Church Divinity School of the Pacific Launches Innovative Programs

The Very Rev. W. Mark Richardson, PhD, dean and president of Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP), is proud to announce the launch of two innovative alternatives to traditional preparation for ministry, specially designed to meet the needs of a changing church in a changing world.

Through this bold move, CDSP is expanding its commitment to formation for ministry in the Episcopal Church, creating new ways to equip leaders in the church to preach the gospel, serve the poor, and make disciples who proclaim the day of our Lord’s coming. In his installation address, Richardson noted, “The task of theological education begins in recognizing that we carry a treasure. It is not a time to be shy about the treasure.”

Each of the new programs takes advantage of technologies that make distance learning effective by combining independent study, online learning and community building. Central to this is a summer intensive immersion experience, focusing on learning in a faith community that attends to intentional spiritual formation and maturation.

• HyCAS (Hybrid Certificate of Anglican Studies) is designed for those who will be ministering primarily in congregational settings. HyCAS students study online while enjoying the community formation of the summer immersions.
• TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) is specifically for those who will minister in under-served communities, perhaps with minority populations. The program involves local study with a mentor, supervised ministry in the student’s own community and short residential classes in Berkeley each semester as well as the intense learning community of summer immersions. TEEM is offered in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

The Rev. Susanna Singer, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ministry Development explains, “CDSP already provides excellent theological education for our residential and commuting students. We are excited to make that available to a much wider constituency through the forward-looking design of these initiatives.”