This course aims to develop skills, tools, and theoretical/reflective capacity for engaging in neighborhood and community ministries from a holistic and theologically-grounded community organizing lens. The course will draw on case studies and center the role of theological reflection, spiritual practices and formation, and the Episcopal tradition as essential aspects of a faith-rooted community organizing …
View course details “Cultivate, Theologize, Organize! Community Organizing Fundamentals for the Church”

From biblical times to the present, God has been in the middle of politics. Charismatic leadership, the election of leaders and nations, political parties and their social policies, scandal and sin, kingship and triumph—all of these have been peppered with theological rhetoric. Building on biblical and contemporary studies, this course asks whether there is more …
View course details “The Bible & Politics: A Biblical Perspective”

What does it mean to lead during a time of religious, sociocultural, and environmental upheaval? What can churches do differently to better reflect and nurture gospel values and God’s dream of a just, reconciled, Spirit-filled world? This course in missional leadership will ask these and related questions. We will explore concepts and experience practices of …
View course details “Changing Church: Missional Practices and/for Beloved Community”

In many parts of today’s world, Christians are deeply divided from their neighbours—and from one another—by political allegiances. The stakes seem so high, and biblical teaching about government so clear and urgent, that agreement on politics is often treated as a test of faith. In this course we will take a step or two back …
View course details “Christianity & Politics”

Recognizing that our social structures and personal biases can get in the way of commitment to respecting our colleagues and community members, this interactive workshop will engage themes of prejudice, power and privilege in a manner that honours all voices in the room while also challenging the biases and structures that privilege some over others …
View course details “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Nurturing a Community of Belonging”

Facilitator: Sarika Sinha Women leaders across the globe are dealing with dispossession from resources, capabilities, and a form of discursive ‘development’ which is deeply rooted in a capitalist and patriarchal order. In the current milieu – as women leaders face further marginalization, cultural exclusivity, and the Covid-19 pandemic – we offer this online discourse hinged …
View course details “Feminist Leadership for Capabilities, Ecology and Transformation”

Facilitators: Yogesh Ghore and Farouk Jiwa The unprecedented convergence of the forces of globalization, urbanization, changing demographics, and climate change are already fundamentally changing the way we live and work. While the continuous advancement of artificial intelligence and advanced robotics have improved productivity and efficiency and increased convenience, they have raised concerns over the number …
View course details “Future of Work and Workers”

This Learning Hub course will be located in Kelowna, BC. Accommodation, and some meals, will be provided through the Lilly Endowment Pathways Project support of this course. Travel subsidies will also be available. The usual VST course registration fee will apply. Auditors are welcome but are not eligible for the travel or accommodation subsidies. In …
View course details “Where Theology Meets the Soil: Experiential Learning in the Okanagan”

With Derrick Weston Food is at the heart of human society. The ways we grow, source, buy, prepare, serve, and eat all have the potential to build community or break it down. Food connects us to our own personal histories and can be a source of healing and comfort or pain and trauma. This retreat …
View course details “The Just Kitchen: Connecting to God, Neighbor, and Self Through Food”

The climate crisis is an unavoidable pastoral concern in the church today. As the effects of anthropogenic climate change continue to increase in the coming years, increasingly the pastoral work of the ‘cure of souls’ is directly impacted by the intersecting crises of the climate crisis. This class will proceed in two parts. In the …
View course details “Integral Ecology and Theologies of Solidarity Course Registration”