Faculties’ Convocations | Washington Theological Consortium

Faculty convocations are regular events at which WTC Faculty can engage with one another on a topic of ecumenical or social significance. Below are some recent examples of faculty convocations. For information on upcoming Faculty Convocations, check our events page for updates.

View previous years’ information or videos (where available) by clicking the year: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

2024: “Reclaiming Nicaea for a Post-Christendom Church”

Sponsored by our member, the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh

Trinitarian theology, liturgy, ethics, and practice remain vital and flourishing throughout the Churches–East and West. The faculty panelists at this year’s virtual Convocation, held on October 7, addressed the renewal of Nicene theology and its legacy in ways that free it from an imperial past and align it with church renewal, witness, and reform in a changing and diverse world. They addressed various disciplines, from biblical and theological to liturgical and ethical.

Panelists include:

Dr. Robin Darling Young, Ordinary Professor of Church History, Catholic University of America School of Theology and Religious Studies on the topic “Early Christian Synods as a Forum for Heated Dialogue”
Fr. Christiaan Kappes, Academic Dean, Professor of Liturgical and Dogmatic Theology, Byzantine Catholic Seminary of St. Cyril and Methodius, on the topic of “Nicene Dogma about Jesus’s Nature, Liturgical Change, and Liturgy Today
Dr. Kyle Lambelet, Associate Professor of Ethics, Virginia Theological Seminary, on the topic “The Resurrection of the Dead as a Challenge to Contemporary Politics”
Dr. Natalia Marandiuc, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, United Lutheran Seminary, on the topic “Love, Justice, and Human Thriving: Soteriological Significations after Nicaea”

2023: “Theological Formation and Leadership”

Theological formation includes the cultivation of healthy personalities and a disposition to serve others. Leadership in the pulpit, at the table, and in community work involves multiple dimensions: strong theological foundations, the ability to work alongside others, emotional maturity, and a heart of self-giving without self-exhaustion. Whether in the classroom, at the common table, or in the field, theological faculties face the question, “how does holistic human formation cultivate effective leadership?”

For our 51st Annual Faculties’ Convocation in October 2023, a faculty panel from multiple disciplines (historical theology, philosophy, religious education, and practical theology) addressed multiple aspects of formation for leadership, including:

The formation and exercise of theological virtues–Aquinas and others
The art of accompaniment as clergy and laity work together
The formation and exercise of emotional intelligence
Leadership as a form of self-sacrifice that is life-giving

Panelists:

Dr. John Lee, Academic Dean, John Leland Center (Moderator).
Dr. Guy Erwin, President, Historical Theology, United Lutheran Seminary.
Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., Patristics, PFIC at the Dominican House of Studies.
Dr. Andrey Shirin, Director of Transformational Leadership, John Leland Center.
Dr. Susan Timoney, Associate Dean, Ministerial Degrees and Practical Theology, Catholic University of America.
Dr. Nathaniel West, Christian Education, Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology.

Lectures

Panel Discussion

2022: “Religious Liberty: Which Religion, Whose Liberty?”

Panelists:

Atty. Holly Hollman, General Counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty
Dr. William Barbieri, Professor of Ethics and of Religion and Culture, The Catholic University of America
Dr. Teresa Smallwood, Associate Professor of Public Theology, United Lutheran Seminary
Dr. Rick Elgendy, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary

2021: “Theological Education as Justice Formation”

Dr. Willie Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School

Introduction by Dr. Cheryl Sanders, Howard University School of Divinity

Response by Dr. David Cloutier, The Catholic University of America

2020: “Toward Anti-Racist Theology and Practice: Transforming our Teaching”

Dr. Eric Lewis Williams, Curator of Religion, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Respondent: Dr. Denise Janssen, Associate Professor of Christian Education, Virginia Union University

2018:Inside Our Awakening Universe: Spiritual Life and the New Cosmic Story

Dr. John Haught, Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University

Responses from

Dr. Connie Bertka, Wesley Theological Seminary
Dr. David Cloutier, The Catholic University of America

2017:No Longer Strangers and Foreigners: The Intersection of Christian Identity, Mission and the Ethics of Immigration

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.
Presenter: Dr. Peter Phan

Panel Discussion:

2016:Theology and Reconciliation in a Polarized Society

Wesley Theological Seminary

September 29, 2016

Panel of Faculty Representatives:

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Kimball, Virginia Theological Seminary
Fr. James Brent, OP, PhD, PFIC at the Dominican House
Dr. Dean Trulear, Howard University School of Divinity
Dr. Rick Elgendy, Wesley Theological Seminary

Convocation 2016 Panel Bios

2015: Marriage, Family, and Sexuality: Theological, Moral, and Pastoral Implications

Virginia Theological Seminary

September 28, 2015

Panel of Faculty Representatives:

Moderator: Kristin Johnston-Largen, Gettysburg Seminary
Dr. Alton B. Pollard III, Howard University School of Divinity
Dr. John Grabowski, Catholic University of America
Dr. Sondra Wheeler, Wesley Theological Seminary
Dr. Timothy Sedgwick, Virginia Theological Seminary
Dr. Jeffrey Willetts, John Leland Center for Theological Studies
Kimberly Eskridge, John Leland graduate