Christian Theological Seminary

CTS Community Read Invites Reflection on Belonging, Dignity, and Inclusion

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:06:44 +0000

CTS Launches Community Read for Fall 2026

CTS’s Imago Dei Committee is excited to announce a new community-wide initiative beginning in the fall of 2026: a CTS Community Read.

The animating idea behind the Community Read is to bring CTS’s diverse community—including students, faculty, administration, staff, and trustees—together around a shared idea or vision that helps the seminary better live into one of its core values: that all people are created in the image of God and therefore have inherent worth and dignity.

This year, the Imago Dei Team has chosen Design for Belonging: How to Build Inclusion and Collaboration in Your Communities by Stanford University professor Dr. Susie Wise. CTS Trustee Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, who sits on the Imago Dei Committee, said the team chose this book because of its foundational message of transforming schools and communities by creating belonging.

According to Rev. Lane E. Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Church History and United Methodist Studies and Director of United Methodist Studies, the Community Read is one part of the Imago Dei Team’s broader work to help CTS embody its stated values.

“The Imago Dei Team was tasked with helping the institution live out its value of honoring the image of God in everyone in our community,” Davis said. “We’re working on several long-term projects toward that goal, and the Community Read is one way we can share that experience together, reading, discussing, and learning as a community.”

“As a bonus, the book we’ve chosen lets us engage with a scholar and author who has done this kind of community-building work in schools, companies, and governments around the world,” Davis said.

The Imago Dei Team is at work planning a series of events for the year that will bring the community together to discuss the concepts and practices that Wise lays out in the book. Through shared reading and conversation, the team hopes the Community Read will create space for reflection, learning, and deeper connection across the seminary.

Watkins concurred, adding, “We hope that the various ways of connecting to the ‘read’ will make it possible for much of our community to participate in one way or another.”

The book will be provided to all students, faculty, and staff interested in participating in the Community Read free of charge. Students should be on the lookout for information in the Dean’s newsletter and other student publications about where to pick up their copy.

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CTS Offers Free Counseling Support Following Recent Disasters

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:05:57 +0000

CTS Offers Free Disaster Related Counseling

When disaster disrupts lives, emotional recovery matters too.

In response to recent storms, flooding, tornadoes, prolonged power outages, displacement, property loss, and related disruptions across Indiana, the CTS Counseling Center is making mental health support more accessible to Hoosiers affected by disaster.

Through December 31, 2026, new clients who are Indiana residents experiencing emotional or relational distress connected to recent disasters may receive up to 5 counseling sessions at no cost. Counseling is available to individuals, couples, and families, either in person at the CTS Counseling Center in Indianapolis or through secure telehealth, subject to clinical fit and availability.

The CTS Counseling Center provides professional, compassionate mental health care to Indiana residents year-round, with in-person and telehealth options and a sliding-fee model designed to make counseling more affordable and accessible. In response to the deep need created by recent disasters, CTS is extending that commitment by removing cost as a barrier for up to 5 sessions for new clients seeking disaster-related support.

“Recovery is about more than repairing what has been physically damaged,” said CTS President David M. Mellott. “People also need space to process loss, uncertainty, fear, and disruption. Caring for the whole person is central to our mission and to our commitment to human flourishing. CTS is called to make that care more accessible when our neighbors need it.”

The emotional effects of disaster can take many forms, including grief, anxiety, sleeplessness, difficulty concentrating, family stress, and a diminished sense of safety. These responses may occur during a crisis or emerge later, as individuals and families begin the longer process of recovery.

Individuals do not need to wait until distress becomes overwhelming to reach out for help.

“The CTS Counseling Center has clinicians with immediate openings who are ready to help those affected by these recent tragedies process what has happened and begin sorting through its impact on their inner lives,” said Clinic Director Bryan Votaw. “Support is available for individuals, couples, and families. We typically connect prospective clients with a clinician within five to seven business days—and often on the same day they reach out.”

Get Support

Call 317-924-5205 to speak with a CTS Counseling Center intake specialist or complete an intake request online through the Counseling Center. When registering, request disaster-related services.

Please share this resource with employees, colleagues, neighbors, friends, and others throughout Indiana who may have been affected by recent disasters.

The CTS Counseling Center is not an emergency or crisis service. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. For urgent emotional support or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Disaster-related crisis counseling is also available through the Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990.

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Still Becoming: Learning to Testify to Love

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:04:46 +0000

Still Becoming: Learning to Testify to Love

by Stephanie Eft Seeger (MDiv ’17, Alumni Engagement & Communications Officer at Christian Theological Seminary)

One evening in January 2017, I sat beside a pool behind a rented house in Marco Island, Florida, talking about God long after class had ended.

I had traveled to Florida by myself for Becoming a Public Theologian: Christian Activism in the 21st Century, an intensive CTS course taught by author and public theologian Brian McLaren. The class brought together CTS students and participants in the then-new OPEN Network, an initiative hosted at CTS that gathered people from different Christian traditions who were exploring new ways of doing theology, creating community, and living out their faith.

Many of us had something else in common, too. Our experiences in ministry, leadership, relationships, and life had led us to question some of the narrower understandings of Christianity we had inherited. We were learning that asking questions of our theology didn’t necessarily take us farther from God. Sometimes those questions opened us to an understanding of God that was larger, more loving, and more expansive than we had previously imagined.

And those conversations didn’t end when class dismissed.

That evening, several of us gathered at a house where some of the students were staying. Sitting outside near the pool, our conversation continued late into the night. We talked about ministry and church, what we had been taught, what we had let go of, and what we were discovering about the radically reconciling nature of God’s love.

Among the people sitting there were Melissa Greene (MDiv ’20) and two other students, Josh and Tina.

At some point during the evening, I discovered that Melissa had once been a member of the contemporary Christian music group Avalon.

Suddenly, I put the pieces together.

That Melissa Greene.

I had listened to Avalon growing up. I was a youth group kid who eventually studied to become a youth minister. I owned their CD. I knew the music.

I knew the contemporary Christian radio hit “Testify to Love.”

I couldn’t have imagined then how much that song and that conversation would eventually mean to me.

A Theology Big Enough for Me, Too

My own theology had already changed significantly before that night in Florida.

When I applied to CTS in 2013, I described my faith as an ongoing search for truth. I had come to believe two things with certainty: God is real, and I am not God. Everything else had to be approached with enough humility to acknowledge that sometimes I would be wrong.

Seminary gave me language for a process that had already begun. In Systematic Theology, I wrote about moving from an “embedded theology” – beliefs absorbed from family, church, and culture – toward a more deliberative theology in which I could name those beliefs, examine them, and sometimes challenge them.

By 2017, I had developed a theological framework grounded in what I understood to be God’s loving and reconciling nature. In the final paper I wrote for Becoming a Public Theologian, I described Christian salvation not primarily as something awaiting us after death, but as “radical love, radical inclusion, radical justice, and radical equality” breaking into this life.

That included LGBTQ+ people.

My time at CTS, particularly the relationships and conversations I experienced with my seminary cohort, had helped me firmly believe that LGBTQ+ people are made in the image of God and reflect God’s image. I had come to believe something even more expansive: queerness wasn’t outside God’s character or merely something God’s love was generous enough to tolerate. Queerness itself could reveal something of the expansive image of God.

Theologically, I believed that.

Personally, I still had some catching up to do.

I had also been formed by the purity movement that shaped much of the Christian youth culture of my adolescence. Some of the shame I had learned around bodies, sexuality, desire, and identity remained with me even as the theology surrounding it was beginning to fall away.

And so that night beside the pool, our conversation became personal.

I began sharing with Melissa, Josh, and Tina about my own experiences with identity and sexuality and the understanding of myself that was slowly becoming clearer as I let go of some of that long-held shame.

They listened.

They asked thoughtful questions.

They encouraged me to keep exploring.

No one tried to tell me who I was. No one gave me an answer I wasn’t yet ready to give myself. They simply created room for me to wonder aloud.

At the time, I wasn’t out – to anyone, including myself.

Looking back, however, I recognize that conversation as one important step along the way.

Stepping Into My Truest Self

Two years later, in 2019, I came out.

There was plenty to process as I began more fully understanding my sexuality and stepping into what I have since described as my truest self. But I had one extraordinary gift already in place: I didn’t also have to decide whether the person I was discovering myself to be could be loved by God.

My theology had gotten there before I had.

Years before I was able to name my own queerness, I believed queer people reflected the image of God. I believed God’s love was radically inclusive and reconciling. I believed Jesus challenged systems that assigned different levels of worth to different kinds of people.

And, perhaps most importantly, I had already written into my theology the importance of loving myself.

In my 2016 systematic theology credo, I wrote that my calling involved helping others discover how to love themselves, God, and the created world around them. A year later, in the paper I wrote after the class with Melissa, I said that my success in ministry and leadership could only be measured by the capacity with which I had “loved God, loved myself, loved creation, and helped those around me to do the same.”

I didn’t know when I wrote those words how much I would eventually need them.

The challenge wasn’t developing a new theology to make room for myself.

It was trusting that the theology I already believed about everyone else really included me, too.

Hearing an Old Song Again

Nine years after that evening in Marco Island, Melissa’s voice unexpectedly brought me back to it.

This May, Melissa joined former Avalon member Michael Passons and country artist Ty Herndon for a new recording of “Testify to Love,” the song Avalon originally released in 1997.

Watch the official music video above, or listen to “Testify to Love” on your preferred streaming platform.

But this was more than a nostalgic reunion.

Passons was a founding member of Avalon and is gay. He has spoken publicly about being forced out of the group in 2003 after his sexuality became known. Melissa, who had joined Avalon the year before, has also spoken candidly about the theology she held at the time and her role in what happened.

She believed then, she now says, that some expressions of love were acceptable and others weren’t.

She no longer believes that.

Over the years, Melissa and Michael rebuilt their friendship. They continued singing together. Their understandings of faith, love, and belonging continued evolving, too.

Melissa today describes herself as “peacefully post-Christian.” Christianity, she says, will always be part of her life and has deeply shaped her, but she no longer identifies as a person of faith in the way that phrase is commonly understood. What has remained is a deep curiosity – about the divine, about humanity, about our connection to one another, and about our responsibility for how we live.

Then, after performing “Testify to Love” with Herndon at his Concert for Love & Acceptance, an idea emerged: record it again.

The new version was released May 15, this time as an explicit affirmation of expansive love and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ+ people. The rerecording quickly found an audience, reaching No. 1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel chart and debuting at No. 3 on Billboard’s Christian Digital Song Sales chart.

For Melissa, returning to the song also meant returning honestly to its history.

She hasn’t attempted to erase the person she once was or pretend she always believed what she believes today. Instead, she has publicly acknowledged that she supported what happened to Michael and has described the long, complicated process through which her understanding of the divine changed.

That part of Melissa’s story stopped me.

Because I thought again about the woman sitting beside a pool with me in 2017.

The Melissa I encountered that night listened while I tentatively explored my own identity and theology. She asked questions. She encouraged me. She helped create a space in which I felt safe enough to wonder who I might be without the shame I had carried from an earlier form of Christianity.

Until this rerelease, I hadn’t fully connected that experience with the distance Melissa herself had traveled to become that person.

When I asked her recently what had been happening in her own journey by the time we met in 2017, Melissa told me she had reached a place of full LGBTQ+ inclusion – but only after a yearslong process.

“My heart got there before my head did,” Melissa said. “I was voting for the civil liberties of my gay friends back in 2008, long before I had the theology to explain why. In 2015 I helped lead GracePointe, the church where I served as a pastor, to full inclusion.”

By the time we sat beside that pool, however, Melissa was approaching another significant transition. She was six months away from resigning from GracePointe and leaving the church altogether. And what was continuing to shape her understanding of the divine wasn’t primarily theological ideas.

“What kept shaping my view of the divine wasn’t ideas. It was people,” she said. “Specifically, people who were incarcerated. I spent five years doing prison ministry exclusively, and it changed how I see people and how I understand the way God and love need to operate in this world.”

Still Becoming

There is a line from the paper I wrote after our class that feels different to me now.

“Public theology is a way I can help usher in reconciliation and radically inclusive love on this earth.”

At the time, I was trying to articulate what I had learned about bringing theology out of churches and classrooms and into the public square. I wrote about activism, justice, racism, reconciliation, community organizing, and the responsibility to challenge systems that diminish human worth.

But nearly a decade later, I think some of the most important public theology I encountered that week happened after class.

It happened around a pool.

It happened when people told the truth about the faith they had inherited and the beliefs they could no longer hold.

It happened when someone trusted other people with a part of herself she couldn’t yet name.

It happened when those people responded with curiosity instead of judgment.

And it continues to happen when someone is willing to say publicly: I believed this once. I understand differently now. Someone was hurt. What does love require of me today?

For Melissa, her restored relationship with Michael became one place where changing her beliefs had to become something more than changing her mind.

“I had to live into those views,” she told me. “I had to name how I’d changed. I had to make amends and apologies for the harm some of my actions had caused.”

Maybe that is part of what it means to become a public theologian.

And maybe the word becoming matters as much as the words public theologian.

When I applied to CTS in 2013, I wrote about the importance of remaining open to the possibility that I might be wrong. In Systematic Theology, I wrote about learning to identify and challenge the beliefs I had inherited. In Marco Island, I sat with other people doing much the same thing.

Melissa has been thinking about becoming, too. She began writing a memoir when she left the church in 2017, and she told me the experiences surrounding “Testify to Love” are helping her write its ending – with an important distinction.

“Not the ending of my becoming,” she said. “The ending of this chapter.”

None of us was finished.

We still aren’t.

Testify to Love

That’s part of why hearing “Testify to Love” again has affected me so deeply.

The song belongs to more than one version of my life.

It belongs to the youth group kid who listened to Avalon and absorbed a Christian culture that gave me both a genuine love of God and ideas about sexuality I would eventually need to unlearn.

It belongs to the seminary student sitting beside a pool in Florida, increasingly convinced that God’s love was more radically inclusive than she had once understood while still cautiously discovering what that might mean for her own life.

And it belongs to me now.

Melissa first sang “Testify to Love” more than 20 years ago. What the song means to her now, she told me, feels different.

“Back then, love was something I was trying to convince people of. Now it’s something I’m reminding them they already have.”

Today, she said, “Testify to Love” is about remembering “that love surrounds us. That love is for us, willing us to expand, to continue to become. That love is already inside us.”

I understand something about that.

The song didn’t need to become large enough for Michael Passons to belong within its vision of love.

Michael was already worthy.

God’s love was already large enough.

What had to change were the people and systems drawing the boundaries.

Nine years ago, Melissa and I sat with a handful of other people in a class called Becoming a Public Theologian. I don’t think either of us could have known where our own becoming would take us.

I couldn’t have known that two years later I would come out and discover that some of the theological room created through conversations like the one we shared that night would help me step more fully into myself.

And I certainly couldn’t have known that nine years later, I would hear Melissa’s voice singing a song from my youth again – this time beside Michael Passons – and understand it in an entirely different way.

Maybe our testimony isn’t that we understood love perfectly the first time.

Maybe it is that we remained willing to encounter God and one another, to question the boundaries we inherited, to tell the truth when we got something wrong, and to keep becoming people capable of loving more fully.

For me, that’s what it means now to testify to love.

Listen to "Testify to Love"

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Award-Winning Author Jon Meacham to Speak at CTS

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:03:50 +0000

Award-Winning Author Jon Meacham to Speak at CTS

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. Co-Chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & Democracy. New York Times bestselling author. Contributing editor at TIME. Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University. Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral. Sought-after lecturer and commentator on American history and public life.

And this October, Jon Meacham is coming to Christian Theological Seminary.

Known for bringing history into conversation with the most pressing questions of the present, Meacham is uniquely suited to help CTS explore the question, “Who Will Lead Us Forward?” His scholarship examines the complicated relationship among faith, politics, democracy, and moral leadership—and what history can teach us about navigating moments of division and uncertainty.

These intersections are especially challenging in America today. On October 13, CTS will convene the community for an honest, historically grounded, and hope-sustaining conversation about the responsibilities of leadership and the role each of us can play in shaping our shared future.

The evening will also mark the public introduction of RISE UP: A Campaign for Human Flourishing, CTS’s most ambitious campaign to date. Through RISE UP, CTS is investing in the people, programs, and partnerships that prepare transformative leaders, advance justice, expand access to healing, and strengthen communities in Indiana and beyond.

From his biographies of John Lewis and Abraham Lincoln to his writing on democracy, faith, and the American presidency, Meacham’s work reflects many of the questions at the heart of CTS’s mission: How do we summon moral courage? How can faith contribute constructively to public life? And who will help lead us toward a more just and hopeful future?

The evening will feature a moderated conversation between Meacham and the Honorable Myra C. Selby exploring faith, history, democracy, moral courage, and leadership. “Who Will Lead Us Forward?” is more than a rhetorical question—it is an invitation for each of us to consider our responsibility for what comes next.

General registration for “Who Will Lead Us Forward?” opens on September 22 at https://www.cts.edu/events/who-will-lead-us-forward-a-conversation-with-jon-meacham/. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, in Shelton Auditorium at Christian Theological Seminary. This event is free, but advance registration is required as seating is limited.

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Jason Reynolds Brings a Hopeful Message for Indianapolis Youth

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:02:39 +0000

Jason Reynolds Brings a Hopeful Message for Indianapolis Youth

Jason Reynolds’ visit gives Indianapolis a chance to come together around a hopeful question: how can more young people experience the relationships, encouragement, and opportunity they need to thrive? For many children and young adults in Marion County, that question is urgent. 35% of households with children are either living in poverty or are ALICE households—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed—leaving many families navigating food insecurity, unstable housing, mental health challenges, and fewer dependable sources of support.  

The encouraging news is that relationships make a measurable difference. Caring adults, mentors, educators, faith communities, neighbors, and local organizations can help change the trajectory of a young person’s life.  

That is why this year’s Faith & Action Fall Event is about more than hosting an acclaimed author. It is an invitation for Indianapolis neighbors, leaders, educators, congregations, service providers, families, and friends to gather around one shared question: How do we ensure every young person is seen, valued, and connected to the relationships they need to thrive?

On Tuesday, October 27, the Faith & Action Project invites the community to The Power of Being Seen: How Relationships Create Opportunity for Young People, a conversation featuring Jason Reynolds, a #1 New York Times bestselling author and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow.

Reynolds has become one of the nation’s most widely read and respected voices for young people—not because he lectures them, but because he understands them. His books have helped many young readers feel seen, while helping adults better understand what young people are carrying and what they need from us. Through stories of resilience, belonging, and hope, he reminds us that every child has extraordinary potential waiting to be recognized and nurtured.

As Reynolds often demonstrates through his writing and public conversations, before young people can imagine a brighter future, someone has to help them believe they belong in it.

His visit comes at an important moment for Indianapolis. Communities across our city are asking how we can better support young people as they navigate poverty, violence, mental health challenges, educational barriers, and increasing social isolation. While these issues are complex, Reynolds offers a hopeful perspective: lasting change often begins with something remarkably simple—a trusted adult who listens, believes, encourages, and stays. 

For the past decade, the Faith & Action Project has explored what helps move people out of poverty. Again and again, we have found that lasting solutions are built on relationships.   

Research reinforces what many educators, mentors, parents, faith leaders, and youth-serving organizations experience every day. Relationships—what researchers call “social capital”—are among the strongest predictors of long-term economic mobility and well-being. At last year’s Faith & Action event, Harvard economist Raj Chetty reminded us that deliberately building connections across neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities may be one of the most powerful ways to create opportunity. He challenged us to recognize that poverty cannot be solved by one organization or one sector alone. Families, schools, businesses, nonprofits, congregations, and neighbors all have a role to play in creating an ecosystem where every young person can flourish. 

Jason Reynolds brings that research to life. 

His stories remind us that young people are not problems to be solved but individuals filled with remarkable promise. He challenges us to see beyond labels and circumstances and instead recognize the gifts, resilience, and potential within every child. His message invites us to ask an important question: What kind of community are we becoming if every child does not have someone who truly sees them?  

This conversation will inspire us, but it will also challenge us. It will encourage each of us to consider our own role in expanding opportunity for the next generation. You do not have to work directly with young people to make a meaningful difference. Whether you mentor one student, hire a young adult, volunteer with a youth-serving organization, advocate for stronger systems, support families, or simply become another caring adult in a young person’s life, your influence matters. 

Every child deserves at least one adult who refuses to let them become invisible.   

The future of Indianapolis will be shaped by how well we invest in today’s young people. We hope you will join us for this important community conversation—one that will inspire, challenge, and equip us to become the caring adults our city needs. When young people are truly seen, relationships can become pathways to opportunity, hope, and lasting change.

Registration opens in September. Learn more and Register Now.

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CTS Lifelong Learning Series Invites Deeper Conversations on Spiritual Care

Randall Cork — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:01:35 +0000

Exploring Spiritual Care

If you have not yet participated in one of Christian Theological Seminary’s Lifelong Learning Series webinars, this year’s free online series may be a good opportunity to begin. The series, part of CTS’s Lifelong Learning offerings, is designed to bring thoughtful conversations to alumni, ministry leaders, helping professionals, and community members beyond the classroom.

According to Dr. Francisco Lozada, Jr., Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, the purpose of the series is rooted in the seminary’s belief that formation and learning continue long after a student leaves campus.

“The CTS Lifelong Learning Series reflects our belief that theological education does not end at graduation,” Lozada said. “It is part of CTS’s public mission to the Church and Society to create opportunities for clergy, counselors, nonprofit leaders, healthcare professionals, educators, alumni, and interested members of the community to continue learning throughout their lives.”

This year’s series explores spiritual care and chaplaincy, inviting participants to consider what faithful and effective care requires in an increasingly complex and changing world.

The first installment, “Spiritual Care for Religious Nones,” features Ben Iten, president of The Humanist Society. The webinar will examine the term “religious nones,” commonly used to describe atheists, agnostics, and people who are religiously unaffiliated, while drawing important distinctions among these diverse groups.

Iten will discuss how individuals within these communities may understand meaning, identity, and the world differently—and why those differences matter for spiritual care providers. The session will give particular attention to practices that support existential reflection and accompany people through significant life transitions.

Lozada said the webinar format is intentional. “I believe the webinar format is the best way to capture a large audience,” he said. The broader goal is to make high-quality theological and professional education accessible to people serving in a wide range of contexts.

“The series brings expert voices into conversation around issues that matter to both faith communities and society,” Lozada said. “The goal is to offer intellectually rigorous, practically relevant, and spiritually enriching programs that help participants think more deeply about the challenges facing our communities today.”

The audience for the series is intentionally broad. Lozada said CTS welcomes ministers, mental health professionals, students, alumni, nonprofit leaders, educators, healthcare providers, and anyone interested in thoughtful theological and professional conversations at the intersection of faith, mental health, and public life.

Participants, he said, should leave with new knowledge and perspectives from recognized leaders, as well as practical insights they can apply in their ministries, professions, counseling, and communities. He also hopes the sessions offer “a renewed sense of hope and purpose as they respond to complex social and spiritual challenges in today’s world.”

“Ultimately, we want people to leave asking better questions, thinking more deeply, and serving more faithfully,” Lozada said.

For the September webinar, Lozada said Iten’s presentation fits directly into the overall theme by expanding how participants think about care of the soul. “One of the central ideas of this year’s Care of the Soul series is that authentic care requires us to engage in the realities of the world in which we minister and serve,” he said. “Today, chaplains, spiritual care providers, counselors, clergy, and other caregivers increasingly encounter people from a wide range of religious traditions, spiritual backgrounds, and secular worldviews. It is this latter that we must not overlook.”

Lozada said Iten’s work invites participants to think about compassionate presence in spiritually diverse settings. “Ben’s presentation broadens our understanding of soul care by inviting us to consider how compassionate presence, attentive listening, and ethical accompaniment are practiced in spiritually diverse settings,” he said. “Exploring the work of a Humanist Chaplain does not ask participants to set aside their own convictions; rather, it challenges us to think more deeply about what it means to care for the whole person with dignity, respect, and compassion. These are CTS’s values.”

The topic is also timely, Lozada said, because caregivers and leaders are serving communities where religious and philosophical diversity is part of everyday life.

“In today’s volatile society when differences create walls, Ben’s presentation is timely to learn how to build bridges to create communities of belonging,” Lozada said. “How do we practice chaplaincy in a pluralist setting, and how do we walk with others with different beliefs with compassion, respect, and dignity?”

Speakers for the series are selected around themes and questions pressing both for CTS students and the wider communities CTS serves. Lozada said he begins either with themes emerging from the President’s office or with “the themes and questions that are most pressing for our communities and our students.” From there, CTS seeks nationally recognized scholars, practitioners, authors, and leaders whose work combines intellectual excellence with practical wisdom.

“We also look for speakers who embody CTS’s values of thoughtful engagement, inclusion, and service, and who can help participants connect scholarship with lived experience,” he said.

The series has also changed as the needs of churches, helping professionals, and communities have changed. What began with as a series of topical online courses geared towards micro-credentialing for pastors and lay leaders has become, Lozada said, increasingly interdisciplinary and engaging to a larger audience. While the series remains rooted in theological studies, it now brings together voices from counseling, advocacy, chaplaincy, healthcare, public policy, nonprofit leadership, and other disciplines.

“That evolution reflects the changing realities our churches and communities face,” Lozada said. “Questions about mental health, social isolation, trauma, leadership, and human flourishing cannot be addressed by a single discipline alone.”

Lozada said each webinar is designed to stand on its own, so participants can attend the sessions that most closely connect with their interests or work. At the same time, the full series is meant to offer broader and deeper experience.

“Each speaker offers a different perspective on the year’s theme, allowing participants to engage it from multiple disciplinary, theological, and practical angles,” he said. “The overall experience provides a richer and more comprehensive understanding than any single event alone.”

Watch the Webinar “Spiritual Care for Religious Nones”

Learn more about the 2026-2027 Lifelong Learning webinar series

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Christian Theological Seminary to Welcome Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian Jon Meacham for Public Conversation on Leadership, Faith and Democracy

Randall Cork — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:51:44 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) will welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and bestselling author Jon Meacham for a public conversation on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Shelton Auditorium on the Butler University South Campus.

Centered on the question “Who will lead us forward?”, the evening will explore moral courage and principled leadership at the intersection of faith, democracy, and justice. In a conversation moderated by the Honorable Myra C. Selby, former chair of the CTS Board of Trustees, Meacham will draw on his extensive study of American history and public life to examine what the nation’s past can teach us about meeting the challenges of the present.

“This evening is an invitation to consider both the leadership our world needs and the role each of us can play in creating a more just, compassionate and hopeful future,” said David M. Mellott, PhD, president of Christian Theological Seminary. “Jon Meacham’s work speaks powerfully to the moral imagination, courage and commitment required to meet this moment. We look forward to welcoming the wider community to CTS for this important conversation and to sharing our vision for what comes next.”

Meacham is one of America’s most prominent historians and commentators on politics, faith and civic life. His books include And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels and the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. He also served as canon historian of Washington National Cathedral and is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University.

For more than a century, CTS has prepared leaders to respond thoughtfully and faithfully to the needs of the church and the wider community. This special evening will also mark the public introduction of RISE UP: A Campaign for Human Flourishing, a comprehensive

campaign advancing the Seminary’s work through the pillars of Faithful Leadership, Healing and Wholeness, Equity and Justice, and Sustaining Generosity.

Registration information and additional event details for the October 13 program can be found at https://www.cts.edu/events/who-will-lead-us-forward-a-conversation-with-jon-meacham/.

About Christian Theological Seminary

Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) is a fully-accredited ecumenical graduate school rooted in the Christian tradition and committed to developing leaders for the church and society. Through theological education, counseling, community engagement, and innovative initiatives, CTS equips individuals and communities to address the pressing challenges of the world with faith, wisdom, and courage.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Stephanie Seeger

Communications Department

Christian Theological Seminary

ss*****@*ts.edu

The post Christian Theological Seminary to Welcome Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian Jon Meacham for Public Conversation on Leadership, Faith and Democracy appeared first on Christian Theological Seminary.

Christian Theological Seminary Offers Free Counseling Support for Hoosiers Affected by Recent Disasters

Randall Cork — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:48:23 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) is making free professional counseling support available to Indiana residents experiencing emotional or relational distress following recent storms and their impact.

Through the CTS Counseling Center, up to five counseling sessions will be offered at no cost to new clients experiencing emotional or relational distress connected to Indiana storms, flooding, tornadoes, prolonged outages, displacement, property loss, or related disruption. Counseling is available in person in Indianapolis or through secure telehealth, based on clinical appropriateness and availability.

Disasters can affect emotional well-being in many ways, including grief, anxiety, sleeplessness, difficulty concentrating, family stress, and a diminished sense of safety. These responses may appear during a crisis or emerge later as individuals and families begin the longer work of recovery.

Individuals do not need to wait until distress becomes overwhelming to ask for support. Those seeking disaster-recovery counseling can visit https://tinyurl.com/cts-intake/ or call 317-924-5205 and identify that their request is connected to the recent Indiana disasters. The intake team will discuss needs, service options, availability, and next steps.

CTS Counseling Center is not an emergency or crisis service. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. For urgent emotional support or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. The Disaster Distress Helpline also offers 24/7 disaster-related crisis counseling at 800-985-5990.

About the CTS Counseling Center

The Christian Theological Seminary Counseling Center provides professional, compassionate, and affordable mental health services to individuals, couples, and families. Through in-person and telehealth care, a sliding-fee model, and the supervised work of developing and post-graduate clinicians, the Center expands access to counseling while preparing the next generation of mental health professionals. Learn more at https://www.cts.edu/counseling-center/.

About Christian Theological Seminary

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Stephanie Seeger

Communications Department

Christian Theological Seminary

ss*****@*ts.edu

The post Christian Theological Seminary Offers Free Counseling Support for Hoosiers Affected by Recent Disasters appeared first on Christian Theological Seminary.

Christian Theological Seminary Marks 10 Years of Faith & Action with Jason Reynolds

Randall Cork — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:44:22 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Faith & Action Project with The Power of Being Seen: How Relationships Create Opportunity for Young People, featuring #1 New York Times bestselling author and MacArthur Fellow Jason Reynolds. The event will take place Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, at 7 p.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.

The public conversation will examine how belonging, mentorship and meaningful relationships shape young lives—and the role individuals and institutions throughout Indianapolis can play in connecting young people with the people and opportunities they need to thrive.

“As we celebrate a decade of Faith & Action, we are also looking ahead to the work our community can do together,” said Dr. David M. Mellott, president of Christian Theological Seminary. “When young people are truly seen, known and supported, new possibilities emerge. This gathering invites all of us to consider how we can help create those possibilities.”

Reynolds is known for writing honestly and powerfully about the lives of young people and for encouraging them to recognize their own potential. His work offers a compelling starting point for a broader community conversation about what can happen when young people are valued, supported and connected to opportunity.

“Jason Reynolds’ work reminds us that being seen can change the trajectory of a young person’s life,” said Lindsey Nell Rabinowhich, director of the Faith & Action Project. “This event challenges each of us to recognize the influence we can have—as mentors, neighbors, employers, faith communities, and caring adults—and to help young people build the relationships and connections that open pathways to opportunity.”

Following the conversation, attendees are invited to a community reception and 10th anniversary celebration featuring local mentoring and youth-serving organizations. Guests will

be able to meet individuals already investing in young people across Indianapolis and learn about opportunities to engage, serve, mentor and support the next generation.

The evening also will include a book sale and signing featuring All American Boys and Long Way Down. Event and registration information: cts.edu/events/faith-action-fall-event-2026

About the Faith & Action Project

Christian Theological Seminary’s Faith & Action Project serves as a catalyst for action to move people out of poverty, by educating, empowering and supporting Greater Indianapolis’ faith and community leaders. Through annual public events and grants, the Faith & Action Project seeks to ignite a solution-oriented movement for inclusive well-being in our community.

About Christian Theological Seminary

###

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Stephanie Seeger

Communications Department

Christian Theological Seminary

ss*****@*ts.edu

The post Christian Theological Seminary Marks 10 Years of Faith & Action with Jason Reynolds appeared first on Christian Theological Seminary.

Care of the Soul

Randall Cork — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:06:58 +0000

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.

Explore the full calendar of events and opportunities taking place at CTS throughout the year here.

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