December 2026 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 Texts    
  •  Articles distributed by the instructor.
  • 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 studied and practiced at the Ignatian Spirituality Center of Kansas City, MO, for eight years. He is a mentor in the Annand Spirituality Program of Yale Divinity School.

Environmental Mission
One of the Episcopal Church’s priorities is to practice creation care, by which we intend “to safeguard the integrity of Creation and to sustain and renew the life of the Earth”. Intentional creation care is a relatively new area of the mission of the Church. This course is designed to familiarize students with some of the history and current practices around creation care in TEC and the wider church and to equip students to carry out this aspect of our mission, considering some possible future directions for environmental ministry. What do we need to be ready for as climate change increasingly affects our own lives? What might we do liturgically, pastorally, and in our communities to bring integrity, joy, and hope in the face of growing environmental crises? Does the name ‘creation care’ convey the relationship with the natural world around us to which God calls us?
  Required Texts    
  •  Rienstra, Debra. Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth. Fortress Press, 2022.
  • Zabriskie, Marek P., ed. The Creation Bible Challenge. Forward Movement, 2022.
Your Instructor  
  • The Rev. Betsy Blake Bennett has been a deacon since 2004, serving Diocese of Nebraska parishes in Hastings and Grand Island before becoming Archdeacon of the diocese in 2012. Most recently, she served at Church of the Resurrection in Omaha. A 2008 GreenFaith Fellow, much of her ministry has focused on religious environmental work and its intersection with other justice issues. Deacon Betsy continues that work in her retirement, especially through leadership in Third Act’s faith working group. Her M.A. in philosophy is from The Ohio State University; her B.A. is from Earlham College.

Pastoral Theology
​This course surveys the many aspects of pastoral care and counseling for the parish priest and deacon. The course examines the biblical and theological foundations of pastoral care and counseling (including its history and the basic models in use today), the placement of this form of ministry in the context of parish life, how pastoral care and counseling fit into the community context of mental health services, legal and ethical issues involved, resources available, and various occasions for care and counsel from the priest and deacon.
Required Texts   
  • Benner, D.G. Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Term Structured Model (2nd ed.). (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003), 149 pp.
  • Helsel, P.B. Pastoral Care and Counseling: Care for Stories, Systems, and Self. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2019), 162 pp.
  • Each student is required to read and present on one of the below recommended readings
Recommended Reading
  • Brown, R. & Cocksworth, C. On Being a Priest Today (Cambridge, MA: Cowley, 2002), 215 pp.
    Clebsch, W.A., & Jaekle, C.R., Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective (Jason Aronson, 1994), 344 pp.
  • Clinebell, H., & McKeever, B.C. Basic Types of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing & Growth, 3rd ed. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011), 513 pp.
  • Coleman, M. F. & White, S. J., Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls: Learning the Art of Pastoral Ministry from the Church Fathers (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 233 pp.
  • Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-5 (Washington, D.C., American Psychiatric Association, 2013), 395 pp.
    Kinghorn, W., Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2024), 301 pp.
  • McClintock, K., Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care: How to Respond When Things Fall Apart. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2022). 182 pp.
    Waters, S., Addiction and Pastoral Care. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019), 240 pp.
    Wimberly, E.P. African-American Pastoral Care and Counseling. (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim, 2006), 152 pp.
  Your Instructor
  • The Rev. Dr. Bryan Spoon (PhD, Aberdeen) is an Episcopal priest and Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. He earned his Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. He is the author of Neuroscience and the Fruit of the Spirit, which has raised nearly $15,000 for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. In addition, he holds a certificate in Muslim-Christian Dialogue from the Washington Theological Consortium and is a Roothbert Fellow. After serving as a hospital chaplain in three Level I Trauma Centers, he and his wife moved to Mexico City. There, they minister at Christ Church, the oldest Episcopal church in Mexico.
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!

December Overview
  • Classes begin on Monday, November 16.  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  December 12-13 , 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, January 8.
  • Grades due January 31.

Tuition & Scholarships
  • Tuition is $100 to audit a class in person or online, $282 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 December Courses