Nelson W. Trout Lectures
April 23-24, 2026
Each year Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University holds the Nelson W. Trout Lectures, honoring the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Nelson W. Trout. The lectures include two days of inspired worship, focused learning, anointed preaching and Spirit led conversation. As always, this year's lectures are held in his honor.
Featuring The Rev. Traci Blackmon
Rev. Traci Blackmon is the CEO & Founder of HopeBuilds, LLC, a newly launched consultancy for communities, corporations, and congregations eager to build the just and equitable world they imagine. She also serves as theologian in residence for Eden Theological Seminary and Chaplain for the Central Region of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. As an ordained minister, public theologian, and registered nurse, Rev. Blackmon’s life’s work focuses on communal resistance to systemic injustice.
She served as a local church pastor in both the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ prior to accepting a call to serve as Associate General Minister and Vice-President of the United Church of Christ for eight years. Her messages of hope and healing have been received by national and international audiences, including the White House, the Carter Center, the Pontifical Council of the Vatican.
A lead revivalist, along with Bishop William Barber, Rev. Dr. James Forbes, and Sister Simone Campbell for the national tour with The Poor People’s Campaign: A Call for Moral Revival, Rev. Blackmon is a featured voice at national and international conferences, as well as in print and news media publications. She is a featured voice in Bill Gates’ PBS Special: The Black Church, The National Geographic’s Special with Katie Couric: America Inside Out: Rewriting American History, and a soon to be released documentary on the 10th Anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown, Jr.
Appointed to the Ferguson Commission by Governor Jay Nixon and to the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Barack Obama. She also serves as a trustee on the boards of The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Americans United for Separation of Church & State, and the World Parliament of Religions.
A native of Birmingham, AL, Rev. Blackmon is a Distinguished Alumnus of Birmingham-Southern College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Eden Theological Seminary and was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Ministry from the same.
She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the White House Volunteer Service Award, the St. Louis County NAACP Rosa Parks Award; The Urban League of St. Louis Woman in Leadership Award; and the National Planned Parenthood Faith Leader Award. She also coauthored The White Privilege Curriculum for the United Church of Christ.
Her guiding scripture is Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who will I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.”
Schedule of Events
Thursday, April 23
1:00 Registration Opens
1:45 Opening Music
2:00 Welcome & Recognition of Elders
2:45 Presentation by The Rev. Traci Blackmon
4:15 Celebration of Trinity Alumni and Photo
4:45 Reception
7:00 Worship
Friday, April 24
8:30 Doors Open
8:45 Welcome & Invocation
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Presentation by The Rev. Traci Blackmon
11:15 Closing & Prayer
More Information About the Lectures
The Rev. Dr.Nelson W. Trout (1920-1996) grew up in Urbancrest, Columbus, OH. His mother was a preacher. He was a 1948 alumnus of Capital University, a 1952 alumnus of Trinity Lutheran Seminary, a member of the Trinity faculty, and the first African American elected to serve as a Lutheran bishop. His vibrant preaching and commitment to social ministry inspired hundreds of seminary students and touched thousands of lives. In 1989 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Trout was elected bishop while serving as a member of the faculty and staff of Trinity Lutheran Seminary (1975-1983). He was bishop of the South Pacific District of the American Lutheran Church, a predecessor body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA). His mission territory was California, Texas, and Hawaii where he presided over more than 600 Rostered Leaders and 314 congregations.
Since 1992 these lectures have included leading theologians, preachers, teachers, and community leaders.
- 1992 The Rev. Dr. Gardner Calvin Taylor
- 1993 The Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker
- 1994 The Rev. Dr. William B. McClain
- 1995 The Rev. Dr. Joseph L. Roberts
- 1996 The Rev. Dr. Ella Pearson Mitchell
- 1997 The Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems
- 1998 The Rev. Wallace Charles Smith
- 1999 The Rev. Dr. Carolyn Ann Knight
- 2000 The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
- 2001 The Rev. Dr. E. K. Bailey
- 2002 The Rev. Dr. Charles E. Booth
- 2003 The Rev. Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr
- 2004 The Rev. Dr. Yvonne Delk & Bishop Mark Hanson
- 2005 The Rev. Dr. Joseph L. Roberts, Jr.&
- 2006 Bishop Vashti Murphy Mackenzie
- 2007 The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. & The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III
- 2008 The Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax
- 2009 The Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III
- 2010 The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale
- 2011 The Rev. Dr. Claudette Copeland
- 2012 The Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle
- 2013 Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, Sr.
- 2014 Dr. J. Kameron Carter
- 2015 The Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown
- 2016 The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III
- 2017 The Rev. Dr. Frank A. Thomas
- 2018 The Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman
- 2019 The Rev. Dr. Yvette A. Flunder
- 2020 No lectures held
- 2021 The Rev. Dr. Beverly Wallace
- 2022 Bishop Yehiel Curry
- 2023 The Rev. Dr. Kevin Dudley
- 2024 The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman
- 2025 The Rev. Dr. Teresa Smallwood
- 2023 Kenneth W. Wheeler, US: The Resurrection of American Terror
- 2024 Albert Starr Jr., Late Night Offerings & Morning Prayers
- 2025 James Thomas, A Rumor of Black Lutherans: The Formation of Black Leadership in Early American Lutheranism
Sponsors
Acts in Common
Southeastern Michigan Synod
Trout Day of Giving
Partners
African Descent Lutheran Association
African Descent Lutheran Association Los Angeles Chapter
SIMBA, Safe in My Brothers Arms
SIMSA, Safe in My Sisters Arms
Support the Trout Endowment
The Nelson W. Trout Lectures are, in part, endowment supported. To support the Trout Lectures, please give online.
Please note: When asked for designation, select "Other" and then write in "Trout Endowment"
Contact
Please contact msiefke@capital.edu with questions or call 614-236-6301.