Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. The Yale Youth Ministry Institute offers a wealth of resources for youth leaders, parents, and others to support the young people in their lives who may be suffering and at risk. You can find resources here on suicide and other mental-health issues.

From the YMI Director: Fall is Upon Us

Fall is upon us, and the rhythm of our autumnal lives has begun. Fall is a favorite season of mine. I love the cooler weather, the beauty of the color-changing leaves, the sense of a new school year for my kids. And, yes: I’m both team apple and team pumpkin spice. (Though let’s save that spicy bit just for lattes, okay?)

Read full message here.

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Have you thought about taking one of our online studies or seminars but haven’t registered yet? What are you waiting for??

“I had been participating in our church’s Bible study for about 6 years, when our new pastor, a YDS grad, suggested that I enroll in the YDS Continuing Education study on the Exodus. I was so captivated by the quality of the thought, that I started participating in each new Continuing Ed offering as well as the YDS Summer Study. After two years, I couldn’t get enough, I just had to apply to be a full-time student. YDS Continuing Education is literally a godsend.” – Scott Bihl, YDS ’24

As we begin a new academic year, we have a wide variety of offerings and resources to support your professional and personal development. See below what is coming up this fall.


Church Shoes: Thinking and Rethinking our Steps for Youth Ministry in the Black Church In-person at YDS \| September 15 \| 12:30 pm Eastern Have you considered what ministry in the Black Church looks like for youth and young adults today, especially Black girls and children who are queer? How might we wrestle with the ways that churches have supported and failed black children? How might we develop forms of pastoral care that offers redress to the current state of youth ministry? Through a panel discussion, Dr. Kishundra King, Ph.D. ’15 M.Div. and Rev. Whitney Baisden-Bond will offer paths, prompts, and prophetic witnesses that students might implement in their ministerial toolkit. The proposed conversation will be supported and moderated by Dr. Almeda Wright. Lunch will be provided. Find details and registration here.	Mapping Your Leadership Development Journey with Sarah Drummond Zoom \| Sept. 18 – Oct. 2 \| 12:15 – 1:15 pm This three-part lunch-hour workshop will equip participants with the knowledge, models, and peer support to map out a plan for their ongoing leadership development. Participants will complete the series with an attainable goal for lifelong learning that they can implement immediately and refresh regularly throughout their ministries. Sarah’s new book, Intentional Leadership, can be purchased here. Register at: Mapping Your Leadership Development Journey

Biblical Wisdom: An Online Bible Study with Dr. John Collins Zoom \| Oct. 2 – Nov. 6 \| 7:30 pm Eastern This study will focus on Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Ben Sira and Solomon. We’ll explore the question “what is wisdom” and will consider the distinctive contribution of these texts. Register at: Biblical Wisdom: An Online Bible Study	Handing Down the Faith: Parents, Congregations and Religious Socialization Zoom \| October 4 \| 12 – 1:30 pm Eastern Join Dr. Amy Adamczyk, coauthor of Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation (Oxford, 2021) for a webinar that will explore how parents view the role of congregations in faith formation for children and youth and how churches can respond to parent’s needs. Register at: Handing Down the Faith

Spiritual Care for Young People in the Climate Crisis with Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho Zoom \| November 8 \| 12 – 1:30 pm EasternClimate change is creating a spiritual emergency that is hitting generation Z harder than any other. Today’s climate crisis calls people of faith to a communal spiritual practice of care, as we must learn how to offer care that is informed by the spiritual-ecological crisis of their generation. Rev. Aho guides us with her pastoral and chaplain experience to keep young people at the center of our communities and listen to the troubles they have to share. Register at: Spiritual Care for Young People in the Climate Crisis	Leadership & Hybrid Ministry in the New Media Landscape with the Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell Zoom \| November 14 \| 11 – 1 pm Eastern Berkeley Divinity School and the Center for Continuing Education are pleased to sponsor a 2-hour webinar with the Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell to explore the dynamic and meaningful practices of hybrid ministry and the key principles of leading across time and space in a new media landscape. Dr. Gorrell will also offer an immersive 4-part course on this topic in January. More information to come. Register at: Leadership & Hybrid Ministry
	Save the Date: Casting the Pageant: Meeting the Characters of Christmas with the Rev. Dr. Allen Hilton Zoom \| Nov. 30 – Dec. 21 \| 7:30 pm Eastern There are quite a cast of characters in the Christmas story! Join us over the four weeks of Advent to dive deeper into the journey to the manger. We’ll explore the role each of these characters play in the story, including the Big Shots, the Angels, the Lowly, and the Stars. Register at: Casting the Pageant

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Church Shoes: Thinking and Rethinking our Steps for Youth Ministry in the Black Church In-person at YDS \| September 15 \| 12:30 pm Eastern Have you considered what ministry in the Black Church looks like for youth and young adults today, especially Black girls and children who are queer? How might we wrestle with the ways that churches have supported and failed black children? How might we develop forms of pastoral care that offers redress to the current state of youth ministry? Through a panel discussion, Dr. Kishundra King, Ph.D. ’15 M.Div. and Rev. Whitney Baisden-Bond will offer paths, prompts, and prophetic witnesses that students might implement in their ministerial toolkit. The proposed conversation will be supported and moderated by Dr. Almeda Wright. Lunch will be provided. Find details and registration here.	Mapping Your Leadership Development Journey with Sarah Drummond Zoom \| Sept. 18 – Oct. 2 \| 12:15 – 1:15 pm This three-part lunch-hour workshop will equip participants with the knowledge, models, and peer support to map out a plan for their ongoing leadership development. Participants will complete the series with an attainable goal for lifelong learning that they can implement immediately and refresh regularly throughout their ministries. Sarah’s new book, Intentional Leadership, can be purchased here. Register at: Mapping Your Leadership Development Journey

Biblical Wisdom: An Online Bible Study with Dr. John Collins Zoom \| Oct. 2 – Nov. 6 \| 7:30 pm Eastern This study will focus on Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Ben Sira and Solomon. We’ll explore the question “what is wisdom” and will consider the distinctive contribution of these texts. Register at: Biblical Wisdom: An Online Bible Study	Handing Down the Faith: Parents, Congregations and Religious Socialization Zoom \| October 4 \| 12 – 1:30 pm Eastern Join Dr. Amy Adamczyk, coauthor of Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation (Oxford, 2021) for a webinar that will explore how parents view the role of congregations in faith formation for children and youth and how churches can respond to parent’s needs. Register at: Handing Down the Faith

Spiritual Care for Young People in the Climate Crisis with Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho Zoom \| November 8 \| 12 – 1:30 pm EasternClimate change is creating a spiritual emergency that is hitting generation Z harder than any other. Today’s climate crisis calls people of faith to a communal spiritual practice of care, as we must learn how to offer care that is informed by the spiritual-ecological crisis of their generation. Rev. Aho guides us with her pastoral and chaplain experience to keep young people at the center of our communities and listen to the troubles they have to share. Register at: Spiritual Care for Young People in the Climate Crisis	Leadership & Hybrid Ministry in the New Media Landscape with the Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell Zoom \| November 14 \| 11 – 1 pm Eastern Berkeley Divinity School and the Center for Continuing Education are pleased to sponsor a 2-hour webinar with the Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell to explore the dynamic and meaningful practices of hybrid ministry and the key principles of leading across time and space in a new media landscape. Dr. Gorrell will also offer an immersive 4-part course on this topic in January. More information to come. Register at: Leadership & Hybrid Ministry
	Save the Date: Casting the Pageant: Meeting the Characters of Christmas with the Rev. Dr. Allen Hilton Zoom \| Nov. 30 – Dec. 21 \| 7:30 pm Eastern There are quite a cast of characters in the Christmas story! Join us over the four weeks of Advent to dive deeper into the journey to the manger. We’ll explore the role each of these characters play in the story, including the Big Shots, the Angels, the Lowly, and the Stars. Register at: Casting the Pageant

September Newsletter

Suicide Prevention Month