January 25 - March 14

Early Church History and Theology

Tom Ferguson, Ph.D.
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

January 25 - March 14

2 CEUs

Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more  

The focus of this course is the early development of the Church in the East and West until about 800 CE. Participants will discuss the early theological debates that led to the first ecumenical councils and creeds. Readings will include both primary texts and historical analyses of the period, with an eye toward how Anglicans have understood the life and work of early Christians.

Thomas Ferguson (Ph.D. in church history, Graduate Theological Union) is Associate Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for the Episcopal Church.

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Prophetic Voice of the Deacon

The Rev. Susanne Watson Epting
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

January 25 - March 14
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

Deacons are charged by the church to “interpret the needs, hopes, and concerns of the world to the church.” Some believe this charge is not unlike that of the Prophets called to articulate God’s vision. What are helpful ways of grounding ourselves? How do we, with God’s help, find, sustenance when being true to our baptismal and ordination vows becomes extra challenging?

Susanne Watson Epting (M.A. in American Studies, University of Iowa) is the Director of the North American Association for the Diaconate (NAAD) and serves on the Primates’ Task Force on Theological Education in the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church task force on Proclaiming Education for all.

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Introduction to Pastoral Care and Theology

The Rev. Dr. Duane Bidwell
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

January 25 - March 14
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

This course provides a basic foundation for those – lay and ordained – new ministries of pastoral care in parishes and their surrounding communities.  In this class, we explore common questions:  What is pastoral care, and how is it different from other kinds of contact with people?  Who can best offer pastoral care?  What are unique Episcopal approaches to pastoral care?

Duane Bidwell (M.Div., Ph.D. in pastoral theology and pastoral counseling, Brite Divinity School) is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Care & Counseling and Director of Presbyterian Ministerial Formation at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Windows on the New Testament World: Introduction to the New Testament

Erica Martin, Ph.D.
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

January 25 - March 14
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

The New Testament contains extrordinary writings which allow us a glimpse of the social and spiritual challenges and controversies of their times.  Students will increase their familiarity with Acts, Ephesians, Colossians, Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, Peter, Jude, the letters of John, and Revelation, developing an understanding of how these works fit in to the great experiment which was the Early Christian Church in the making.  Note: The gospels and authentic letters of Paul are covered in other CALL online courses and are not included in this course.

Erica Martin (Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, Graduate Theological Union) lives with her family in Tacoma, WA, where she teaches, and also chairs the Adult Education Program at Temple Beth El.

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The Soul of Leadership

Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D.
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

January 25 - March 14
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

In twenty-first-century America, leaders are rewarded for their drive, decisiveness, productivity, and long work hours. What would it look like for a leader to cultivate the inner life, to step off the treadmill, to take time apart for personal reflection? What would leadership arising from a core of spiritual groundedness and compassion look like?

This will be an experiential course, in which participants' own leadership experiences will serve as the basis for reflection and discernment. Insights from the fields of spirituality, management, and leadership studies will be combined to consider leadership in the church, in hospitals, non-profits, businesses, and other organizations.

Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., teaches at Andover Newton Theological School in Boston. CEO of ExecutiveSoul.com, Dr. Benefiel also has served as Chair of the Academy of Management's Management, Spirituality, and Religion Group.  She is the author of Soul At Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations (Seabury Books, 2005) and The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment (Crossroad, 2008).  Her website: www.ExecutiveSoul.com.

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February 1 - May 21

Anglican Spiritual Practices (SP 8300)

Elizabeth Drescher, Ph.D.
Registration Deadline: January 18, 2010

Precourse: January 25 - 31
Course: February 1 - May 21
4 CEUs
Cost: $370; $290 for groups of 3 or more

The living out of faith in the in Anglican tradition is sustained by diverse spiritual resources drawn from scripture, early church prayer and liturgy, medieval spiritualities, the Book of Common Prayer, and contemporary adaptations of spiritual practices from throughout the global Anglican Communion and beyond. This course explores basic Christian practices such as hospitality, compassion, prayer, studying scripture, forgiveness, healing, and care for creation as they are undertaken in Anglican communities throughout the world today. Assignments will include weekly readings, discussion board reflections on weekly spiritual exercises, and a final paper drawn from students’ experience preparing for and leading a spiritual practice with a small group in their own worship community. Participants are required to complete a one-week online pre-course module prior to the first class session.

This course is a joint CALL/CDSP course, available for academic credit or CEUs.  CEU students follow an abbreviated syllabus with fewer requirements than credit students.  Follow the register link below to register for CEUs.  Click here to learn more about taking this course for academic credit. 

Precourse requirement: Participants are required to complete a one-week online pre-course module, January 25 – January 31. Estimated time involved is 3 hours over the 7-day period.

Elizabeth Drescher (Ph.D. in Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union) is Director of the Center for Anglican Learning & Leadership and Assistant Professor of Christian Spiritualities at Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

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April 12 - May 30

Let Us Pray: An Introduction to the Book of Common Prayer

Roderick Dugliss, Ph.D.
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

Pick up a Prayer Book in any Episcopal Church that still has them available in the pew and you will see a grey line marking pages frequently used. This survey of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer goes through and beyond the “dirty pages.”  Why those pages and not others? What can we learn about and from the rest of this book? The Prayer Book holds the key to, “our prayer shapes our belief.” We will explore the entire book to discover what that means for Episcopalians today.

Required text:

The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 edition. Available free online at http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/bcp.htm.

Roderick Dugliss (Ph.D. in political science, Duke University) is Dean of the School for Deacons in the Diocese of California.

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Beyond Acceptance: LGBT Theologies for Ministry

The Rev. Dr. Jay Emerson Johnson
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

After exclusion comes tolerance. After tolerance comes acceptance. Then what? Does a welcoming posture toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people change the dynamics of a congregation? Even more, do LGBT people offer any new, unique, or just interesting theological insights for ministry? In this course we’ll consider what it means to answer yes to both of those questions. We’ll survey some of the latest LGBT-related theologies and consider what kind of constructive theological proposals they make for some of the classic touchstones in Christian theology, such as creation, Christ, and Spirit. We’ll also consider to what extent, if at all, these theological contributions re-shape the patterns of Christian ministry. All people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression, are welcome to participate.

Jay E. Johnson (Ph.D. in philosophical theology, CDSP/Graduate Theological Union), is core doctoral faculty in theology at the Graduate Theological Union and Senior Director, Academic Research and Resources for the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion. He is a clergy associate at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Berkeley and author of Dancing with God: Anglican Christianity and the Practice of Hope (Morehouse, 2005).

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New Testament Greek for Preaching

Bob Kramish
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

Have you ever wanted to understand the original meaning of a New Testament text without having to take an academic course in Greek? Adding a little Greek to your sermons in a user-friendly way (for both you and your audience) can spice up your preaching. This course will introduce you to some basic tools such as dictionaries and interlinear bibles, as well as online resources. You'll learn the Greek alphabet, and enough basic grammar to enable you to enhance your resources for sermon preparation by uncovering the meaning of the ancient text.

Bob Kramish is a Ph.D. candidate in biblical studies at the Graduate Theological Union, and was the Bogard Teaching Fellow at CDSP in 2007-08.

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Spiritual Leadership

The Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

One of the major problems of the mainline church is that we are presently going through a crisis of leadership. Most of our seminaries teach theology, polity, history, pastoral care, and even spirituality, but how does all this translate into leading congregations? How do we move people in God’s direction? For churches to be healthy, they need leaders who are healthy spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and relationally. 
 
This class combines insights from Christian spirituality, theology, and the modern leadership movement.  We will explore how to become healthier, more mature and effective church leaders; what it means to lead in a post-modern age; how to reach out to different generations.  We hope to gain insight into what it takes personally to balance our lives so that we can lead others to a healthy balance; and how to bring prayer, discernment, and faith together in leading a church to grow in grace.

The Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish (Ph.D. in formative spirituality, Duquesne University) is a Presbyterian minister and the author of several books including Becoming the Blessed Church (2005). He is president of the Vineyard Guild, an organization committed to supporting, nurturing, and training spiritual leaderships and the growth of more spiritually vibrant congregations: http://www.vineyardguild.org.

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Celebrating the Eucharist

The Rev. Dr. Patrick Malloy
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

The 1979 Book of Common Prayer, like its predecessors, is long on telling the Church what to say, and short on telling it what to do. This leaves those who "choreograph" Prayer Book liturgies with a complex task and a powerful influence over the faith of the Church. 

This course will explore theological and liturgical principles through reading, conversation, and practice.  Areas covered include liturgical ministry and liturgical ministers; liturgical space; vesture, vessels, and other liturgical objects; the liturgical year; the shape of the liturgy; the sung liturgy and singing during the liturgy; the order of the Eucharist; and the celebration of Baptism during the Eucharist.

Required text:

Malloy, Patrick. Celebrating the Eucharist: A Practical Ceremonial Guide for Clergy and Other Liturgical Ministers. Church Publishing (2007).

Patrick Malloy (Ph.D. in liturgical studies, Notre Dame) is Associate Professor of Liturgics in the H. Boone Porter Chair at The General Theological Seminary in New York, and author of Celebrating the Eucharist.

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Total Ministry: Engaging the Holy Spirit as the Body of Christ

Michelle Meech with the Rev. Dr. Sue Singer
Registration Deadline: April 5, 2010

April 12 - May 30
2 CEUs
Cost: $185; $145 for groups of 3 or more

This class seeks to teach people a Total Ministry process of discernment. To this end, we will explore scripture, tradition, church structure and roles, group discernment and reflection processes, change dynamics and theological resources with a mixture of reading and experiential assignments throughout the course. Total Ministry is an approach, not a model. It is an ongoing process, not an end. Total Ministry (also called Mutual Ministry or Total Common Ministry) happens when the Body of Christ actively engages the Holy Spirit by putting mission first. When we can more accurately discern how the Holy Spirit is calling us to respond not only to our own needs but also to the needs of the community around us, our understanding of ministry organically evolves into an incarnation that works more effectively in a particular time and place. The process asks Christians to step outside our boxes, whether they be our buildings, our structures or our preconceived notions of what ministry is, and calls us into the community around us to be in relationship, not for the purposes of conversion to Christianity, but for purposes of partnership in the reign of God’s love.

Michelle Meech is a 3rd year MDiv student at Church Divinity School of the Pacific and a candidate for ordination in the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon. She is teaching this CALL course under the supervision of the Rev. Dr. Sue Singer, Assistant Professor of Ministry Development at Church Divinty School of the Pacific.

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