Registration is now open for the next two sessions of the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency course, an innovative eight-day intensive course designed for diocesan staff, clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians to gain cultural competency for Latino/Hispanic ministry.

Participants have their choice of two sessions:

• Monday to Monday, August 10 – 17, 2020 at the School of Theology, Sewanee in Sewanee, Tennessee.
• Monday to Monday, May 24 – May 31, 2021 at Boston University, School of Theology in Boston, Massachusetts.

These popular sessions are offered by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries and taught by seminary faculty, clergy, and lay leaders with extensive experience in Latino and intercultural ministry. The course includes classroom lectures, site visits, and worship services.

“Combining academic learning with hands-on experience, the purpose of this multi-faceted intensive course is to provide cultural competency of the history, culture, socio-demographic, and religious aspects of the Latinos/Hispanics in the United States,” explains the Rev. Canon Anthony Guillén, Episcopal Church missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries. “Also, this course will provide the foundational tools necessary for church leaders to discern and explore the type of Latino/Hispanic ministry that best fits a congregational setting and its context.”

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

• Describe the socio-demographic, cultural, and religious characteristics of Latinos/as in the United States, including generational distinctions.
• Provide a broad religious history of Latinos/as and discuss theological issues related to Latino/Hispanic ministry.
• Recognize the worshiping needs of dual-language congregations and prepare for multicultural liturgical celebrations.
• Demonstrate familiarity with the general aspects of ministries aimed at immigrant and first-generation Latinos/as, as well as ministries focused on the more acculturated and English-language speaking Latinos/as of the second and third generation.
• Articulate the complex issues related to Latino immigration, including its political, socio-demographic, and pastoral implications.

The course will be conducted in English.

Click here for registration for the August session at Sewanee. Registration deadline is July 10, 2020.

Click here for registration for the May session at Boston University. Registration deadline is May 7, 2021.

Registration includes tuition, accommodations, meals, transportation to and from airports, and transportation during the course. Registration does not include textbooks. Limited scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Guillén at aguillen@episcopalchurch.org.

NOTE: 1. Academic credits are available through the two seminaries for an additional fee. 2. Continuing education units are also available for all participants upon completion of the course.