April 2025 Course Descriptions
Anglican Ethics
In this class, students explore distinctive Anglican approaches to moral questions by studying the traditions of Anglican ethics and their contemporary relevance in the practical life of today’s church
Required Text    
  •  Anglican Theological Review 94:2 (articles by Greenman and Sedgwick) and 94:4 (articles by Smith, Dackson, and Gibson, and responses by Sedgwick, Davis, and Wondra). Available for free download at www.anglicantheologicalreview.org. Use the “read” button and then go to “browse previous issues.”
  • Kwok Pui Lan. The Anglican Tradition from a Postcolonial Perspective. Seabury Books, 2023.
Your Instructor 
  • The Very Rev. Dr. Don H. Compier (Ph.D. in theology, Emory University) is retired as  Dean of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. Previously, Compier taught Master’s and Ph.D. courses in theology, philosophy, and modern church history at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. He has also offered classes at Saint Paul School of Theology and Eden Theological Seminary. He led the graduate program in religion at Graceland University from 2002 until 2014, developing an innovative online curriculum and travelling all over the world. He is currently conducting research on the history of the Daily Office. He is a guide and teacher at the Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City, MO.

Christian History Survey (D)
This course is a survey of Christian history from its origins to the present. We will examine the key events and figures, as well as the various cultural and social contexts. Special attention will be paid to the distinctive traditions of belief and practice that developed as Christianity grew and expanded into different parts of the world.
Required Texts  
  • Mullin, Robert Bruce. A Short World History of Christianity. Revised Edition. Louisville: Westminister John Knox Press, 2014.
Your Instructor 
  • The Rev. Dr. Sean C. Kim is the Rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to serving at the church, he teaches East Asian and world history at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. His research focuses on the history of Protestant Christianity in Korea. Originally from a Presbyterian and Methodist background, he was “Anglicanized” through his studies at the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. He received his B.A. from Cornell University and M.Div., A.M., and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Evangelism
Evangelism is often called "the e-word" in the Episcopal Church, and the Christian right's colonization of evangelism has rightfully given it a bad reputation among our people.  But the world needs Good News more than ever, and Jesus commanded us to be evangelists, so what do we do?  In this course, students will break down the stereotypes of evangelism that deter people from exploring it and reimagine evangelism from the ground up according to their values.  With their new definition of evangelism, grounded in scripture and our tradition, they will learn how to help others identify where their diverse spiritual gifts will drive and shape their practices of evangelism.  Students learn how to articulate evangelism as a core spiritual practice of the Christian life, as well as how to build it into concrete ministries in ways that both grapple with institutional self-interest and also equip them to create deeper spiritual intimacy both within and outside their faith communities. 
Required Texts
  • Geitz, Elizabeth Rankin, and Elizabeth Rankin Geitz. Fireweed Evangelism: Christian Hospitality in a Multi-Faith World. New York: Church Pub, 2004. (163 pages)
  • Gortner, David. Transforming Evangelism. Transformations the Episcopal Church in the 21st Century. New York: Church Pub, 2008. (182 pages)
Recommended, not Required Text
  • Reese, Martha Grace. Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism. St. Louis, Mo: Chalice Press, 2008.
Your Instructor
  • The Rev. Canon Whitney Rice (she/her/hers) serves as the Canon for Evangelism & Discipleship Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.  She is a graduate of Yale Divinity School where she won multiple preaching awards, and has served as a researcher and community ministry grant consultant for the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. She is currently a staff writer for the Episcopal Digital Network’s Sermons That Work and a member of the national Episcopal Church Evangelism Council of Advice. A communicator of the gospel at heart, she writes and teaches at  on a wide variety of topics including rethinking evangelism, stewardship, leadership, women’s theology of the body, mysticism, and spiritual development. Find more of her work at her website Roof Crashers & Hem Grabbers (www.roofcrashersandhemgrabbers.com). 

History of the Episcopal Church
This class follows the history of the Episcopal Church from its colonial roots to the contemporary Church. We will follow through the Anglican claim to represent the earliest (sub-Apostolic) Church and examine what accounts for successes and failures in mission, service, and growth. We will follow the church across four centuries and chart how it responded to or contributed to historical trends or events. We will also situate the Episcopal Church within the larger Church’s own global history, mission, and development.
Required Texts          
  • Prichard, Robert W. A History of the Episcopal Church, 3rd. Ed. Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 2014.
  • Snow, Jennifer C., Mission, Race and, Empire: The Episcopal Church in Global Context. Oxford University Press, 2024.
Your Instructor
  • In addition to the texts and fellow seminarians, your instructor will be Dr. Nathan Tye. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, as well as degrees in theology and history from Creighton University. He teaches at the University of Nebraska – Kearney and publishes broadly on the literary, labor, and cultural histories of the turn of the century United States.
BKSM welcomes you to take courses with us for personal enrichment or continuing education. Classes are richer with occasional students around the table.  We encourage you to experience this remarkable, uplifting community of learning, worship and fellowship for yourself!

April Overview
  • Classes begin on Monday, March 10.  You will receive an email and syllabus directly from your instructor. If you have  not received anything from your instructor by Tuesday, please contact us.
  • The in-person Focus Weekend meets  April 5-6 , on Saturday from 7:30 am-9:00 pm and on Sunday from 7:30am-12:15pm.
  • The detailed weekend schedule is here.
  • Classes end on Friday, May 9.
  • Grades due May 31.

Tuition & Scholarships
  • Tuition is $100 to audit a class in person or online, $240 to take a class for credit in person, which includes  overnight accommodations at Upton Hall &  meals, $165 to take a class for credit on Zoom.
  • Apply for the $100 Jim Upton lay scholarship. Scholarships also available for students on an ordination track.
  • Many hotels are available throughout Topeka. Most are 15 minutes away or less.
Register for April Courses