wfn.org | Duke Divinity School creates alliance with 15 churches

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Jan. 9, 2002  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{005}

By David Reid*

DURHAM, N.C. (UMNS) -- Duke University Divinity School will team with
congregations from 15 churches across the country as part of a larger
program to develop a new generation of effective pastors.

The churches, which stretch from San Antonio to Greenwich, Conn., were
chosen for their strong pastoral leadership and vital congregational
ministries, said Dean L. Gregory Jones, who announced the initiative Jan. 9.
 
"We believe these partnerships will make a crucial difference in how
congregations conceive of their ministry, how excellent students begin to
develop a vision for ministerial identity and leadership, and how Duke
faculty and staff deploy their resources for the church in more integrated
ways," Jones said. "We look forward to working closely with these
congregations." 

Nine of the churches are United Methodist. Duke Divinity School is
affiliated with the United Methodist Church, though its 475 enrolled
students represent 40 different denominations.

Duke students will be assigned to the churches to develop ministries linked
to divinity school program areas such as end-of-life care, parish nursing,
Christian formation of youth, catechesis and sustained learning. The school
and churches also will engage in ongoing discussions about congregational
ministry and how the divinity school can produce effective pastors for these
churches. 

The program, known as Teaching Congregations, is the newest component of the
Learned Clergy Initiative. The $10 million effort, funded through a grant by
Lilly Endowment Inc., is aimed at inspiring a new generation of clergy to
view ministry as a fulfilling vocation. 

The 15 congregations are diverse in terms of geography and tradition, and
their senior pastors are diverse in race and gender.

The churches selected are Alamo Heights United Methodist, San Antonio;
Bethany United Methodist, Summerville, S.C.; Church Street United Methodist,
Knoxville, Tenn.; Court Street United Methodist, Hattiesburg, Miss.;
Davidson United Methodist, Davidson, N.C.; First Baptist, Greenville, S.C.;
First United Methodist, Birmingham, Mich.; Emmanuel Baptist, Winston-Salem,
N.C.; Hyde Park United Methodist, Tampa, Fla.; Jarvis Memorial United
Methodist, Greenville, N.C.; Macedonia Baptist, Pittsburgh; Providence
Baptist, Charlotte, N.C.; Reveille United Methodist, Richmond, Va.; St.
John's Episcopal, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Stanwich Congregational, Greenwich,
Conn.
 
The divinity school has two additional programs that focus on understanding
and developing pastoral leadership: Pulpit & Pew, a four-year research
program on pastoral leadership, and the Reynolds Leadership Program, which
annually selects 24 United Methodist clergy from a three-state region for a
yearlong course of study in leadership style and strategic planning.

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*Reid is director of communications for Duke University Divinity School.

 

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United Methodist News Service
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