Bishop Kemper School for Ministry
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April 2020  Course Descriptions

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April Overview
  • Classes meet April 18-19 from Saturday at 12:30 pm (lunch at noon) to Sunday at 12:00 noon. (This a week later than usual due to Easter!
  • Classes begin on Monday,  March 16.
  • Classes end on Friday, May 15  (if taken for credit).
  • Tuition is $100 to audit, $195 for credit, which includes your overnight stay at Upton Hall & all meals.
  • If you prefer a hotel, we have a special rate of $75.50 (including tax) at nearby  Senate Luxury Suites.
  • Complete a short application for the $100 Jim Upton lay scholarship.
  • Register online for classes.

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.

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.
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.