Ministry and Church Leadership

Ministry and Church Leadership: these programs are designed to identify and nurture a talented group of young people who show interests, skills, and qualities well-suited to a life of leadership in the church. These programs include:

  • Isaac Anderson Fellowships for Church Leadership— two fellowships of $16,500 each per year to attract and educate outstanding students who show interest in and promise for leadership in the church
  • Advocates for Ministry Dinner— an annual dinner which will provide approximately 20 faculty-recommended students per year with the opportunity to spend an evening with two outstanding ministers who can vividly and engagingly describe the rewards and realities of a life devoted to ministry
  • Ministers in Residence Program— two selected clergy per year invited to come to campus for a week or more of their continuing education, sabbatical, or direct leave time to engage in a series of arranged and informal conversations, with small groups of students.
  • Summer Church Internships— two full-time summer internships in a parish or other appropriate ministry setting for students who are not Anderson Fellows
  • Student Retreat for Vocational and Spiritual Discernment— an annual day-long retreat devoted to contemplation and discernment of a possible call to ministry which will involve prayer, discussion, and various types of spiritual exercises
  • Alumni Retreat for Vocational and Spiritual Discernment— an annual day-long retreat devoted to assisting recent alumni and young adults to reflect on and contemplate their vocational callings, especially as they relate to a possible call to ordained or lay ministry
  • Theological Education Day— an annual opportunity for seminaries and divinity schools representing the PCUSA and other denominations to send admissions representatives to the college on a common day to set up displays and meet with interested students
  • Seminary and Divinity School Visits— an annual trip led by the Campus Minister for interested students to visit selected seminaries and divinity schools
  • Summer Retreat for Church Youth— an annual week-long summer retreat to introduce teens to the notion of vocation as it relates to the life of Christian faith and, in particular, to introduce them to a possible call to ministry
  • Workshop for Pastors— an annual workshop to further educate pastors on issues of faith, leadership and vocation so that they can more effectively nurture a sense of vocation among their own congregants