Continuum of Offerings

The Candler School of Theology of Emory University’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, Continuum of Offerings, aims to create enduring partnerships that lead to educational offerings for forming leaders who strengthen entire communities. With the grant allocation, Candler is revising, expanding, and connecting its pastoral leadership resources by collaborating with myriad faith traditions, including Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic, Wesleyan, and Methodist churches, to develop new programs. These program offerings include free non-credit courses, bachelor’s and master’s courses, an accelerated master’s in religious leadership, a traditional three-year M.Div., and a distance-learning D.Min., offered in English, Korean, and Spanish. The courses are designed to interconnect for seamless progression.

Ted Smith, associate dean of faculty at Candler and co-principal investigator of the Pathways initiative, explains the project.

Briefly describe the project.

Our project is fundamentally a long-term, asset-based community organizing process. We began by asking, “Who are our neighbors with whom we are not yet in a relationship?” Upon identifying key partners such as Latine, African immigrant, Asian-American, Pentecostal and charismatic communities, we started meeting with the assumption that God was already doing powerful things in their communities – and in Candler. We explored what we might be called to do together.

We launched a community organizing process born from a shared sense of callings, which has led to various projects, the largest being La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies. This academy offers a two-year diploma certificate program for pastoral leaders whose traditions do not require a master’s degree for ordination, nor a college degree to enroll. The program, available in multiple languages and at an affordable cost, is designed in collaboration with our community partners to ensure radical accessibility.

We are currently working with the goal that students from this program will be able to transition into Candler’s master’s degrees. To our knowledge, it is the first program of its kind at a research university aspiring to full accreditation.

A key component of our efforts is the partnership with La Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH), the Hispanic Theological Education Association. With their support, we are working toward certifying La Mesa. Additionally, AETH is our partner in a series of other initiatives, including Antioquia, a resource for faculty in Hispanic Bible Institutes. One particularly exciting project involves creating a curated, bilingual collection of resources from Candler’s library available to AETH-certified institutes. Durable partnerships are at the core of this effort, and the relationship with AETH is absolutely crucial.

Another initiative is the Summer Institute for Global Charismatic-Pentecostal Studies, which unites scholars, pastors, and key leaders in the field of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity. Last summer’s inaugural Institute was a wonderful gathering, featuring worship, food, and sharing alongside first-rate academic work. Our partner in this project is the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

This year, the headliner for the Summer Institute is Rev. Young Hoon Lee, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, often hailed as the world’s largest church. It has been truly inspiring to witness the gathering of nations at this event and experience how it builds upon and activates Candler’s own Wesleyan holiness traditions.

This list of projects is extensive, but that’s because we weren’t designing them in a lab on Candler’s fifth floor. Instead, they originated out of relationships, with partners identifying needs and saying, “Hey, let’s do this together.” As a result, it has a very organic shape.

What have you learned so far?

I’ve discovered how demanding accreditation with regional accrediting bodies is for new institutions. As part of Candler and Emory, achieving that level of accreditation is important to us, and we’ve worked diligently to meet these standards. While the rules are tailored for schools like Candler and programs like our master’s degrees and D.Min., they are not designed for La Mesa. Although, we’ve had a lot of good-faith partnerships at every level, and received much support, it has been challenging to align this innovative program with those external standards.

Additionally, I’ve learned that these partnerships are deeply rewarding; they require that we work across differences of deeply held principles. While we find common ground and work extensively together, there are also instances of disagreement on theological and political grounds. Yet, this diversity matters. It’s not always about compromising, but rather about navigating through challenges with grace and patience from all involved.

I’ve learned how much I enjoy charismatic and Pentecostal worship. Born into a Presbyterian family from Springfield, Missouri, headquarters of the Assemblies of God, I’ve found great joy as an adult Christian to be immersed in Pentecostal and charismatic worship, especially alongside our global partners.

What has surprised you along the way?

Others have been surprised – though it doesn’t surprise me – how supportive Candler’s faculty has been toward La Mesa. One of the first questions I’m asked is, “How are faculty responding?” There is an expectation of resistance, yet our faculty ask hard questions because they aim for excellence, much like everyone else. They understand how it aligns with our mission and have shown genuine excitement for it.

Here’s an anecdote: A senior faculty member, who has mentored numerous Ph.D. students for many years, says she had always trained her students to pursue justice. When contemplating a shift from Ph.D. supervision to teaching La Mesa, she recognized that this transition would directly advance the same justice mission she had advocated for. Transitioning from teaching doctoral students to teaching individuals with a high school education is very “on mission.” That’s how our faculty is. We wouldn’t be able to do this without that kind of commitment.

It was somewhat surprising that Rev. Young Hoon Lee agreed to attend the conference, considering his busy schedule and global prominence. When I visited Yoido, we really connected, and I found him to be a generous guy.

There’s a profound beauty in this dynamic. Consistently in our work, we encounter the usual power hierarchies, which is sometimes deeply complicated. In this case, as a white American professor, I approached the Korean pastor with a sense of humility. It’s natural; he holds a significant stature while I do not. Yet, it does reverse typical polarities of American theological education.

It’s not merely about power sharing or goodwill; each partner genuinely has assets and strengths that the other needs, and this is recognized by all involved. Because of this mutual recognition, our relationships are more enriching. While not surprising, breaking free of those patterns is immensely beneficial.

What have been a few of your successes?

Last year's Summer Institute for Global Charismatic/Pentecostal Studies (2023) was a huge success, marked by a vibrant atmosphere of conviviality and achievement. Subsequently, this spring, Candler hosted the Society for Pentecostal Studies’ annual meeting, which was not directly aligned with or funded by the Pathways initiative. This shows our growing relationship. This partnership has sparked renewed interest in charismatic and Pentecostal affinities within the school, which has been good to see.

The decision to hire Joanne Solis-Walker, associate dean of La Mesa, as director has been a huge success. She’s a dynamic and visionary leader, and he acceptance of the role has been fantastic.

Moreover, obtaining faculty approval of the curriculum and successfully navigating it through the regional accrediting body represent major achievements. The first La Mesa classes begins in the fall, underscoring the successful culmination of these efforts.

What aspects of the project are you hopeful about?

I’m hopeful that La Mesa and the Summer Institute will attract more master’s students to Candler’s degree programs. I’m straightforward about that, but it is equally important that these programs are valuable in their own right, not solely a means to increased enrollment.

While we anticipate some La Mesa students transitioning to Candler’s master’s degrees, a big goal is for our La Mesa students to use their certificate to serve their congregations with profound passion and vision, without necessarily pursuing a master’s degree.

We are intentionally uniting people who typically don’t come together, fostering deep connections. My hope is that the assets we bring go beyond material to include spiritual enrichment, envisioning a real renewal that comes out of this.

What are you learning that could help other schools?

The key is not to simply take the Candler blueprint onto these various projects. But, if there is a blueprint, it’s about gathering our neighbours for open-ended, honest, and respectful conversations.

Everyone is treated as an end and not a means, seen as blessed by God. Then, we just ask, “What is God calling us to do together?” This model is totally replicable, but it requires stepping out of the confines of the school and our usual circles.