Annual Theme Invites the Community into a Year of Spiritual Care, Reflection, and Faithful Presence 

 

Trying to find the sweet spot between consistency and variety can be a challenge — particularly when you are framing something as broad as Christian Theological Seminary’s approach to presentations, chapels, communications, and materials. To address this, Dr. David Mellott has implemented a “thematic approach” to each academic year to help provide a framework for all the moving pieces.  

At CTS, the 2026-2027 academic year will be shaped by a simple but expansive theme: Care of the Soul. The theme offers a shared framework for chapel, public programs, presentations, communications, and community conversations while leaving room for the full breadth of CTS’ work. 

It follows last year’s theme, The Stories We Tell, and will provide a shared framework for the Seminary’s work throughout the year. Mellott said the idea emerged after his first four years at the Seminary, when he saw that CTS communications reflected the breadth of the institution’s work but did not always make the common threads easy to recognize. 

“A theme needs to be expansive and broad,” Mellott said. “But also, a window into all the work we do — something that uses theological and pastoral care language and is spiritually integrated.” Mellott said the theme is not meant to fit every CTS offering tightly. Instead, it gives faculty, staff, speakers, and program leaders a framework they can engage in as they create their work. 

Mellott has worked to release the annual theme earlier each year, so faculty and staff have more time to use it in their planning. He seeks feedback from senior leadership to see how draft ideas may intersect with their work. For 2026-2027, he believes Care of the Soul offers a window into what CTS offers both internally and to the wider community. 

Dr. Amy Lindeman Allen, Indiana Christian Church Associate Professor of New Testament and Director of the Master of Divinity Program, often participates in CTS Chapel services. She said the annual theme shapes her preparation in much the same way the lectionary shapes worship traditions. “As a Lutheran/Episcopalian, I’m used to the lectionary deciding the texts of the day for me,” she said. “Some would call it good order; others point to the lectionary as a vessel of the Holy Spirit that pushes preachers to wrestle with hard texts. I lean toward the latter and think of the CTS theme of the year in a similar way — the Holy Spirit making space for us to wrestle with what God is speaking into our present moment about a particular theme.” 

Lindeman Allen said that when she received this year’s theme, she prayed about it and searched for biblical texts that speak to the soul in troubled times — not only texts that use the word soul. 

Many of the seminary’s speakers and series are organized through the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs & Dean of the Faculty. In that role, Dr. Francisco Lozada Jr. appreciates the tone that the framework allows him to set.  

“The annual theme invites us to engage some of the most urgent questions facing the church and society today,” Lozada said. “This year’s concept of ‘Care of the Soul,’ is an opportunity to create spaces where clergy, chaplains, counselors, and community leaders can think critically and faithfully about what it means to care for persons with wisdom, compassion, and theological depth in an increasingly complex world.” 

According to Lozada, the theme is intricately woven into CTS’s Lifelong Learning free online webinar series, Care of the Soul: What Makes a Good Chaplain Today? The series explores what effective chaplaincy and spiritual care look like in the twenty-first century, particularly amid social change, trauma, moral complexity, religious diversity, and emerging technologies. 

“I believe this series extends that conversation by examining spiritual care in contexts shaped by religious diversity, migration, poverty, mental health, LGBTQ+ experiences, and artificial intelligence,” Lozada said. “Together, these conversations ask what faithful presence looks like today and how we prepare leaders whose ministry is grounded in humility, ethical discernment, and the unwavering dignity of every person.” 

The webinar series will take place on Wednesdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern and will be hosted by the Dean. Each webinar is free, open to the public, and designed for clergy, chaplains, counselors, religious leaders, and interested community members. 

Throughout the year, Care of the Soul will serve as a guiding thread connecting worship, scholarship, public programming, and community engagement across CTS. While each event and conversation will explore the theme from a unique perspective, together they reflect the Seminary’s enduring commitment to preparing leaders who care deeply for individuals, communities, and the world. As the year unfolds, CTS invites students, alumni, clergy, counselors, and friends of the Seminary to join in the conversation and discover new ways to nurture the soul in a time when thoughtful, compassionate leadership is needed more than ever.