You’ll develop engaging tools and skills to expand your ability to think contextually, imagine contextually, and evaluate contextually as core elements of religious leadership and excellence. The course involves differentiated instruction for individual students and will proceed toward the mastery of an action-reflection way of thinking and acting. Action-reflection places you in a habitual place of thought about your actions that gives the "why" as much attention as the "how." You’ll leave knowing the practice of action-reflection, as well as on the road to becoming a “doctor” of ministry.

In your second seminar, you’ll explore the reflective practice of ministry in an atmosphere of personal and professional sharing, eventually producing a set of analytical and theological papers as background for the Ministry Project. The goal is to ground the practice of ministry in an understanding of its contextual and organizational realities and their theological significance. You’ll be introduced to various field research tools and learn to reflect theologically and strategically on the insights gathered through their use.

The first seminar course explores the social and contextual challenges within American religious life across the nation. Through readings, guest presentations, and (virtual) field trips, you’ll explore the overarching challenges facing local congregations and then discover creative, out-of-the-box realistic solutions to address these challenges. Following each of these explorations and experiences, you’ll reflect theologically on the relevance and salience of these approaches as well as other possible solutions, from the perspective of your personal beliefs and specific tradition’s theological framework.