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Duke Divinity School Creates Teaching Alliance With 15 Churches

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University Divinity School will team with congregations from 15 churches across the country as part of a larger program to develop a new generation of effective pastors, Dean L. Gregory Jones announced Wednesday.

The churches, which stretch from San Antonio to Greenwich, Conn., were chosen for their strong pastoral leadership and vital congregational ministries, Jones said.

"We believe these partnerships will make a crucial difference in how congregations conceive of their ministry, how excellent students begin to develop a vision for ministerial identity and leadership, and how Duke faculty and staff deploy their resources for the church in more integrated ways," Jones said. "We look forward to working closely with these congregations."

Duke students will be assigned to the churches to develop ministries linked to divinity school program areas such as end-of-life care, parish nursing, Christian formation of youth, catechesis and sustained learning. In addition, the school and churches will engage in ongoing discussions about congregational ministry and how the divinity school can produce effective pastors for these churches.

The program, known as Teaching Congregations, is the newest component of the Learned Clergy Initiative. The $10 million effort, funded through a grant by Lilly Endowment Inc., is aimed at inspiring a new generation of clergy to view ministry as a fulfilling vocation.

The 15 congregations comprise a geographic and ecumenical mix, said Jones. The senior pastors and the congregations also offer racial and gender diversity.

The churches selected for the program are: Alamo Heights United Methodist, San Antonio, Texas; Bethany United Methodist, Summerville, S.C.; Church Street United Methodist, Knoxville, Tenn.; Court Street United Methodist, Hattiesburg, Miss.; Davidson United Methodist, Davidson, N.C.; First Baptist, Greenville, S.C.; First United Methodist, Birmingham, Mich.; Emmanuel Baptist, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Hyde Park United Methodist, Tampa, Fla.; Jarvis Memorial United Methodist, Greenville, N.C.; Macedonia Baptist, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Providence Baptist, Charlotte, N.C.; Reveille United Methodist, Richmond, Va.; St. John's Episcopal, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Stanwich Congregational, Greenwich, Conn.

The divinity school has two additional programs that focus on understanding and developing pastoral leadership: Pulpit & Pew, a four-year research program on pastoral leadership, and the Reynolds Leadership Program, which annually selects 24 United Methodist clergy from a three-state region for a year-long course of study in leadership style and strategic planning.

Duke Divinity School, one of seven professional schools on the Duke campus, is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls approximately 475 students from 40 denominations.