The intent of the matching grant is to give the programs support as they move toward the goal of self-sustainability. Over the next five years, these funds must be matched by to support the program. These funds will continue to develop the Center鈥檚 capacities to reach new audiences, cultivate partnerships, and build relationships with donors.聽

The grant is a recognition of the Center鈥檚 deep impact and innovative work with ministry leaders. True to the mission of the school, these programs train for service at the intersection of text, soul, and culture by focusing on relationships and the formation of the whole person of the leader in context. Connecting a leader鈥檚 life story with the divine narrative are key components of building resilience and preparing leaders to develop transforming relationships in their contexts.

Dr. J. Derek McNeil, President and Provost of 天美视频, commented on the project: 鈥淲e live in an era of immense social change, and we know that times of great change hold even greater possibilities. The Center equips leaders to cultivate those possibilities through transforming the ways we relate to one another鈥� going beyond traditional leadership training to equip leaders to be resilient in and responsive to their contexts in order to serve God and neighbor. I am grateful to Lilly Endowment for supporting this work; our society deeply needs resilient, responsive leaders for the era ahead.鈥�

The Center鈥檚 resilience development programs were founded and developed as an early project of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative in 2017; the presently awarded funds will support the work through 2028. Working at the intersection of theology and the social sciences, 天美视频 has always been well-situated to equip Christian leaders to face the systemic challenges in ministry. In its first years, the project team researched the well-being of ministry leaders through review of resilience literature and their own research. From those learnings, the 3-P model of resilience (People, Practices, and Purpose) was developed and shared in the . That report has spread widely and has been used by other organizations as the foundation of pastoral support programs across the country.

Throughout the pandemic, the Center continued to develop transformational spaces to guide people through difficulties with greater resilience and peer support. More recently, the team heard the need to address clergy burnout and with a follow-up report and podcast series.

The recent funding from Lilly Endowment will enable the Center for Transforming Engagement to continue the crucial work of equipping leaders to thrive. The Center will continue to offer cohort programs, individual coaching, and organizational consultation. The core of their work is focused on Resilience Circles and Leaders Circles.

鈥淲e know that change has the best chance of enduring when it occurs in the context of relationships,鈥� commented Kate Rae Davis, Executive Director of the Center. 鈥淲henever possible, we encourage people to join a Circle so that they鈥檙e not only learning how to make positive changes, they鈥檙e also getting the social support and encouragement to live those changes.鈥�

In , participants learn to integrate positive life changes that support their well-being in a mutually supportive group of like-hearted people seeking to make similar changes. support those seeking to realize organizational change with teachings and space to reflect on group dynamics and leadership. As participants journey together in a small group facilitated by a trained Convener, they find the relational safety needed to encourage mutual growth and transformation.

Davis continued: 鈥淟illy Endowment knows that relationships are the context for thriving. I鈥檓 grateful for the continuation of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative, which does immense work to support ministry leaders across North America, and I鈥檓 particularly grateful for the trust they have shown in our project.鈥�

The Thriving in Ministry Initiative helps pastors develop meaningful relationships with wise colleagues who can guide them through leadership challenges, especially during transitions in their ministerial careers. Lilly Endowment has awarded grants to 129 religious organizations located in 33 states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia. Thriving in Ministry projects are led by theological schools, faith-based colleges and universities, congregations, denominational agencies, independent religious organizations, and religious communities that reflect diverse Christian traditions, serving pastoral leaders in congregational settings from a wide variety of racial and cultural backgrounds, denominations, geographic settings, and regions.聽

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with its founders鈥� wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion.

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While asynchronous learning was well underway before the pandemic, the necessity of transitioning to online learning helped accelerate both our timeline and innovation among our faculty members. With no other choice but to teach online, our professors rose to the challenge in remarkable ways to deliver not only engaging but truly unique classroom experiences to students.

Incoming students who choose to pursue graduate school through our low-residency programs can expect to be engaged no less than those learning in person. Core to our mission is transforming relationships and we believe, particularly for those who want to pursue their calling in their current location, the ability to learn while rooted in your community is vital.

But what does innovative online learning look like in practice? Transitioning to teaching online was not without its challenges, but the ability to increase accessibility across formats and locations proved invaluable. We had the privilege of speaking with three faculty who shared with us how they were able to adapt their teaching styles to best engage students online.

Read how a few of our courses were taught in unique and collaborative approaches over this past year.

Lauren Sawyer, MA: Philosophy

鈥淚 find that philosophy is a subject that requires at least some teaching in the form of lectures. Especially for those who have not read philosophical texts recently鈥攐r at all鈥攊t鈥檚 hard to pick up a chapter from Immanuel Kant鈥檚 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and understand what the hell is going on, even with some engaging secondary sources.

I decided to record my lectures as podcast episodes for a few reasons. Some were practical: so that my students could listen聽to the lecture on their own time and so that I didn鈥檛 have to stress about creating slides or looking bright-eyed on camera every week. But it also allowed me to present the content in more creative and different ways than I would have had I lectured synchronously, in-person, or on Zoom.

I rely on some of the strategies of my favorite podcasts: storytelling; intentional聽pauses and slow-downs; clips, music, and sound effects; voice acting, and conversational interviews. In one episode, I give a 鈥淧eople鈥檚 History of the Enlightenment鈥� by telling a (mostly) historically accurate account of a witch-hunt in light of the major cultural and intellectual shifts of the 17th century.

In almost all the episodes, I interview content experts or include voice work done by my friends. This way I can include a diversity of voices and ideas that are not represented in the philosophers we鈥檙e studying (especially as we are reading mostly male Continental thinkers). I decided to use the podcasting platform, Anchor.fm, to enhance my students鈥� experience鈥攖hey can subscribe and access the podcast on their phones. Anchor provides me with data on how many students are listening and at what point in the episodes they tune out. I鈥檓 a bit of a data nerd; having this extra bit of information helps me fine tune the podcast for future courses. It has shown me, too, that I have an audience beyond the 16 students in my class! The podcast is called 鈥�,鈥� a borrowed line from Tertullian鈥檚 infamous text that asks, 鈥榳hat has Athens (philosophy) to do with Jerusalem (theology)?鈥欌��

Dr. Ron Ruthruff: Engaging Global Partnerships

Dr. Ron Ruthruff faced a unique challenge in needing to adapt a course that typically takes place on the ground in Guatemala to students’ homes. How does one replicate the sights, interactions, and in the moment learnings of being in a different country?

鈥淭he thought of going online with a class usually held in Guatemala seemed ridiculous, until I began to plot and plan with my Guatemalan Colleague. Dr, Joel Aguilar. Making this pivot to an online format intentionally grew us in at least three areas of the course: The uses of film study and required readings, student engagement and application, and faculty collaboration.

We folded the readings and film study that were part of pre-trip preparation into the course to serve as an asynchronous way to establish a solid understanding of the socio-political and religious history of Guatemala. Conversation via Zoom and online discussion boards were tethered more directly to the film study and required readings instead of being frontloaded on the trip, which helped us dissect and digest the material more effectively.

Students who wanted to engage with the material but had barriers to international travel have welcomed the opportunity to take an international course without needing to leave home. Moving the course online also afforded us the opportunity to bring the course 鈥榟ome鈥� as we were able to invite a panel of Pacific Northwest activists to talk about how they are serving local Latinx communities, allowing students to connect global wounds of colonialism to [events?] in their own backyards.

Perhaps most importantly, this format allowed me the opportunity to work more closely and collaboratively with my dear friend and colleague, Joel Aguilar, rather than me front-loading theoretical information to students and Joel planning a 7-day vision trip. We met every Friday via Zoom to plan for the following week. Needless to say the pandemic, quarantine, and the demand to pivot to online modalities was not easy, but we are learning and growing, and while I long to be back with my friends around the world, we are allowing what has been an incredible challenge to also be our teacher.鈥�

You can learn more about low-residency learning opportunities in our Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theology & Culture, and Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology programs.

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Earlier this year, two summer-term classes took 天美视频 students beyond our walls (and beyond Seattle). In Engaging Global Partnerships, Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture, and Cheryl Goodwin, Director of Institutional Assessment & Library Services, led a group of students to Kenya, inviting them to let their assumptions, beliefs, and practices be challenged and clarified by the stories of a place and the people who serve it. That same month, spiritual director and pilgrimage guide (MA in Theology & Culture, 鈥�12) and spiritual director and retired faculty member Tom Cashman journeyed to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona to guide students through a pilgrimage grounded in the ancient Christian tradition of desert spirituality.

Engaging Global Partnerships in Kenya

鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a deep look at the history of colonialism and religion, and the relationship between a place and the people who inhabit it鈥攅specially in places of wounding. How can we enter those wounds in a way that is honoring to others鈥� stories and also helps us reimagine our shared future?鈥�
鈥揇r. Ron Ruthruff

Pilgrimage to the Sonoran Desert

鈥淒uring our time in the desert, we explored the ancient Christian tradition of desert spirituality with an emphasis on the apophatic way and the contemplative path. The word apophatic means 鈥榳ithout image,鈥� and during our time in the desert we sought to abandon our expectations and preconceived notions of God through themes such as awareness, inviting us to non-dual consciousness; surrender, inviting us toward a posture of kenosis or self-emptying; and encounter, inviting us to be present to the desert, the Divine, and ourselves with loving indifference or non-attachment. Ultimately, the fierce landscape of the desert served as teacher and guide on our journey, teaching us how to tend to and be with the sacred and fierce landscape of the soul within.鈥�
鈥揕acy Clark Ellman

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Find out more about our Master of Divinity program.

Could you give us an overview of what you do?

My title is Director of Organizational Development for The Allender Center at 天美视频鈥攚hich, honestly, is really functioning like an Executive Pastor. I get to do leadership development for our staff at The Allender Center, creating consistent structures of communication, professional development, care, support. I鈥檓 also on faculty with The Allender Center, so I teach and work on the blog and podcast, as well as facilitating groups.

It鈥檚 interesting that all of those things鈥攆rom the relational to the technical to the administrative鈥攐ften fall under the role of pastor, too. Which raises another question: What does it mean to be a pastor?

I often joke that being a good pastor is just like being a good parent, but specifically in the realms of spiritual formation and identity development. When I think about a pastor, I think about someone who tells stories that help people locate themselves in a larger story. Both individually鈥斺�淲ho is God, and who are you?鈥� and collectively鈥斺�淲here have we come from, where are we now, where are we going?鈥� I think it鈥檚 about providing good care.

I often say that, vocationally and in my calling, I鈥檓 a pastor by orientation. I find that whether I鈥檓 working in a tea shop and serving people crepes and loose leaf tea, or working on an admissions team recruiting students to a graduate program.

I鈥檓 guessing the tea shop鈥檚 not hypothetical.

No, I worked at a loose leaf tea shop the year after I graduated from 天美视频.

Was there a period of finding it hard to identify as a pastor, since you weren鈥檛 in the traditional paid staff position at a church?

Two moments come to mind. First, I did not come to graduate school to become a pastor, even though I came to pursue an MDiv. I came from a tradition where women couldn鈥檛 be pastors, so I didn鈥檛 have much imagination for myself as a pastor. I came to 天美视频 because I thought I would be a professor. I knew I would do ministry, but I would maybe just do ministry through the academy. Then during my third year, Paul Steinke named me as a pastor. There was something about someone actually naming me pastor, inviting me to see that as part of my identity, that was really powerful.

And then, during our formational years at The Allender Center, there were some moments where we were in the midst of a lot of spiritual warfare and a lot of despair. I remember Dan was introducing me before the large group to teach, and he said, 鈥淩achael really is the pastor of The Allender Center.鈥� And as he said that, there was something that felt really true to me about that. It鈥檚 not a way I would necessarily have seen myself, but it was a way I was bringing myself in the midst of our team, calling us to remember who we are and who we鈥檙e called to be. So I felt like the unofficial pastor of The Allender Center, and then there鈥檚 the question of, what does it mean to be the pastor of a nonprofit? Is that sacrilegious?

It seems like there are layers: Something was going on inside you regarding your own identity and calling, but something else happens when others see that and name it. Why do you think that outward affirmation is so meaningful?

I think there鈥檚 something about anointing that is really important. We see that throughout the text, right? It鈥檚 something we鈥檙e meant for and made for: to have others bless aspects of our calling and identity and vocation. I think it鈥檚 why something like an ordination process holds so much meaning in the Church. There鈥檚 a way of anointing, honoring, and consecrating鈥攕etting apart a role. Though I think, at times in our culture, that setting apart means the role is elevated in a way that some people who have the esteem of pastor really abuse that power, and it creates this false dichotomy that people who are pastors or leaders in a ministry are actually doing ministry, not everyone else. That鈥檚 a really weak, thin theology, a really weak, thin missiology, a really weak, thin sense of what the Church actually is and how it functions.

This process of recognizing your pastoral gifting and embracing that and naming it true鈥攈ow has that journey clarified or refined how you understand calling?

I don鈥檛 see calling as being just connected to vocation. It鈥檚 far more expansive than that. It鈥檚 that sense of knowing that, no matter what I鈥檓 doing, it鈥檚 okay to bring these parts of myself.

And there is some mythology that calling is static, when I actually think it鈥檚 something that develops and grows and shifts. I think it does stay pretty consistent in its rootedness, but the fruit it bears can change in different seasons. So we always need to be growing and learning and have a posture of curiosity and a willingness to surrender to formational processes.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see calling as being just connected to vocation. It鈥檚 far more expansive than that.鈥�

What would you say to somebody else who is recognizing aspects of their calling as a pastor, but also recognizing that it might come out in an unconventional context?

The more we know who we are, then we can make better decisions about where we want to give those parts of ourselves. Calling, again, is about more than vocation. Calling is about union, calling is about love鈥攊t鈥檚 always about love. So what are the really unique ways that you are equipped and gifted to love people and communities well? For some people, that will look like very traditional roles that have really clear boundaries, really clear definitions, and there鈥檚 nothing wrong with that. For others, it might mean you meander a bit, because there are certain skills you need to develop that go along with that calling. Some people might look at it and go, 鈥淥h, this is a real deviation from your calling,鈥� and I would say, 鈥淣o, I actually think it was preparing me to be more fully equipped for my calling.鈥�

So I would tell people, especially those who will find themselves in more unconventional spaces, we need healers and pastors and artists and therapists working in lots of different contexts. And it may not always look like the textbook. That doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e not being faithful to live out your calling well.

Part of what we鈥檙e exploring is inspired by Barbara Brown Taylor鈥檚 language of your 鈥渁ltar in the world,鈥� and the idea that our work in the world is a form of worship. Do you want to say anything about that?

Oh, I really like that. I was just reading , and I love Paul鈥檚 language of living faithfully to what you鈥檝e been gifted鈥攁nd that鈥檚 going to look different for each person in different seasons, based on different giftings鈥攋ust be faithful to bring those gifts to the world in such a way that it is like a living sacrifice. I think we鈥檙e really scared of that word, sacrifice. And rightfully so鈥攖here鈥檚 been some theological and spiritual abuse that has used a word like sacrifice to maintain oppressive structures of power that are actually anti-Gospel. However, when we give of ourselves in a way that actually leads unto life, I think that鈥檚 that living sacrifice that Paul calls us to.

Learn more about our Master of Divinity program and how you can pursue your unique calling.

The post Unconventional Pastor: An Interview with Rachael Clinton appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

鈥揗iroslav Volf

We believe that we are created in the image of God. This is a radical idea that, for many, may have been dulled by familiarity over the years. That belief may have also lost some of its spark when, particularly in western Christianity, it came to be applied almost exclusively to the individual. But what if it is not only our individual identities that reflect God鈥檚 image? What if that image is more fully reflected in the ways that our individual stories, bodies, and callings intersect with and impact each other? What if, like our personal stories of transformation, the particularity of our work with others reveals something deep and beautiful about who God is?

So much of our mission at 天美视频 leads us to that idea. In recent months on the blog, we鈥檝e been wrestling with how transformation draws us deeper into the call to serve God and neighbor, and how living out that call in a sustainable way requires that we never stop nurturing the process of formation. This month, we鈥檙e going to be exploring how integrating those two processes鈥攑ersonal formation and outward service鈥攊s an act of worship, one that reveals the image of God in profound and surprising ways.

How does your calling reflect something of who God is? How might your service draw you deeper into worship? As , what is your altar in the world?

These are big questions, and they are intimately connected to story. That means that, when we let our transformation inform our calling as an act of worship, our work in the world might look as unique as our own story. Service looks different for everyone, which means that your calling might be a bit unconventional鈥攁nd this is a good thing.

Here鈥檚 to unconventional callings, continued transformation, and service as worship. And here鈥檚 to the image of God that is continually being revealed in and between and through each of us as we serve God and neighbor.

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Dr. Roy Barsness, Professor of Counseling Psychology at 天美视频, developed Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy from his qualitative research conducted in the realm of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The result of that research culminated in his collaborative book, .

鈥淧sychology is once again turning its attention to the understanding that actual change occurs by focusing on the unfolding narrative between therapist and patient,鈥� says Dr. Barsness. 鈥淭he implication of this shift is the need for training in theoretical and practical constructs that attend to motivation, emotions, early attachment/developmental issues, the role of the unconscious, and attention to the research in the neurosciences that notes shifts in affective regulation through genuine encounters with others.鈥�

鈥淧sychology is once again turning its attention to the understanding that actual change occurs by focusing on the unfolding narrative between therapist and patient.鈥�

Decades of research indicate that the provision of therapy is an interpersonal process in which the nature of the therapeutic relationship is a central component for change and healing. For 21 years, 天美视频 has distinguished itself as a program rooted in the belief that we are created, known, wounded, and healed in the context of relationship. Our incarnational theology informs our theory of change, and our psychodynamic methodology develops thoughtful, committed practitioners. The RFPT certificate is designed for practitioners to continue their learning by equipping them with new insights and skills, helping clarify their methodology and theory of change, and offering a network of clinicians for ongoing support, community, and consultation.

This post-graduate certificate represents 天美视频鈥檚 intentional movement toward hybrid learning opportunities that are more accessible than ever, so that participants can continue to learn and grow even as they pursue their day-to-day work. In the RFPT certificate, clinicians will participate in a practice-focused, experiential training program delivered through bi-weekly online clinical consultations and twice-yearly in-person weekend intensive retreats. In the contexts of community and their own practice, participants will pursue an in-depth exploration of how they position themselves in the therapeutic dyad, how they reflect on the conscious and unconscious dynamics that unfold, and how they engage those dynamics with courage, discipline, and insight.

鈥淟earning doesn鈥檛 stop once you enter the field,鈥� says Dr. J. Derek McNeil, Acting President and Provost. 鈥淚鈥檓 pleased to be offering clinicians this opportunity to deepen their own learning and refine their practice in the context of community.鈥�

You can visit the program page to learn more about the Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy Post-Graduate Certificate, including schedule, tuition, program outline, and the application process.

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If you鈥檝e ever worked in ministry or a helping profession鈥攐r any work that requires your full self鈥攜ou know this matters: the rate of burnout is too high, and the cost too steep, to not take seriously the need for resilience. We launched Resilient Leaders Project to help leaders and communities respond to that deep need in the midst of a changing church and fragmented culture.

Kate: 鈥淩esilient Leaders Project is about trying to come alongside leaders in their context to help them construct lives that support their good work, instead of feeling like their lives are at the cost of their work.鈥�

In reflecting on what drew them into this work, Kate and Laura Wade share about their histories with the Church and how they came to believe it could be a space that would welcome them fully and unequivocally, in all of their brokenness and trauma. Because it turns out that it鈥檚 impossible to talk meaningfully about resilience without also talking about trauma.

Kate: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a depth of experience that you must learn to narrate in your own life if you鈥檙e going to integrate the really hard pieces of your life. It鈥檚 not simply bouncing back to the shape that you were before something hard happened, it鈥檚 saying 鈥楬ow did this really difficult situation, this suffering that I went through, actually form me to be in some way more human, more compassionate, and therefore more divine?鈥欌��

鈥淭here鈥檚 a depth of experience that you must learn to narrate in your own life if you鈥檙e going to integrate the really hard pieces of your life.鈥�

Laura Wade: 鈥淩esilience, to me, is finding healing and freedom and voice in the midst of those harmful places, and being able to meet the Spirit and meet God there to be different, to be more of who we are created to be. That鈥檚 the linking of resilience and trauma. I don鈥檛 think you can have resilience without some level of trauma.鈥�

Shauna: 鈥淎nd maybe you can鈥檛 be a human and not have trauma.鈥�

As we gather to reflect together on the trauma of Christ鈥攖he violence, betrayal, death, and resurrection鈥攊n the Church we might also find space to reflect on our own trauma, to lean into a community of others who can help us find language and meaning for that which is beyond words. This is a beautiful hope, that reflecting on the wounds of Christ in community might help us heal from our own wounds, but it is also a risky, vulnerable hope鈥攐ne from which it is all too easy for many leaders to shy away. The rigorous demands and unspoken expectations of leadership often mean that leaders鈥攅specially in church, ministry, and nonprofit settings鈥攁re left feeling as if they cannot disclose experiences of trauma or uncertainty, and like there is not room for them to receive care.

Kate: 鈥淲ounded healer is language that we usually use, but we gloss over the wounded part, which means that we often have healed wounders in those roles.鈥�

鈥淲ounded healer is language that we usually use, but we gloss over the wounded part, which means that we often have healed wounders in those roles.鈥�

Toward the end of the conversation, Kate and Laura Wade share about their experience in the first full year of RLP, inviting leaders into intentional connection, thoughtful reflection, and new practices that create room for their full selves鈥攊ncluding their trauma, doubt, and brokenness鈥攖o be present in their work and relationship. This integrative work is a central part of building resilience, and it is a gift to journey with leaders as they step into that.

Kate: 鈥淢y hope for the Church is that God鈥檚 not done. And it might not look like the church that it looked like in our parents鈥� or grandparents鈥� ages, it might not be focused on Sunday morning worship, but I think God鈥檚 not done in gathering people in a certain type of way. I want to be part of making that happen, and I want to be part of helping resource the creative and courageous people who are stepping into this unknown territory.鈥�

Resources to Go Deeper

• You can learn more about the Resilient Leaders Project鈥攊ncluding our newsletter, upcoming events, and the application process for our next cohort鈥攁t theseattleschool.edu/rlp.
• Kate shares a poem by an anonymous survivor of rape, which reads in its entirety: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 forget what happened, but no one else remembers.鈥� When she was a student at 天美视频, Kate wrote this moving reflection about the installation and about church as a community that remembers and holds.
• Laura Wade recommends a book about integrating the feminine and masculine parts that live in each of us. The book is by Tami Lynn Kent.
• One of the practices Laura Wade mentions that she has returned to because of this work is running. You can read her reflection about how running helps her return to spiritual health in this blog.
• For more on resilience, you can watch Nikkita Oliver鈥檚 stunning talk from our 2018 Humanity Through Community gathering, and you can listen to Nikkita鈥檚 conversation with Shauna Gauthier from an earlier podcast episode.

The post Resilience, Trauma, and the Hope of the Church appeared first on 天美视频 of Theology & Psychology.

That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e diving into on the blog this month: how to open ourselves to the nurture and care that is required to sustain our calling as fully embodied people committed to the movement of hope and healing. It might be worth pausing on that last sentence. What comes to mind when you hear the word nurture? Somewhere along the way, many of us have internalized an assumption that the need to be nurtured is something to be outgrown, something no longer experienced by people who are competent, mature, and capable of effecting change in the world.

We believe, though, that the deep need for nurture is a central part of the human experience, and it is essential to the art of growing in wisdom, empathy, and clarity of calling. As we lead, care for others, and respond to the needs around us, the reservoirs we draw from will run dry if we are not open to receiving care from God, ourselves, and each other鈥攗ltimately leaving us burned out in our work and cynical about the possibility of meaningful change.

We hope you will join us in this conversation as we hear from alumni, students, faculty, and staff about how their particular identities and stories shape their work in the world, and how they receive nurture and care along the way. May we remain curious about whatever resistance might emerge, about those places in us that might feel shame about our need for nurture, and may we continue learning to open ourselves鈥攊ndividually and collectively鈥攖o the care that fuels our formation and sparks creative, courageous work in the world.

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Shauna: 鈥淚 want to hone in, in this next season, on dropping down into the topics that have this weightiness to them that have to do with this particular period of time in the world.鈥�

Derek: 鈥淢ore lately, I think of text.soul.culture as being a vehicle of service. So I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l be asking a lot more questions about serving. […] This season will be around us trying to figure out how do we serve?鈥�

If you鈥檝e listened to past episodes, you鈥檒l notice some differences in Season Three, including changes in production and episode structure. At the end of this episode, Nicole talks with Beau Denton, Content Curator, about some of these updates. We hope these changes reflect continued growth and innovation, while remaining true to our original mission for the text.soul.culture podcast: Grounded in the hope of fostering faithful dialogue, we are guided by a commitment to understanding narrative, wrestling with intersections, resisting reactivity, and fostering radical hospitality.

Beau: 鈥淎s an institution, we prioritize human dialogue. And that鈥檚 so different than one person speaking a monologue or writing a blog on their own. This is about conversation. […] My role here will be kind of an emcee to help facilitate the good work that our hosts are doing.鈥�

Stay tuned in coming weeks as we feature compelling conversations with alumni, faculty, and other thought leaders about living as wise, engaged, and courageous people in times of division and fragmentation. In the meantime, we would love to hear your feedback! If you have questions, responses, or ideas for future conversations, you can email us at communications@theseattleschool.edu.

Resources to Go Deeper

• In Season One, Derek engaged in conversations with Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, Jimmy McGee, Dr. Caprice Hollins, and 天美视频 faculty including Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Dr. Chelle Stearns, Dr. Angela Parker, and Dr. Stephanie Neill. You can catch up on all the episodes from Season One here.
• In Season Two, we introduced occasional 鈥渕inisodes,鈥� short conversations around the building about Lent, 天美视频鈥檚 Artist Residency, and what it means to be heard. We also welcomed Shauna Gauthier as a host and shared 鈥淔rom the Field鈥� episodes with Smruti Desai and Jeremy Dew, and we featured conversations with Nikkita Oliver, Dr. Curt Thompson, Dr. Dwight Friesen, and more. Listen to Season Two here.

text.soul.culture Hosts

Dr. Derek McNeil is the Acting President and Provost at 天美视频. He has a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary, and his research, writing, and speaking have focused on issues of ethnic and racial socialization, the role of forgiveness in peacemaking, the identity development of African-American males, and marital intimacy. Learn more about Derek here.

Shauna Gauthier received her MA in Counseling Psychology from 天美视频 in 2010. She previously worked in the Denver Metro area as a therapist and a nonprofit program manager; she also helped launch 天美视频鈥檚 Colorado Alumni Chapter. After returning to Seattle, Shauna now serves as the Alumni Outreach Coordinator. She also enjoys writing and speaking about motherhood, feminism, and faith. Learn more about Shauna here.

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To that end, later this month five students will travel to Kenya for the fourth annual Engaging Global Partnerships class with Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture, and Cheryl Goodwin, Director of Institutional Assessment & Library Services. The vision for this class grew out of Ron鈥檚 involvement with the Center for Transforming Mission and , an international network of leaders who facilitate grassroots education and training in the particular context of local communities. In his work around the world, Ron always dreamed about being able to invite students in the United States to come meet the 鈥渆ntrepreneurial theologians鈥� he was meeting and partnering with. Now, as a faculty member at 天美视频 and a Senior Fellow with Street Psalms, Ron鈥檚 continued relationships with pastors, theologians, activists, and social entrepreneurs around the world have helped him develop courses that are far more global and far more of a lived experience than what is typically offered in higher education, which often trends toward self-contained intellectualism rather than practical, engaged learning.

In the Engaging Global Partnerships class, students are invited to let their assumptions, beliefs, and practices be challenged and clarified by the stories of a place and the people who serve it. Beginning in 2016, Ron has traveled with students to learn from his friends in Guatemala. This is the first year that the class will be traveling to Kenya. In the months leading up to the class, the students have been wrestling with readings and discussions to help deepen and contextualize their time together. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a deep look at the history of colonialism and religion, and the relationship between a place and the people who inhabit it鈥攅specially in places of wounding,鈥� says Dr. Ruthruff. 鈥淗ow can we enter those wounds in a way that is honoring to others鈥� stories and also helps us reimagine our shared future?鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a deep look at the history of colonialism and religion, and the relationship between a place and the people who inhabit it鈥攅specially in places of wounding.鈥�

By asking these questions and witnessing the 鈥渉eart, hurt, and hope鈥� of a particular place, students are challenged to reconsider categories including partnership, service, culture, incarnation, and mission鈥攁n essential part of discerning what their own calling might look like in their local context. As he guides students in that process, Ron is inspired by David Bosch鈥檚 work in and Martin K盲hler鈥檚 assertion that 鈥渕ission is the mother of theology.鈥� It鈥檚 not the other way around, says Ron: 鈥淭heology emerges as we listen to others.鈥�

Of course, if you hear about a group of American students traveling internationally and talking about mission, you might already have certain assumptions or images in mind. That鈥檚 why Ron is quick to clarify that, 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a mission trip, it鈥檚 a vision trip. There won鈥檛 be any air-conditioned buses, and we won鈥檛 be digging a hole in a community that some youth group has to come fill in three months later. This isn鈥檛 about us bringing our program overseas or placing our visions on others. I hope it鈥檚 about learning to listen well, engage with our shared history, and dream together about a vision for something new.鈥�

Photo by Jesse Smith of .

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