Bishop Kemper School for Ministry
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April 2018  Course Descriptions

BKSM welcomes all laypersons to take courses with us for personal enrichment or continuing education! We encourage you to experience the remarkable environment of learning, worship and fellowship that makes BKSM such a special place.

April courses begin on March 12, when instructors email the syllabus The focus weekend takes place April 14-15, and final assignments are due May 11 (if you take the class for credit).

If you would like to audit a course, the tuition is $100. If you would like to take the class for credit, the tuition is $180. The cost (whether you audit or take for credit) includes meals and overnight accommodations at Upton Hall on Friday and Saturday night (on a space-available basis).  If you wish to take the class for credit, we encourage you to enroll by March 14. If you wish to audit the class, you may register at any time prior to the focus weekend.

Get started by completing the course registration form. If you have specific questions, contact the Very Rev. Dr. Don Compier, BKSM dean, at bksmdean2@gmail.com or (816) 217-4053.

Christian History Survey (D)
Christian History is an overview of the 2000 years of the faith. Topics include Jesus and early Christianity, transition from Jewish sect to separate religion, encounters with the pagan Greco-Roman world, the end of persecution, status as a state church, definitions of belief about Jesus Christ and the Trinity, expansion into Northern Europe, the Reformation and Catholic-Protestant struggles, expansion of Christianity around the world, faith wrestling with the Enlightenment, what “Christendom” was and how it is disappearing, and the meaning of modernity and post-modernity. We will pay attention to Christians’ engagement with the world and service to the world.
Reading List             
  • Mullin, Robert Bruce. A Short World History of Christianity. Revised Edition. Louisville: Westminister John Knox Press, 2014.
Your Instructor 
  • The Rev. Canon Dr. George Wiley taught religion at Baker University for 35 years and has been serving the Diocese of Kansas as canon pastor since 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from Emory University. As a teacher, he is known for engaging with students and creating an inviting classroom atmosphere.

Tasks of Theology
Theology is, according to the famous definition of St. Anselm of Canterbury, “faith seeking understanding.” All those in spiritual relationship with God will seek to understand the Holy One better, both as a way of deepening one’s own discipleship and as preparation for effectively sharing the good news of the Divine Love with others. Lay and ordained ministers must be prepared to ably teach the faith of the Church (doctrine comes from a Latin word meaning teaching). The canons of the Episcopal Church require potential ordinands to be examined in the area of theology. Standards also apply to offices such as lay preachers and catechists. As part of the theological curriculum of Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, this course has been carefully designed to assure that persons will be well prepared to demonstrate their proficiency in Christian theology.
Reading List             
  • Daniel Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, 3rd edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014, ISBN 978-0-8028-7185-5)
  • Gordon Kaufman, An Essay on Theological Method, 3rd edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0788501357)
  • Catherine, Keller, On the Mystery (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0800662769).
Your Instructor
  • As one who loves working with students from all sorts of backgrounds, Dr.  Adam Pryor is Assistant Professor of Religion and Director of Core Education at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS. A constructive theologian, his  primary areas of research interest include the intersection of theology and science, phenomenologies of the body, interfaith dialogue, and feminist theology. Specifically he pursues various forms of correlational theology that considers how a given contemporary issue or field effect reflection of classic loci of Christian systematic theology. He is the author of two books--The God Who Lives (Pickwick Publishing, 2014) and Body of Christ Incarnate for You (Lexington, 2016)--that follow this structure. His current research is exploring the implications of astrobiology for accounts of the imago Dei.

Preaching I
This course will introduce you to the ministry of Homiletics (preaching), to deepen your knowledge of the history of preaching, to familiarize yourself with various types of sermons, to understand the influence of the church year on preaching, and to provide you with the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to develop, prepare, and deliver both a meditation and a homily.
             Reading List
  • Craddock, Fred B. Preaching. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1985.
  •                   Taylor, Barbara Brown. The Preaching Life. Boston, MA: Cowley, 1993  
  •                     Troeger, Thomas H. Imagining a Sermon. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press,                       1990.
Your Instructor
  •  The Rev. George Pejakovich  graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1967. He served ten years as an Infantry Officer, commanding two companies in Viet Nam. He resigned in 1977 to attend Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, but returned to the Army as a Chaplain in 1979, serving in numerous postings, and became the Commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in 1994. After retiring from the Army in 1999, he became pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Columbia, SC. He moved to Topeka in 2001, and since 2004 he has served as Assistant to the Dean of Grace Episcopal Cathedral. He resides happily with wife, Joyce, and a large standard poodle named Jaeger.

Practice of the Eucharist
This course prepares students to plan and lead eucharistic worship according to 1979 Book of Common Prayer with an understanding that no two communities have exactly the same gifts and abilities, and consequently, no two need have exactly the same worship service. Covering the (actual) requirements of the Prayer Book as well as certain variations of worship space, timing, and the needs of a congregation, students will acquire the skills necessary to preside with grace and confidence in various worship settings.
Reading List             
  • Michno, Dennis. A Priest's Handbook: The Ceremonies of the Church, 3rd edition. Morehouse Publishing 1998.
  • Another text may be assigned with the syllabus
Your Instructor
  • The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Thomas is the Director of Church Relations for the St. Francis Foundation. Previously, he served as the Dean and Rector of Christ Cathedral, Salina, KS, after serving as Assistant Rector at Grace Church, NYC. He earned his M.Div. (‘07) and Th.D. (‘11) from the General Theological Seminary in New York. His research interests include patristic and early medieval theology. He lives in Eden Prairie, MN with his wife Holly and their four children.
Register for April Courses
Address for Tuition Payments/Donations:
The Very Rev. Don Compier, BKSM Dean
410 SE Independence Ave.

Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Physical Address:
Bishop Kemper School for Ministry

701 SW 8th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603

The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry is a collaborative venture of the Episcopal Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas.
BKSM also partners with the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
BKSM offers classes and programs to educate people for church leadership in both lay and ordained vocations.