Profiles

Rev. Nelson Cowan, PhD, is a liturgical theologian, worship leader, and ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. He serves as director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University, leading initiatives at the intersection of worship, theology, the arts, and young people. He holds degrees from the University of North Florida (BA), Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Boston University (PhD). Cowan is the author of Let the Children Lead (2025) and Worship Any Time or Place (2024) and is a founding co-senior editor of the Journal of Praise & Worship. His research explores contemporary worship, the theology of play, and young people’s experiences in public Christian worship. He teaches worship and church history and holds contingent faculty roles at Emory and Drew universities. He is an active participant in the North American Academy of Liturgy and Societas Liturgica. He is married to Rev. Samantha Cowan, and they have one daughter.