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BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 17, 2025 - 3:00PM
PRACTICAL & PASTORAL THEOLOGY
School
Hartford International
AM-521-2
Contemplative Prayer Practices
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course introduces students to a range of practices of contemplative prayer, centering in a broadly ecological context: both Earth itself as our shared creaturely home and the particular places where students live. Students will engage in experiential elements that are adaptable to the students’ own tradition and/or context, including traditional forms like centering/mindfulness, Ignatian Examen, and lectio divina as well as social justice/feminist, land-based, shadow- and dream-based practices. Students will have the opportunity to research and lead the class in a prayer practice of their own tradition, context, or creative innovation as well.
Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAIRS - Interreligious Studies: Elective
MAIRS - Islamic Studies: Religious Pluralism
MAIRS - Ministerial Studies: Beliefs and Practices of the Christian Faith
MAC - Chaplaincy Elective
MAC - Islamic Chaplaincy Elective
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dahill
R
5:00 - 6:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7078
Pastoral Care of the Family
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course presents specific topics that are important for effective and compassionate pastoral care of families today. We will examine challenging realities that may shape and/or disturb families and lead members to seek pastoral care, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, imprisonment of a family member, grief and loss, and family caregiver stress. We will consider the specific needs of families affected by injustices and harsh difficulties such as poverty and immigrant/refugee status. We will consider the specific roles and strategies of the pastoral caregiver and the faith community in helping families to negotiate challenges and create stability and well-being.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kelley, Melissa M
F
09:00AM-12:00 Noon
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7279
Conflict Transformation
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Conflict theory can enable constructive responses to situational disagreements and long-term relationship building. This course combines resources from secular conflict theory and Christian theology and ministry to foster transformation of micro (interpersonal), meso (communal), and macro (societal, international) level conflicts. Most texts reference the U.S. context, but other cultural perspectives are welcome. Assignments include regular short papers and a presentation. This is a discussion-based (not lecture-based) class; close reading is required.
Professor
Class Day & Time
DuBois, Heather
W
04:00PM-06:20PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
CO614
Family Systems Theory
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course provides an introduction to Family Systems Theory. It is an introduction to systemic thinking as it relates to individual and family function. The course provides an opportunity for evaluating the various theoretical approaches by comparison with biblical/theological concepts of family and family function. This class is a foundational course for CO714.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Binette, Neil
R
6-9pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
CO717
Counseling in Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the issues associated with abuse and intimate partner violence. Students will be introduced to the broad scope of abuse and intimate partner violence and the inevitable consequences for the individuals and the systems involved. Students will examine the issues around abuse and violence from a biblical and theological perspective in order to form a substantial Christian response to this growing problem. Students will develop evidence-based models for treatment and prevention.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Mason, Karen
R
1:30-4:30pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2031
Introduction to Chaplaincy in Higher Education
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course engages the theory and practice of chaplaincy in settings of higher education in the United States. Drawing on the rich history of multireligious ministries in higher education and the range of expressions chaplaincy assumes, the course will provide an overview of the strategies, practices, contextual analyses, and narratives of practitioners in the field. Through a series of lectures, open discussions, site visits, chaplaincy narratives and personal as well as collaborative reflection, the class will provide students with encounters with the vocation of chaplaincy in its multifaith, pluralistic expression in the 21st century academy. Course Objectives: - Provide an introductory overview of the history of chaplaincy on college and university campuses in the United States- Interrogate the variety of purposes and missions that inform chaplaincies in various settings of higher education- Explore the range of structures and practices chaplaincy assumes in its diverse contexts- Interrogate approaches to the dismantling of white supremacy in higher education chaplaincy settings- Investigate and highlight best practices in chaplaincy- Explore the qualifications and opportunities for professional employment in higher education chaplainciesSpecial Schedule Notation: This spring term course is offered intensively for one week in January during semester recess in the week before classes begin, Monday-Friday 10:00-AM-3:30 PM. The course also includes four mandatory morning seminars (7:00-9:00 AM) , once in the fall term in November 20 and three times in the spring term in February, March, and April. Enrollment is limited. Registrants must contact the instructor beginning September 8 in the years offered to pre-register. First-come, first-served. Requirements for the course include written responses to the required readings, a book report, a daily journal, a group research project, two seminar presentations, and a final research project or paper.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Maloney
JTERM
07:00am-09:00am
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Special Schedule Notation: This spring term course is offered intensively for one week in January during semester recess in the week before classes begin, Monday-Friday 10:00-AM-3:30 PM. The course also includes four mandatory morning seminars (7:00-9:00 AM) , once in the fall term in November 20 and three times in the spring term in February, March, and April. Enrollment is limited. Registrants must contact the instructor beginning September 8 in the years offered to pre-register. First-come, first-served. Requirements for the course include written responses to the required readings, a book report, a daily journal, a group research project, two seminar presentations, and a final research project or paper.
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2948
Pastoral Care for Congregations
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course is meant for students intending to pursue congregational ministry and will help students prepare for and reflect upon the pastoral tasks, demands, and opportunities of congregational leadership and life. We will read narrative accounts of ministry as well as engage in case studies and conversation about pastoral care and community life. Students will prepare reflection papers and present cases of their own. Prior or present pastoral service in a religious community (e.g. field education in a congregation or similar, whether formal or informal), is required to take the course, as is the permission of the instructor.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Potts
W
01:00pm-02:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Those interested in applying for this course should email the instructor by November 12, describing their interest in the course and their previous congregational experience in no more than 300 words. Applicants will be informed of their permission to enroll no later than November 15 - BTI STUDENTS EMAIL PROFESSOR
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PAST 7015 H1
Pastoral Counseling: Theory & Practice
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Listening is at the heart of pastoral counseling. Yet what the pastor/minister hears is shaped by his or her theoretical orientation, belief system, worldview, and lived experience. This course seeks to give students the opportunity to study different pastoral counseling theories as they go beyond the limits of their own stories in the context of practicing foundational counseling skills.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Philip Mamalakis
M
6:30 - 8:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PAST 7110 H1
Worldwide Christ. Mission. Movement
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course will offer a survey of the spread of Christianity from its apostolic origins in Jerusalem in the first century to “all the nations” throughout the world by the 21st century. Christianity is the largest World Religion with 2.5 billion adherents. We will look at missionary efforts from the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant/Evangelical perspectives, focusing on their different missionary methodology and history. Each different historical period offers examples of vast and rapid spread, as well as periods of stagnation or retreat. We will discuss reasons behind these different attitudes and historical events. During the last century the gravity of global Christianity has shifted dramatically into the southern hemisphere, with now the majority of Christians no longer being white European and North American, but people of color from outside these two geographic areas. We will discuss these changes, as well as look at the charismatic movement which impacts more than 25% of all Christians worldwide.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Luke A. Veronis
T
6:30 - 8:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7006
Grief and Loss
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Grief may be understood as the response to a significant loss. We will explore pastoral, theological, religious, and secular perspectives on grief and loss and seek to integrate these perspectives where appropriate. We'll consider important new research in thanatology and review traditional psychological theories of grief in light of contemporary critiques. We will explore the experience of grief in light of context and culture and consider which features may be universal. We will attend to often unrecognized dimensions of grief—disenfranchised grief and the grief born of injustice. We'll focus on how to respond pastorally to grieving individuals and communities.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kelley, Melissa M
W
10:00AM-12:50PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Hartford International
AM-521-1
Contemplative Prayer Practices
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course introduces students to a range of practices of contemplative prayer, centering in a broadly ecological context: both Earth itself as our shared creaturely home and the particular places where students live. Students will engage in experiential elements that are adaptable to the students’ own tradition and/or context, including traditional forms like centering/mindfulness, Ignatian Examen, and lectio divina as well as social justice/feminist, land-based, shadow- and dream-based practices. Students will have the opportunity to research and lead the class in a prayer practice of their own tradition, context, or creative innovation as well.
Course fulfills the following curricular requirements:
MAIRS - Interreligious Studies: Elective
MAIRS - Islamic Studies: Religious Pluralism
MAIRS - Ministerial Studies: Beliefs and Practices of the Christian Faith
MAC - Chaplaincy Elective
MAC - Islamic Chaplaincy Elective
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dahill
R
5:00 - 6:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPS7090
Ministry in a Diverse Church: Latino Perpectives and Beyond
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Catholicism in the United States is presently shaped by rich cultural traditions that demand creative approaches to ministry in the midst of diversity. Nearly 45% of all Catholics in the country are Hispanic, 40% Euro-American, 4% Asian-American, 3.7% African-American, among others. Students in this course explore key questions and discuss ministerial strategies that will help them develop cultural competencies for effective ministry today. The course builds on the U.S. Latino/a Catholic experience as a case study while addressing core issues in ministry that affect everyone in the Church. Ecumenical and international perspectives are welcomed into this conversation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Noriega, Brenda
ASYNC
ASYNC
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
ASYNC
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston College School of Theology & Ministry
TMPT7315
Mitigating Trauma
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Traumatization occurs at the interrelated social, psychic, and physiological boundaries of life and death. This course offers an introduction to trauma healing and prevention for contexts of pastoral and spiritual care. It surveys approaches to trauma developed in peacebuilding, public health, and psychology, as well as the emerging subfield of trauma theology. Assignments include a book review, a presentation, and a research paper. This is a discussion-based (not lecture-based) class. Close reading is required.
Professor
Class Day & Time
DuBois, Heather
R
06:30PM-09:00PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
CO635
Crisis and Trauma Counseling
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
This course will examine the foundations, contextual dimensions, and basic knowledge and skills of crisis and trauma counseling. The effects of developmental processes and transitions, disaster, situational crises and other trauma-causing events will be addressed. It will focus on trauma-informed counseling practices and interventions to conceptualize and treat client presentation. Additional emphasis will be given to crisis incident stress management, psychological first aid, spiritual first aid, and counselor self-care.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kim, Angie
T
9:30am-12:30pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-Hamilton
IS/WM520
Understanding Culture
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
The subject of this course is the cultural anthropological and missiological study of culture. It is designed to both challenge and support students to grow in their cultural awareness, and to also develop cross-cultural competence for building healthy and God-honoring relationships within diverse communities. Lectures, guided by the Bible and theories and data of anthropology, will encourage students to create environments that make God’s reconciling initiatives apparent in church life and in our missional engagement with our neighbors and express the gospel in ways that both celebrate our differences and bring us toward unity in Jesus Christ.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Cho, Eun Ah
T
1:30-4:30pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 2930
Spiritual Care in Psychedelic Settings
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
With the resurgence of psychedelics in research and clinical settings, the field of psychedelic chaplaincy has burgeoned. The spiritual, existential, religious, and theological experiences that psychedelics engender positions chaplains to compassionately and skillfully provide care to those receiving treatment in these settings. This course focuses on the theory and practice of spiritual care for people receiving psychedelic treatment with particular attention paid to spiritual care competencies, assessments, and interventions; the history and contemporary state of therapeutic psychedelics; and the development of one’s identity as a spiritual care provider. Students will gain the ability to articulate the role of a chaplain in the preparation, guidance, integration, and community support for patients undergoing psychedelic treatments; facilitate spiritual health and growth; and attend to the unique epistemic, spiritual, and even ontological aspects of non-ordinary, mystical, and transcendent states of consciousness.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Deonauth
R
9:00am-11:00am
Grading Option
Letter
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
This is a limited enrollment course and requires instructor permission. Prospective students may email the instructor prior to the first class meeting to express their interest and should attend the first course meeting. In the event that the course is overenrolled, prospective students will be asked to write a short paragraph during the first class meeting expressing their interest and aspirations for the class. Selected students will then be invited to enroll in the course by the end of the first week of classes. Course to be taught by Tara Deonauth, MDiv, BCC (tara.deonauth@gmail.com)
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PAST 6022 H1
Theology Of Pastoral Care II
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
Theology of Pastoral Care II is intended to build upon Theology of Pastoral Care I by presenting a framework for understanding contemporary pastoral issues through the lens of Orthodox theology of the person, sickness, healing, and salvation. This class is not intended to provide you with the 'right' answers for pastoral decisions. Rather, this course is designed, through the readings, class discussions, and assignments to develop your understanding of Orthodox pastoral care and your thinking as an Orthodox Christian and future minister/pastor. The models of Orthodox Pastors/Saints explored in the first semester class serve as witnesses to the Orthodox pastoral care framework we will develop and discuss this semester as we explore contemporary pastoral issues, and secular theories and research. Particular attention will be placed on understanding how to access and integrate current secular knowledge into an Orthodox worldview todevelop an appropriate pastoral response. Students will be invited to explore and discuss different dimensions of the pastoral care relationship and explore, independently and as a class, how one might address contemporary pastoral care issues. As in the first semester, particular emphasis will be placed on how we work together in the classroom, and on campus, as we develop an Orthodox understanding and approach to pastoral care.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Dr. Philip Mamalakis
MW
9:10 - 10:30 AM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PAST 7025 Z1
The Sacred Arts
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
In the earliest centuries of Christianity, “mystagogy”—the meaning of the Church’s worship, its environment, and its ritual practice—was conveyed to adult converts through catechetical orations. Over time, as initiates came normatively to be received in infancy, mystagogy had to be taught through other means. Individual writers composed standalone treatises, which were composed and disseminated, and the Church in the Early and Byzantine periods incorporated these, and earlier liturgical hermeneutics through the interplay of homiletics, hymnography, architecture, and iconography. Students in this seminar-format class will investigate development of the content and form of mystagogy by engaging its primary sources and select studies: beginning with the scriptures, early church orders, and catechetical orations; in the next phase, moving to the texts of (ps.) Dionysios the Areopagite and St. Maximos the Confessor; then, turning to elaborations in sacred architecture and the development of hymnography, such as the historical kontakion with its influence on preaching; after that, looking toward the iconographic programs of Middle and Late Byzantine architecture following the defeat of iconoclasm; and finally, critically examining post-Byzantine and modern examples, identifying opportunities for historical recovery, contemporary synthesis, and future growth.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Dr. Lucas Lynn Christensen
T
6:30 - 8:50 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
3
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
Y
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
PAST 7212
Preaching Practicum
BTI Category
Semester
Practical/Pastoral Theology
SP26
A required practicum for those enrolled in PAST 7201 in the current/previous semester.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Rev. Luke A. Veronis
T
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Grading Option
Letter, P/F, Audit
Credits
0
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Prerequisite: PATR 5020 Orthodox Christianity I
This course is limited to students in the Youth/Young Adult Ministry and Leadership Certificate program.
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