The Community Engagement Institute

Faithful Leaders for Change

The Community Engagement Institute leverages Wesley’s unique location in the nation’s capital to better equip those dealing with vital issues in the public arena. The Institute is at the forefront of theological education, engaging secular and faith leaders around the meaning and shape of community.

The Community Engagement Institute is located on the main campus of Wesley Theological Seminary. We sit at the crossroads of many influences—from the powerful to the marginalized—where God’s glory is magnified as the church “turns itself inside-out” to become a force in the public square. The Community Engagement Institute encompasses Wesley’s Community Engagement Fellows Program, Heal the Sick Program, and the Center for Public Theology, which includes the National Capital Semester for Seminarians program.

Vision Statement
A transformed church and world that promotes communities where all people are cherished and flourish

Mission Statement
To equip leaders who are theologically grounded, contextually nimble and prophetically engaged in the public square

Spheres of Influence
The Community Engagement Institute is Wesley Theological Seminary's presence in Washington, D.C. The Institute sits at the crossroads of many influences:

A terminus for Washington's legions of power brokers at the foot of Capitol Hill where elected leaders legislate
A place where God’s glory is magnified as the church “turns itself inside-out” to become a force in the public square
A place where participating in the Reign of God requires teaching, learning and practicing social ministry entrepreneurship

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Community Engagement Fellows

Community Engagement Institute (CEI) Fellows program at Wesley Theological Seminary continues to be at the forefront of theological education, and at the heart of our theological education ethos. Through academic, theological, formational, and leadership development experiences inside and outside the classroom, CEI Fellows are equipped to serve as world-class community engagement leaders for the twenty-first century Church and world.

What sets Wesley’s CEI Fellows program apart from other institutions is our unique location in the nation’s capital and our ability to provide Fellows with distinct opportunities to deal with vital issues in the church and public arena. Fellows engage in innovative learning in the classroom while participating in transforming communities on the ground by innovating, integrating and initiating effective ministries.

To learn more, visit our Community Engagement Fellows page.

Center for Public Theology

Wesley Theological Seminary's Center for Public Theology, located in the heart of the nation’s capital, gives churches, their clergy and lay leaders, and seminary students tools to help navigate the connection between faith and public policy. Our goal is to improve the tone of national political discourse by fostering a new ethic of civil discourse. We are non-partisan but not disinterested in the great issues of the day.

While Wesley’s approach to public theology is distinctly Christian, the Center for Public Theology operates in an environment that is both passionately Christian and compassionately interfaith.

To learn more, visit our Center for Public Theology page.

National Capital Semester for Seminarians (NCSS)

For more than 40 years, students from seminaries across the country and Wesley Theological Seminary students have explored the connection between theology and politics through the National Capital Semester for Seminarians (NCSS). NCSS is a semester-long, intensive program of study in ethics, theology and public policy. Seminary students from across the United States come to Wesley for the spring semester. NCSS is open to any student who has completed at least one year of a degree program in an accredited seminary and is recommended by his or her home seminary.

Requirements:

4-credit hour seminar on faith, politics, domestic and international policy issues and the church in the public life
Optional 3-credit-hour course in independent policy research
Most students combine the seminar with an internship program.

To learn more, visit our NCSS page.

Heal the Sick

The Heal the Sick program seeks to equip faith community members and leaders to support congregations’ development of health ministries and link such ministries with hospitals, community organizations, public health institutions, and health care providers.

The goal of the program is to prepare leaders to advance holistic health and well-being of individuals, communities and congregations, especially those who are underserved. Key components of the program include promoting faith communities’ health ministries, providing educational opportunities, catalyzing network creation and supporting existing networks, and facilitating collaboration with community partners.

To learn more, visit our Heal the Sick page.