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Educating Leaders to Make a Difference
Theological education fosters inquiry, passion, and a sense of holy wonder
L
Life-changing conversations
aura Hunter is a living reminder of
why The United Church of Canada
Sometimes this study provides God with the
is committed to providing excellent
opportunity to call people in directions they
education for its leaders. She went
did not expect. Robin McGauley graduated
back to school when she was 39, living with
from the Vancouver School of Theology in
a partner, two young children, and a full-time
2004. “I arrived at VST thinking that my call
job. “Nothing about making such a choice
was to be a worship leader. By the time I left
held any logic,” she says. Nevertheless, her
VST I had recognized more fully my gift as an
call brought her to the Centre for Christian
educator—which has significantly influenced
Studies in Winnipeg,
where I now live out
where she prepared for
my call to ministry,” she
diaconal ministry. She
says. McGauley now
was settled in 2004 to
“Theological
education
helped
serves as the Program
a three-point pastoral
Director at Five Oaks
me
to
be
a
stronger
person
and
charge in Cape Breton,
education and retreat
Nova Scotia, and now
to live more courageously”
centre near Paris,
serves as the justice and
Ontario.
stewardship minister for
Maritime Conference.
Agnes Spence has been around church
“Theological education helped me to
since she was a child, as she was raised by
be a stronger person and to live more
her grandfather, an ordained minister. While
courageously,” says Hunter.
she initially trained as a social worker and
For Debra Kigar, another graduate of the
Centre for Christian Studies, being courageous
and strong in ministry is tied to the ongoing
guidance of community. “The diaconal and
other learning communities that I became
part of have become essential and reliable for
me to access at any time for resources and
support,” she says.
With 10 schools and four education centres
stretching from British Columbia to Atlantic
Canada, the United Church has a strong history
in education. Its communities of learning
continue to prepare inquisitive and passionate
people for lay, ordained, and diaconal
ministries. “While the shape and the nature of
the church is constantly changing, God in our
midst and the call of the gospel to love and do
justice remains,” says Lorne Calvert, Principal
at St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon. “To study
God’s presence and will for our time is as
important today as ever before.”
Laura Hunter presents Darren Liepold with a Mission and
Service stole made in Maritime Conference.
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
counsellor, in 2004 she felt a strong calling
to ministry. Having overcome concerns about
time and money, she graduated last April from
the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Resource Centre, one
of the founding schools of the new SandySaulteaux Spiritual Centre near Beausejour,
Manitoba. Spence is now in outreach
ministry in Thompson, Manitoba. She says
her education provided her with a sense of
balance as well as lifelong mentors.
Perhaps not surprisingly, our world of
increasing secularization and consumerism is
also witnessing a growing interest in spirituality
and religion. The United Church’s theological
schools and education centres are responding
to this renewed interest. Dianne Crewe, from
Newfoundland and Labrador, graduated from
the Atlantic School of Theology in April 2011.
Crewe says, “The world is continually changing and the church is not any different. It is
through theological education that one can be
exposed through lectures, readings, and class
discussions to how God might be calling us as
a people in our time and place.”
Through their years of vocational formation
and beyond, students learn to have lifechanging conversations about the presence
of God in people’s lives. John Young, Interim
Academic Director at Queen’s School of
Religion, says, “That requires strong theological
preparation on one’s own part and a commitment to ongoing theological education, both
in terms of a regular discipline of reading and
conversation with colleagues and in terms of
formal continuing education.”
Emmanuel College in Toronto puts a great
emphasis on continuing education for both lay
and ordered ministers. Through certificate and
degree programs, students are encouraged to
critically engage with theological questions
facing our church and world. Principal Mark
Toulouse explains, “Through whatever work
they engage with when they leave our halls,
we hope our students will live out the meaning
of rigorous theological inquiry, contextual
analysis, and a commitment to both justice and
inclusive practice.”
At The United Theological College/Le
Séminaire Uni in Montreal, where there is
a special focus on intercultural and French
ministries, Principal Philip Joudrey knows
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
“A love affair with the church
and the world”
students will discuss challenging issues and
gain a set of important skills. “Perhaps more
than this,” though, he wants students to gain
“the spiritual capacity to be open to seeing
and engaging God’s call in their communities—
to be able to sit with the deepest questions of
faith in their lives and in the lives of those with
whom they minister.”
A commitment and a blessing
Theological education does not promise to
give students all of the answers. Instead,
leaders are equipped with the pastoral skills
to care for God’s people, tools of analysis
to name what is true, a deep knowledge of
the living biblical story, and a sense of holy
wonder.
In what is both a summary of why The United
Church of Canada remains committed to
theological education, and a blessing upon it,
Lorne Calvert says he hopes students enter
into leadership “confident in their skills and
understanding, prepared to adapt to and foster
change, filled with a passion for justice, deep in
their faith, and in a love affair with the church
and the world.”
The United Theological College /
Le Séminaire Uni
Venez étudier chez nous, dans une communauté
étroitement unie, dynamique et bilingue, et obtenez un
Certificat en Ministère bilingue, en plus de notre MDiv.
Possibilité de soutien financier important.
Affilié à l’Université McGill et l’Université de Montréal
et partenaire de l’École théologique de Montréal
Le Séminaire Uni est un ministère inclusif de
L’Église Unie du Canada
Study with us in a vibrant, close-knit bilingual
community and earn the Certificate in Bilingual
Ministry in addition to your M.Div.
Significant financial support is available.
Affiliated with McGill University and Université de
Montréal and partner in The Montreal School of Theology
UTC is an Affirming Ministry of
The United Church of Canada
The United Theological College / Le Séminaire Uni
3521 rue Université, Montréal, QC Canada H3A 2A9
(514) 849-2042 | (1-888) 849-2042
admin@utc.ca | www.utc.ca
Transformative learning in a
dynamic interfaith environment.
Programs include:
Doctor of Ministry
Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality
(Specializations in Art Therapy or Pastoral Counselling)
Master of Theological Studies
Lay Worship Leader Certificate
St. Stephen’s College
(University of Alberta campus) Edmonton
780-439-7311 | 1-800-661-4956
ualberta.ca/ST.STEPHENS/
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
A Diverse Network of Schools and Ed Centres
Preparing for church leadership is anything but “cookie cutter” education
T
here was a time when theological
education looked much the same
whether you were studying in
Vancouver, Saskatoon, or Halifax.
No longer. The United Church of Canada’s
10 theological colleges and four education
centres now form a vital network that is
educating, training, and growing leaders.
Lakes Centre in Saskatchewan and at the
Centre for Christian Studies in Winnipeg,
where students prepare for diaconal ministry.
The Aboriginal students attending the SandySaulteaux Spiritual Centre near Beausejour,
Manitoba, learn together in the oral tradition
of the community sharing circle that long
predates recorded history.
But they do not offer a “one size fits all”
approach to education. Each environment
offers different learning strategies, courses,
and practical experiences.
Students who wish to complete their Master
of Divinity degree in two years, instead of the
usual three, can do so thanks to an intensive
course of study at the Queen’s School of
Religion. On-campus academic study is not the
best fit for everyone, however, either in terms
of their preferred learning style, or because
family commitments make it impossible for
Rather than the traditional classroom format,
learning circles are a key element in both the
Designated Lay Ministry Program at Calling
Study Theology
Are we
part of
at the School of Religion
Queen’s University
Kingston ON Canada
Offering programs for ordained
ministry, chaplaincy and lay work, as
well as academic, research-focussed
study of Christianity.
your
journey?
Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Options for study – 24 month (fall,
winter and summer ), full-time for
3 years (usually fall & winter), or
part-time
Your journey is leading you toward ordained ministry, chaplaincy,
theological reflection or continuing education. Get there with our
M.Div., MTS, STM, D.Min., and Diploma programs.
Master of Theological Studies (MTS)
Options for study – full-time
(4 semesters) or part-time.
Our new pathway to ordination offers:
Generous bursary assistance for
students in all degree programs.
For more information, visit
http://www.queensu.ca/religion
or contact
Rev. Dr. John Young
Chair of Theology
john.young@queensu.ca
613-533-6000 x74327
Flexible, generous academic programs let you set a
course that can be part of your journey.
•
•
•
•
A four-year integrated program.
And salary and benefits during the integrated internship.
And a full year of tuition paid by friends of the College.
See all the ways we put the “and” in St. Andrew’s at
www.standrews.ca.
St. Andrew’s College
Justice-driven education for Christian leadership
1121 College Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W3
www.standrews.ca | 1-877-644-8970
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
each school or education centre employs,
them to relocate and live without a steady
every one of them is focused on preparing
income for two to three years. The five-year
women and men for effective leadership and
Summer Distance M.Div. Program at the
faithful ministry in the world so beloved by
Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax could
God. Their hope is
be ideal for some
simple: that disciplined
students. Or perhaps
learning will equip
the best option is the
students to become
St. Andrew’s College
As much as theological studies
leaders who are
five-year M.Div. program
promote critical thinking,
hopeful, “encouraging,
that integrates online
they are equally about
upholding, valuing,
study, residential
supporting, loving,
courses, and 18–20
educating the heart.
inviting, and being
months of serving
excited about ministry,”
a pastoral charge.
says Jody Clarke,
The Sandy-Saulteaux
Academic Dean at the Atlantic School of
Spirituality Centre and the Centre for Christian
Theology.
Studies also offer their own versions of such
in-ministry programs of study.
Sarah Chapman was already excited about
ministry when she chose to go to AST. She
Diverse styles and circumstances
did so for very practical reasons: the college
was close to her home and its Pine Hill Divinity
Learning circles work best for some students,
Fund offered her full tuition because she was
while others thrive listening to lectures. And an
a candidate for ministry. She also loved that it
increasing number of online courses are being
was an ecumenical school and her colleagues
offered that make it possible to learn from
would be from United, Anglican, and Catholic
home. Regardless of the educational model
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
Student/faculty retreat at The United Theological College/Le Séminaire Uni, fall 2011.
backgrounds. Looking back, though, Chapman
would choose it again for how it shaped her
day-to-day ministry. “My education allowed
me to dismantle what I believed faith, God,
theology, and justice to be, and then gave me
the tools to reconstruct my thinking,” she says.
As much as theological studies promote
critical thinking, they are equally about
educating the heart. At the Vancouver School
of Theology, and The United Theological
College/Le Séminaire Uni in Montreal, students
are required to have a spiritual director. Karen
Bridges, now in team ministry at RobertsonWesley United in Edmonton, felt this was a
key element in her learning. “VST was a place
to reflect and nourish my own spirituality,”
Bridges says.
In our officially bilingual country, the United
Church prepares leaders for ministries in
French. Cathy Hamilton was ordained in
2009 after studies at Le Séminaire Uni. She
is grateful to the college for motivating her
to explore Franco-Canadian ministry. Settled
to Christ Church United in Deux-Montagnes,
Quebec, where the worship is still in English,
her work with the community is predominantly
in French. Living in the highly secular context
of Quebec, it is important for her to highlight
the movement of the Spirit in everyday life.
“Theological education encouraged me to step
out of my comfort zone and have the biblical
and theological vocabulary to reflect on my
experiences,” Hamilton says.
www.callinglakes.ca/programs/dlm.htm
ISSION AND
YourM
contributions
to the
Mission and
Service
of
SERVICE FUND the church
support United Church theological schools
and education/retreat centres.
F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N • F O C U S O N E D U C AT I O N
Many ways to mend the world
The network of diverse United Church schools
and education centres also offers training
in a wide variety of specialized ministries,
equipping leaders to work in institutional
chaplaincies, community development and
social justice, lay worship leadership, youth
ministries, restorative and eco justice, rural and
urban ministries, music ministries, and healing
and teaching ministries.
The University of Winnipeg’s Faculty of
Theology, for instance, offers a masters in
Spiritual Disciplines and Ministry Practice.
It also recently began a two-year diploma
in Indigenous Spiritual and Pastoral Care,
designed for Aboriginal students who want
to become spiritual care workers in hospitals,
correctional facilities, and missions.
St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton recently
developed a new program called Spiritually
Informed Art Therapy. One of its students
Carrying the wisdom and
experience of our elders,
we move forward into
the future.
is an Anglican priest from Rwanda looking
for ways to help his people live through the
aftermath of genocide. Emmanuel College in
Toronto offers an especially wide spectrum of
basic and advanced degree programs as well
as several certificate programs, including the
recently developed Canadian Certificate in
Muslim Studies.
Preparing people for lay, ordained, and
diaconal ministries in The United Church
of Canada is anything but “cookie cutter”
education. Its creative diversity is a response
to the diverse needs of students, ministry
contexts, and contemporary Canadian society.
This is, ultimately, a diversity with purpose. In
the words of Terry Hidichuk, Dean of Theology
at the University of Winnipeg, “In an everchanging world where people are seeking and
yearning for spiritual nurture and knowledge,
theological education is one way to empower
students to participate in the mending of a
broken world.”
The Faculty of Theology
at the University of Winnipeg
in the heart of the city
in the heart of the country
The Sandy-Saulteaux
Spiritual Centre
Graduate education offering
the following degrees:
A national theological school providing
community-based education for Christian ministry
for Aboriginal people
B.Th., M.Div., MA(Theology),
MA(Spiritual Practices), 1 year STM
Also a 2 year Diploma in Indigenous
Spiritual and Pastoral Care
Contact us at:
Box 210, Beausejour, Manitoba R0E 0C0
Phone: 204-268-3913 • Fax: 204-268-4463
Email: sansau@mymts.net
204-786-9390
www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/theology-index
Come away
to a sacred place...
United Church Education and Retreat Centres
welcome you
to rest and reflect
to be challenged and to grow
to seek renewal and tranformation
Tatamagouche Centre
Five Oaks Centre
Calling Lakes Centre
Naramata Centre
Tatamagouche, NS
Paris, ON
Fort Qu’Appelle, SK
Naramata, BC
tatacentre.ca
fiveoaks.on.ca
callinglakes.ca
naramatacentre.net