Community Engagement Specialization
Community Engagement Institute (CEI) Specialist program (formerly "Fellows") at Wesley Theological Seminary continues to be at the forefront of theological education, and at the heart of our theological education ethos. Through academic, theological, formational, and leadership development experiences inside and outside the classroom, CEI Specialists are equipped to serve as world-class community engagement leaders for the twenty-first century Church and world.
What sets the Wesley’s CEI Specialist program apart from other institutions is our unique location in the nation’s capital and our ability to provide master's degree candidates with distinct opportunities to deal with vital issues in the church and public arena.
Degree candidates in the CEI Specialist program:
- engage in innovative learning in the classroom while participating in transforming communities on the ground by innovating, integrating and initiating effective ministries.
- are developed to be theologically grounded, contextually nimble, and prophetically engaged in the church and world
- learn and practice how to best engage in urban ministry, robust public witness, and missional work in ways that make the church a force to contend with in the public square.
- live what they have learned in their communities as they develop vital ministries and engage in theological reflection
The work of a Specialist informs their identity formation as bridge builders and border crossers engaged in transforming communities toward the shape of God’s reign.
Through practical application students are prepared to holistically approach the complex issues confronting urban environs with the love of Christ in a manner that promotes an empowered citizenry and communal flourishing.
As a degree candidate and Specialist, students move through the Community Engagement Institute curriculum through readings and assignments in a scaffolding manner and build upon what they have learned and experienced in the previous year inside and beyond the classroom. This strengthens their knowledge base and identity formation as a community engagement expert.
- Field Education: Community Engagement Specialists participate in a community based field education experience that allows them to undertake their self-designed community engagement project. The Community Engagement Institute provides guidance to Specialists to secure field education placements in an appropriate setting via their ministry and nonprofit database.
- Requirements: Specialists are typically full-time M.Div. students taking a minimum of 9 credit hours each semester; however the program is open to M.A. and M.T.S. students. Opportunities are provided for students to meet in a weekly seminar to read and discuss the theology and practice of community engagement; and serve as a mutually supportive learning community.
