The Richard R. Osmer Papers

Richard Robert Osmer was born in 1950 in Larchmont, New York. Most of his childhood was spent in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Osmer received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1972. He went on to Harvard Divinity School to pursue his graduate studies. It was there that he met his lifelong mentor, James Fowler and his wife, Sally, also a Harvard student. He would complete his studies at Yale, receiving an MDiv. After several years in the ministry, Osmer went on to pursue his doctoral studies, again under the guidance of his mentor James Fowler, now at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Upon completing his studies, Osmer was offered an appointment at Candler, which included the beginning of the Center for Faith Development. After three years in this position, he would go on to teach at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He served here as Assistant Professor of Christian Education for four years. In 1990, Osmer joined the Princeton Theological Seminary faculty as Director of the Tennent School of Christian Education and the Chair of the Department of Practical Theology. He has also held two different chairs including Thomas W. Synnott Professor of Christian Education, 1990-2012 and Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism, 2013-present.