffrey A. Weinstock (SUNY Press, 2008)
“Roundtable discussion on Thomas J. J. Altizer’s Living The Death Of God: A Theological Memoir” (with Brannon Hancock, David Jasper and Thomas Altizer) – Conversations in Religion and Theology (Blackwell), 5:2 (November 2007)
“Fact, Fiction and Faith: Making Sense of The Da Vinci Code” – Didache: Faithful Teaching, 6:1 (August 2006)
“A Community of Characters: The Narrative Self in the Films of Wes Anderson” – Journal of Religion and Film, 9:2 (October 2005)
“Pluralism and Sacrament: Eucharistic Possibility in a Post-Ecclesial World” – Literature & Theology: An International Journal ofReligion, Theory and Culture (Oxford UP), 19:3 (September 2005)

Select Presentations

“Engaging Culture for the Sake of the Kingdom” – PALCON (Pastors and Leaders Conference), Trevecca Nazarene University – Nashville, TN (July 2015)
“The Worship Leader as Pastor” and "Worship as Spiritual Formation– 2015 National Worship Leader Conferences – Kansas City, MO (June 2015), San Jose, CA (July 2015), Dallas, TX (Sept 2015)
“Dangerous Liaisons: Wesleyan-Holiness Encounters with Popular Culture” – Wesleyan Theological Society annual meeting – Mount Vernon, OH (March 2015)
“The Scandal of Sacramentality: the Body/Language of the Word-Made-Flesh” – Wesleyan Philosophical Society annual meeting – Mount Vernon, OH (March 2015)
“Media & Technology in Worship” – M15 Conference (Church of the Nazarene) – Kansas City, MO (Feb 2015)
“Sacred Rhythms: Worshiping Through the Seasons” – Worship 4:24 Conference, Cedarville University – Cedarville, OH (Jan 2015)
“The Church Lives Through the Sacraments” – John A. Knight Bible & Theology Conference, Mount Vernon Nazarene University – Mount Vernon, OH (April 2014)
“Fracturing: Body Modification, the Eucharist, and the Aesthetics of Brokenness” – Wesleyan Philosophical Society annual meeting – Nampa, ID (March 2014)

Wesley Seminary
4201 S. Washington St.
Marion, IN 46953
Seminary Logo