Doctoral Students’ Gathering Highlights Fuller Seminary’s Global Impact

Fuller Seminary PhD students from around the globe gathered last week at the Pasadena campus for a week of in-person classes. More than 30 students—across the seminary’s PhD programs in theology, intercultural studies, and intercultural theology (in Korean)—attended from around the United States and from countries including Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mozambique, Russia, and Spain (along with other peers who joined virtually), as part of Fuller’s hybrid learning model, which emphasizes both the importance of scholarship for one’s context and the significance of a diverse global community of learning.

The doctoral programs, housed under Fuller’s Center for Advanced Theological Studies, Center for Missiological Research, and Korean Studies Center, demonstrate a key distinctive of Fuller’s approach to theological education: active engagement across a variety of contexts in order to foster a community of global Christian leaders. Fuller’s hybrid doctoral programs each require a different combination of primarily online classes with semi-regular in-person attendance; this enables students—many of whom are active leaders and scholars—to continue working among their communities while becoming equipped with a premier education that can be applied in real time. The programs also provide a unifying space for students to learn from one another and share each other’s experiences. The in-person class gatherings are a cornerstone experience for fostering this scholarly community.

Professor of New Testament Studies Tommy Givens said, “Intensive week for Fuller PhD students is, for me, the highlight of every academic year. The energy and inspiration that our time together generates inside—and perhaps especially outside—the seminar room, are unmistakable and unforgettable.”

One PhD in Intercultural Studies student, who is a few years into her program, shared, “Intensive week is a time of gaining a solid foundation. Everything we do builds on top of this. I enjoy getting to come and connect with students in cohorts below mine and with other advanced year students. Building this kind of community is so important to thriving throughout this process. The times that Fuller has made space to connect with other members of the program have helped me get through the rigor of the program.”

The scholarship and research underway among the current cohorts of PhD students exemplify a tremendous range and significant impact for the church around the world. Students’ research foci, as described by Dr. Kirsteen Kim, associate dean for the Center for Missiological Research, include critical topics such as peace in the Middle East, mission in Brazil, anti-sex trafficking activism in Kenya, food cultures in India, Messianic Judaism, and children in the Latino church.

Dr. Kim said of the in-person class week, “Meeting weekly in a hybrid classroom works well, but coming together in person creates a buzz, an energy, and a closeness that Zoom cannot replicate. The interaction was so stimulating! Each cohort brings together a unique combination of contexts. Each student brings their research context with them, but their conceptual questions about cultures and justice have common ground in missiology. As students share life together for a week, they also find that they are all undergoing the same challenging experiences as they are formed as researchers.”

As students and faculty return to their respective contexts to continue their work, they do so strengthened by the communal experience and prepared to demonstrate the impact of a theological education that is equipping them for their unique vocational callings. Last week’s in-person class gathering highlighted a bright picture of Fuller’s commitment to shaping Christian leaders who continue to bring Christ’s hope and healing to the church and the world. Fuller is proud to equip a community of scholars taking part in the activity of God around the globe and to send them forth for their faithful work.