Eureka College to Host Humbert Lecture on Religion and Public Life Featuring Reverend Terri Hord Owens
Eureka College to Host Humbert Lecture on Religion and Public Life Featuring
Reverend Terri Hord Owens
EUREKA, IL. – Eureka College will welcome Reverend Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, as the featured speaker for the 2026 Humbert Lecture on Religion and Public Life. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in Becker Auditorium on the campus of Eureka College. The event is free and open to the campus and the public; advanced registration at is encouraged.
Reverend Owens’ lecture, titled “Staying at the Table,” draws from her recently published book, Staying at the Table: Being the Church We Say We Are (Chalice Press, 2026). In her work, she challenges faith communities to live into their deepest values amid increasing polarization, writing, “Let’s be the church we say we are. It is in being who we say we are that we actively bear witness to God’s limitless love for all.”
Sponsored by the Office of Advancement, Humanities Division and the Philosophy and Religion Department, the Humbert Lecture Series brings distinguished voices to campus to explore the intersection of religion, public life, and the common good. Reverend Owens’ talk will reflect the historic commitment of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to public theology, dialogue, justice, and unity. Drawing on the legacy of Disciples founder Alexander Campbell, the lecture will examine the church’s role as a prophetic and unifying presence — a “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”
Following the lecture, attendees are invited to a dessert reception in the Terrell Room, providing an opportunity for conversation and community.
Speaker Biography
Reverend Teresa “Terri” Hord Owens is the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is the first person of color and the second woman to lead the denomination. Elected in 2017, her ministry reflects the Disciples’ commitments to being an anti-racist church, a movement for wholeness, and a community that welcomes all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us.
Her exhortation to the church, “Let’s be the church we say we are. It is in being who we say we are that we actively bear witness to God’s limitless love for all,” has shaped her leadership and public witness. Reverend Hord Owens earned her bachelor’s degree in government with a minor in Afro-American Studies from Harvard University and completed her graduate degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School, where she later served for 12 years as Dean of Students.
She also served as pastor of First Christian Church of Downers Grove, Illinois, where under her leadership the congregation became open and affirming, antiracist, and pro-reconciliation. Her ministry and intellectual interests include spiritual development, a theology of reconciliation, cultural intelligence, developing inclusive and multicultural congregations, and mentoring young adults.
About Eureka College
Located on nearly 70 wooded acres in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service, and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized educational opportunities. Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois—and among the first in the nation—to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, originally founded by abolitionist members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.
