Columbia Theological Seminary announces pastoral excellence programs

Programs designed for mid-career clergy and women of color

by Columbia Theological Seminary | Special to Presbyterian News Service

The Vernon S. Broyles Jr. Leadership Center on the campus of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. (Photo by Gregg Brekke)

LOUISVILLE — Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 colloquies from the Center for Lifelong Learning, part of the Pastoral Excellence Program of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga.

The Colloquy for Clergy Series offers clergy an opportunity to engage as reflective practitioners in a peer-learning, peer-mentoring experience. Each colloquy includes a summer and winter session; participants must commit to attend both sessions.

The Colloquy for Mid-Career Clergy will be held September 9-11, 2020 and January 4-6, 2021. The co-facilitators are Dr. Betty Pugh Mills and Rev. Jonathan W. Ball. Mills most recently was senior pastor at Hampton Baptist Church in Hampton, Va. Previously she served Grace Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. for more than 20 ears. Ball, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education at Northside Hospital in Atlanta.

The total program fee for this colloquy is $600 and includes five meals during each session. On-campus housing is available at special reduced rates.

The Colloquy for Women of Color will be held on September 14-16, 2020 and January 25-27, 2021. This colloquy features three facilitators: Karma Bowen-Johnson, Lilian (Luky) Cotto and Jihyun Oh.

Bowen-Johnson is the assistant pastor at Turner Monumental AME Church in Atlanta and director of Christian Education for both the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference (ANGC) and the Atlanta East District of the AME Church. Cotto is a native of Guatemala, serves as a missionary of the United Methodist Church’s GBGM – National Plan for Hispanic-Latino Ministry and is engaged in church planting in New Jersey. Oh is director of Mid-Council Ministries for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and has served as interim pastor, associate pastor and hospital chaplain.

The program fee for this colloquy is $550 and includes five meals during each session. On-campus housing is available at special reduced rates.

The Center for Lifelong Learning’s Pastoral Excellence Program is made possible in part by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.’s Thriving in Ministry Initiative.

For more information about the Center for Lifelong Learning and other courses and certificate programs, click here or email the CLL at LifelongLearning@CTSnet.edu.