A new program launching at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in October will form collaborative, co-learning relationships with five local congregations each year.
The program, A Seminary for Every Congregation, will bring theological education and resources to the congregations at no cost. It will run through December 2030 with support from the Lilly Endowment鈥檚 Seminary Extended grant. Ethan King, project coordinator for the grant, said the seminary will partner with each congregation around 鈥渁 central holding question.鈥�
鈥淭hat could be anything from 鈥榃e鈥檙e looking to start a renovation of our grounds and we鈥檙e trying to think about the theological dimensions of placemaking鈥� to 鈥榃e鈥檝e had an influx of children at our church and want to think about reformatting around being an intergenerational church,鈥欌�� King said.
鈥淭he seminary would come alongside a church, its pastor, and some of its layleaders for a year and help them explore their question, connect them with resources, and bring them a baseline education around community organizing, trauma-informed care, and leadership through tension and conflict resolution,鈥� he added.
King said the partnership will offer research opportunities for seminary students and internships for students pursuing a master of divinity degree. 鈥淚t will also help our seminary learn from people who are on the ground doing day-to-day ministry to inform our coursework,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to build a network of collaboration and relationships,鈥� King said. 鈥淗opefully it will cut down on some of the pastoral isolation and burnout we鈥檝e seen in our research.鈥�
For more information about the program, including for pastors interested in getting involved, contact King at ethan.king@emu.edu.
New DMin program
Funded through Lilly Endowment Inc.鈥檚 Pathways for Tomorrow initiative, Seminary Extended: Strengthening Pastoral Leadership supports a collaborative partnership between Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Union Presbyterian Seminary, and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
The grant also supports a new Doctor of Ministry in adaptive leadership program, expected to launch at all three seminaries in 2027. Students in the joint degree program will have access to shared resources, coursework, and projects across the three schools.
Additionally, the grant funds three new shared faculty members to teach students from all three schools.
King joins seminary staff
King began his new role as project coordinator in June. The Harrisonburg native holds a master鈥檚 degree in theological studies from Candler School of Theology at Emory University and bachelor鈥檚 degrees in religion and philosophy, political science, and economics from Emory & Henry University.
For the past four years, he worked in outreach and communications for the Church of the Nazarene in Harrisonburg. He said the experience gave him a unique perspective on ministerial work and the rigors that pastors face on a daily basis.
鈥淲hen this grant opportunity came along, focused on connecting pastors with resources and training and education that is practically and contextually significant to their ministry, I thought it sounded like a great program and wanted to get involved,鈥� King said.
鈥淲e are delighted to have Ethan coordinating our collaborative initiatives to foster theological formation in local faith communities,鈥� said the Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, dean of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. 鈥淗e brings a keen understanding of the realities facing pastors and congregations, along with a hope-filled passion for equipping them to impact their communities in concrete ways. We are eager to see how God鈥檚 Spirit will move among us all.鈥�
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