Scholarship for Church and Community: 2026 CTS Dissertations and Theses 

 

Christian Theological Seminary graduates across multiple advanced degree programs are contributing thoughtful and timely scholarship to conversations shaping the church, academy, and wider community. Through dissertations and theses grounded in ministry, theology, preaching, pastoral care, justice, and lived experience, 2026 graduates from the School of Theology explored questions that reflect both the challenges and possibilities of faithful leadership today. 

Through the Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Philosophy, and Master of Theological Studies degree programs, students engage deeply in research, reflection, and writing that contributes to the life of the church and broader community. This year’s dissertations and theses reflect a wide range of topics including preaching, justice, trauma, spirituality, ministry leadership, and the pursuit of beloved community while embodying CTS’ commitment to rigorous scholarship, spiritual formation, healing, and human dignity. 

 Doctor of Ministry Dissertations 

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Church and Community Leadership degree program at Christian Theological Seminary is designed for experienced ministry leaders seeking to deepen their theological reflection, vocational practice, and leadership capacity. Rooted in the integration of scholarship and lived ministry, the program equips students to address contemporary challenges facing congregations, communities, and the broader church through research grounded in real-world practice and transformation. 

This year’s DMin graduates explored questions of ministry leadership, trauma-sensitive worship, feminist theology, compassionate care, queer inclusion, and embodied spiritual practice through projects rooted in lived experience and congregational life. Their work demonstrates the intersection of scholarship, ministry, and social transformation that shapes doctoral formation at CTS. 

• Kerry L. Connelly — Taproot and Weed: A Neo-Radical White Feminist Path to the Beloved Community  

“My work centers on reclaiming a radical White Feminism for holistic, responsible & trans-inclusive membership in Beloved Community,” Connelly shared. “It’s about what I call intersectional dominance — the experience of being both oppressed (because of our womanhood) and dominant (because of our Whiteness) within a White patriarchal society — and how we can heal from that to become whole, healthy members of a world that is just for everyone.”  

• Anne Strange Garner — Blooming in Red Clay: An Autoethnographic Study of Women in Ministry in Upstate South Carolina  

“‘Blooming in Red Clay’ examines the ways patriarchy, misogyny, and theological interpretations have been used to limit women’s access to religious leadership, particularly within the culture of the American South,” Garner said. “By exploring vocation, gender, identity, and ministry through lived experience, it contributes to broader conversations about who is recognized as called, credible, and worthy of authority in faith communities. At its heart, the project invites greater honesty, inclusion, and imagination about leadership, belonging, and liberation within religious life.” 

• Selena Reyes — Showing Mercy: Exploring Queer Exclusion in Latin American Churches  

“My dissertation is going to help in the education process of Latin American churches to become more tolerant in expanding the kingdom of God,” Reyes shared. 

• Cassidy Hall — Become All Flame: Queering Mysticism for Everyday Life  

“Building on my book, Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality, my dissertation focuses on the intersection of mysticism and queerness,” Hall shared. “Both are accessible to everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, as ways of subverting norms and institutions of dominance. The autoethnographic exploration includes personal stories, ancient mystics, and conversations with LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of mysticism. A version of the dissertation will be released with Fortress Press in the future.” 

• Izzy Harbin — Trauma-Sensitive Liturgy: Healing through Embodied Spiritual Practices  

“I believe that the words we say to and over one another matter, so we need to create safe spaces for everyone in worship,” Harbin said. “Embodied spiritual practices are a necessity in the 21st century.” 

• Thomas P. Markey — Confirmation as Compassionate Care: A Savvy and Subversive Sojourn  

“As a youth, my experience in confirmation was where the seeds of my faith were planted and where the roots of tradition and congregational life started to take hold,” Markey shared. “While important formation and education took place during my confirmation journey, what truly grounded me in a life of faith was being met with pastoral tenderness. In moments of deep curiosity and doubt, my questions were affirmed while the pastoral refrain I kept hearing was simple and subversive: ‘Keep coming back.’ 

“My experience in the Doctor of Ministry program became a source of healing, clarity, and renewal in both life and ministry. Professors served as wise and faithful guides, while classmates became trusted collaborators and dear friends.” 

Doctor of Philosophy in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric Dissertations 

CTS’ Doctor of Philosophy in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric (PhD) degree program prepares scholars, educators, and ministry leaders to engage the rich traditions of Black preaching, rhetoric, theology, and prophetic witness. This course of study emphasizes rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship, cultural analysis, and the transformative power of preaching within both church and society. 

2026 PhD graduates explored preaching traditions, trauma-informed proclamation, multicultural ministry, and the rhetoric of hope within the Black church tradition. Together, these dissertations engage questions of justice, proclamation, pastoral leadership, and communal transformation. 

• Alise D. Barrymore — The Mosaic Homiletic: African American Preaching for a Multiracial, Multiethnic, and Multicultural Congregation  

“I’m convinced that the future of the church rests in the hands of those who are critical thinkers and passionate pastoral leaders who embody the kin-dom of God,” Barrymore shared. “This program is a part of my calling to accomplish the work. That’s what I did.” 

• Lisa Maxine Goods — PreacHer Story: In Search of a Womanist Trauma-Informed Homiletic  

“I hope it will give voice to the trauma of Black women and how we can address it in a way of pastoral care in our sermonic rhetoric,” Goods said. “Completing my dissertation is sweet relief. I feel like this is not my graduation alone – that I am representing all the ancestors who went before, particularly my grandmother and all of the Black women who did not have this opportunity.” 

• Watson Jones III — Hope for the Present Darkness: The Rhetoric of Hope of Otis Moss Jr., 1962–1968  

“My work was helpful because it centered on hope in preaching and what that hope means in the world,” Jones shared. “I found inspiration personally, academically, and socially in the study of Otis Moss Jr. I credit Frank A. Thomas for giving us the tools to study in this fashion.” 

Master of Theological Studies Thesis Titles 

The Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree program at Christian Theological Seminary offers students the opportunity to engage deeply in theological inquiry, academic research, and interdisciplinary exploration. Through focused study and thesis research, students examine contemporary social, spiritual, and ethical questions while developing skills for scholarship, leadership, advocacy, and service in diverse vocational contexts. 

Over the course of the 2025–2026 academic year, Master of Theological Studies students successfully defended theses engaging questions of preaching, social media, consent, public health, theology, and faithful leadership in a rapidly changing world. Together, these projects reflect the interdisciplinary and justice-oriented scholarship encouraged at CTS. 

• Cindy J. Gil Perez — Hermanos en la Pandemia: Latinx Preaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Central Indiana  

“My thesis looks at sermons preached during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gil Perez shared. “The goal is to increase dialogue between public health agencies and communities of faith.” She is also organizing a repository of these sermons to preserve them for future generations. 

• Jennifer L. Muszik — Love God, Love Neighbor: Confronting the Disintegration of Divine Design in the Age of Algorithmic Othering  

“The purpose of my thesis was to help society realize how social media algorithms are separating us from our divine design of love God and love neighbor,” Muszik said. “It looks at the importance of the sacred value of each individual, not just the persona and image we see on social media.” 

• Diana Maze Pine — Breaking the Script(ure): Aligning Faith, Freedom, and Consent in the Process of Theological Formation  

“My thesis explores how embedded religious scripts shape identity, embodiment, and belonging—particularly within high-control faith environments.” Pine shared. “The catastrophic spiritual collapse I was warned would come from self-trust, queerness, and critical thinking turned out to be surprisingly underwhelming; mostly it produced healthier relationships, motorcycles, community, significantly better theology, and a faith finally spacious enough for freedom, honesty, compassion, and joy. 

“I chose this topic because I have lived the tension of loving faith while outgrowing the ways I was taught to hold it. I am transforming my thesis into a curriculum to support others deepening, deconstructing, or reconstructing faith with active participation and consent—because this little light of mine became much brighter through the journey, and I intend to hold it as a beacon so others might find a path toward freedom and abundant life.” 

Through their dissertations and theses, this year’s CTS graduates contribute to ongoing conversations within the church, academy, and broader community while embodying the seminary’s commitment to scholarship, justice, healing, and human dignity. Congratulations, graduates, and thank you for sharing the fruits of your learning with our community! 

 Those interested in exploring recent CTS dissertations and theses may do so through the CTS Library digital repository of recent dissertations and theses.