Rev. Dr. Douglas Tzan Receives Jesse Lee Prize
Boston University alumnus Rev. Dr. Douglas Tzan (GRS ’13) has received the Jesse Lee Prize from the General Commission on Archive and History (GCAH) of the United Methodist Church.
Named for the United Methodist Church’s first historian, the award is bestowed just once every four years and is awarded for serious, book-length manuscripts about the denomination’s history. Tzan received it for his manuscript titled, “The World His Circuit: The Methodist Odyssey of William Taylor.”
Entries are judged by a committee of professional United Methodist historians and are evaluated on their quality of scholarship, style of writing, and contribution to the history of Methodism. GCAH describes Tzan’s manuscript as “a case study of a Methodist preacher, missionary, author, evangelist and bishop” who mobilized the Church across the American frontier and introduced American revivalism in marginalized populations such as South Africa and India.
“Forged in American Methodism, [William Taylor’s] global encounters with different cultures, languages, and religions shaped the ways and means of the entirety of Christian mission outreach for generations,” says GCAH.
Tzan will receive a $2,000 prize to assist with the publication of his manuscript and a copy of his manuscript will be placed in the archives of GCAH.
Tzan began his research into William Taylor at Boston University, where he received his PhD in the History of Christianity. Materials from the United Methodist Archives and History Center further aided him in his research. Tzan currently serves on the staff of the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul’s and Gaither UMC) in Maryland and is an elder and full member of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. He is also a graduate of Iliff School of Theology and the University of South Carolina. He teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary and Boston University School of Theology.