Online Collaborative Seminars with the
Center for Innovation in Ministry at SFTS
Empower yourself and your faith community with our innovative, collaborative online seminars. We'll explore topics of race, class, and gender in Beyoncé and the Bible, as well as learn how to create a spiritual community of hope around people struggling with mental illness in Bipolar Faith.

Register today, classes start February 20!   

BEYONCÉ AND THE BIBLE
Instructor: Rev. Yolanda M. Norton
Assistant Professor of Old Testament, San Francisco Theological Seminary

In four online sessions, Beyoncé and the Bible looks at the life and art of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter to ground conversations about Womanist thought and the Bible. Participants will explore topics of race, class, and gender, with an emphasis on sexuality, embodiment, and agency. These social issues will provide a framework to evaluate various characters and narratives in the Bible—especially women in Scripture. Get a group of friends together! Bible study groups, church groups, women’s groups, men’s groups, young ministers—the combinations are many, the experience is unique. Begins February 21 and meets weekly via Zoom online conferencing.

BIPOLAR FAITH
Instructor: Monica Coleman, MDiv, PhD
Author, Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith

Creating a spiritual community of hope around people struggling with mental health is obviously important to loving people of faith.  Coleman’s train-the-trainer seminar is a wonderful resource for leaders who who are helping churches, caregiver groups, and civic non-profit organizations establish and strengthen a group of people within in their own organizations caring for the families, friends, and loved ones of the community around those working through and thriving with mental illness.

In five online sessions, you will join Monica A. Coleman, MDiv, PhD as she coaches you through her book, Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith, equipping you to lead others. You will receive a free digital copy of her book as well as the companion materials.
Begins February 20 and meets weekly via Zoom online conferencing. CEUs available.

Collaborative Seminars at the
Center for Innovation in Ministry at SFTS
Academic Seminar + Community Project + Collaborative Cohort
Ideal for leaders, community organizers, and groups.

ABOUT OUR SEMINARS:
  Our Collaborative Seminars are a unique combination of academic coursework, on the ground activism, and cohort based dialogue. You will begin by learning from content consultants: leading experts and innovators in relevant fields. From there, you begin to explore those ideas in your own context to seek to bring about positive change. At the end of each seminar, you will reconvene with the content consultants to evaluate and explore the change you saw in your community. They, and a cohort of like minded leaders, will help you foster justice, peace and thriving community in your context. Plus, to make the seminars available to leaders around the world, we offer all of them in an interactive online format.

HOW THEY WORK: 

Part 1: Academic Seminars
Start with a series of online seminars led by content consultants, all of whom are leading scholars and community leaders. These initial seminars will consist of a discussion of literature and history related to the course by leading innovators.

Part 2: Community Project
Apply your learning! As you learn from the content consultants, you will design and implement a plan to foster change in your community. The consultants and your cohort members will help you shape and refine your project.

Part 3: Collaborative Cohort
Gather back online with the content consultants to present and discuss your projects. Consultants will help you dive deep into what worked well, what could be better, and the feedback you received from others.