Berkeley Divinity School is committed to forming compassionate servant-leaders for the Church and the world who are generous, wise, and equipped to lead in new in a rapidly changing world. The Virtual Curacy program, a hallmark of this commitment, will be a two-year program that provides newly ordained priests—from any seminary or local formation program—with substantial mentoring, fellowship, and practical learning. This innovative curriculum is tailored for new priests who find themselves as priests in charge immediately after ordination due to the dearth of in-person curacies.
Berkeley seeks to partner with dioceses across the Episcopal Church to ensure that new clergy receive the necessary support and training they need in the “fourth trimester” after seminary. Participants will learn practical ministry skills from practitioner-scholars in an online, cohort setting. They will also receive one-on-one support from seasoned clergy mentors, who they can call with ministry questions that come up so regularly in the first years of ministry. The program emphasizes small group learning, in-person retreats, and one-on-one mentorship-apprenticeships, ensuring that graduates emerge as effective leaders capable of supporting, innovating upon, and creating vibrant Christian communities. The curriculum is designed around four key learning objectives:
- Developing Practical Ministry Skills: Curates will gain the apprenticeship-type knowledge and skills most often associated with a curacy. New clergy will bring their hands-on experience of their new calls as parish priests to the Virtual Curacy, where they will learn about the daily, weekly, and seasonal aspects of pastoral ministry, including rubrics, music selection, preaching, special liturgies, and digital ministry.
- Deepening Church Management Skills: Curates will develop competencies in managing church resources to ensure smooth and efficient operations within their ministries. Participants will learn about running effective meetings, management and collaboration, managing church finances, fundraising, and thinking about church real estate in the 21st century.
- Expanding Capacity for Visionary Leadership: Curates will learn about conflict resolution and leading through change, giving them starting places for these vital skills. They will also be prepared to navigate future challenges by transcending short-term thinking, employing adaptive leadership, and imagining fresh possibilities. They will also learn about conflict resolution.
- Cultivating a Vibrant Spiritual Life: The Virtual Curacy helps new clergy cultivate resilience and set patterns for ministry that will help them avoid burnout. Curates explore their identity as ordained servant-leaders, learn to incorporate prayer practices and balance into their lives as new priests, and discern their ongoing call through prayer and reflection.
Upon completion of the program requirements, graduates will receive a Certificate in Pastoral Leadership from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.