The Community Engagement Institute
at Wesley Downtown
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 at Wesley Downtown at 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 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 downtown Washington, D.C. The Institute sits at the crossroads of many influences:
- Downtown urban congregations seeking to remain relevant to a gentrifying community
- A neighborhood where homeless people and urban professionals cross paths but seldom engage
- A terminus for Washington's "K Street" and its 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
