This August, Candler’s public theological education initiative The Candler Foundry will begin the second year of its online certificate program, “Foundations in Faith & Leadership.” Launched in 2022, the program offers training and micro-credentialing for those who seek to develop ministry skills through structured and interactive learning—including lay leaders, deacons, church boards, pastors, teachers, activists, and community organizers.
Registration is now open for three 24-week tracks taught by Candler faculty members: “Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation,” “Essentials for Biblical Interpretation,” and—new this year—“Essentials for Youth Ministry.”
Each track consists of four six-week courses that strategically build off one another, combining self-paced learning with guidance from Candler faculty. Accessed through the platform Coassemble, courses feature weekly independent learning modules that include brief lectures from leading scholars, readings, videos, and reflection questions designed to help participants make connections to their lives and ministries. Faculty facilitators will be available by email and also host weekly online office hours for participants to drop in and talk, ask questions, and process what they’re learning.
Anne Galliher 19T serves as pastoral resident at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina and was a member of the inaugural cohort in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation.
“As a pastor a few years out from seminary, I had been craving time back in the classroom, and this program gave me the benefits of being a student with the flexibility and accessibility that I needed while working full time in ministry,” she says, noting that she especially valued the richness of the cohort model, the dedication of the track’s facilitators—Professor of Christian Ethics and Conflict Transformation Ellen Ott Marshall and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theology and Ethics Kyle Lambelet—and the certificate’s multi-month timeline that allowed her to “dwell with the subject matter.”
“Based on my experience at Candler as a seminarian, I knew I would learn a lot from this course, but I did not anticipate what a spiritually and personally enriching experience it would be. There were countless times when the materials I was engaging in the course and the happenings in my own life and work seemed to collide in ways that could only be attributed to the movement of the Spirit,” Galliher says.
Learn more and register for the tracks here:
“Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation”: August 21, 2023–February 9, 2024
Taught by Professor of Christian Ethics and Conflict Transformation Ellen Ott Marshall and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theology and Ethics Kyle Lambelet
“Essentials for Biblical Interpretation”: September 11, 2023–April 12, 2024
Taught by Associate Professor in the Practice of Old Testament and Director of The Candler Foundry Ryan Bonfiglio and Postdoctoral Fellow Elizabeth Arnold
“Essentials for Youth Ministry”: September 11, 2023–April 12, 2024
Taught by Professor in the Practice of Youth Education and Peacebuilding Elizabeth Corrie and Youth Theological Initiative Director Jillinda Weaver
Each track’s $750 tuition fee includes enrollment in all four courses across the 24 weeks; access to a trained facilitator for questions and personalized guidance; free digital access to Pitts Theology Library; a certificate of completion; and eight continuing education units (CEU’s) for those with requirements for licensure and credentialing. A limited number of partial financial aid need-based scholarships are available.
In addition, a group enrollment option offers special rates for churches or other nonprofits whose teams or staff members would like to participate together.