Faithful Servants: Douglas Wingeier

The Faithful Servants Series gives an in-depth look at the work of some of Garrett-Evangelical's beloved retired faculty and senior scholars, as well as their reflections on their time at Garrett-Evangelical.

1.  WHAT DID YOU VALUE/APPRECIATE ABOUT BEING AT GARRETT-EVANGELICAL?

        One thing I appreciated during my time (1970-1997) was the collegiality and mutual respect among faculty. We each had our respective gifts and specialized roles, and were valued for our diverse contributions. Some were primarily scholars; some gave leadership in church, community and society; some helped adminster seminary programs; and some had strengths in all three areas. But all gave priority to classroom teaching and the professional formation of pastors and church educators. As Associate Dean for Ministry Programs during many of these years, I had occasion to call on faculty colleagues to give leadership in the Doctor of Ministry, Continuing Education, Summer School, and Field Education programs. As able and when available, most responded to these requests with enthusiasm and grace. As a team we complemented one another's gifts and expertise. I especially remember the late Jim Ashbrook, a renowned scholar in his field of pastoral psychotherapy, also under treatment for cancer, who yet volunteered as a consultant in Field Education and a D.Min. seminar leader. Another was Bob Jewett, a New Testament scholar who was working on a massive Romans commentary, who agreed to chair the D.Min. Committee. And all of us took on our share of committee assignments, advisee loads, and exams at the students' annual checkpoints. Whether in the classical or practical fields, we all were honored for what we had to contribute, accepted for our diverse theological perspectives, and trusted as members of a collegial enterprise.

     I also appreciated the opportunity to design the first Garrett-Evangelical Doctor of Ministry program, and to direct it for 17 years. I was given free rein to develop a program that embodied my educational priorities: faculty-student collegiality, shared clergy-lay ministry, self-directed learning, correlation between academic learning and ministry practice, theological reflection on experience, self- and peer-evaluation in relation to learning goals, interdisciplinary team-teaching integrated around theological themes, and ministry focused on personal and social transformation. These principles were manifested in several innovative features. Entering pastors--whom we called "participants" rather than students--engaged first in a "ministry assessment lab" (which I co-led with pastoral counseling colleague John Hinkle) where learning contracts were hammered out. Thematic seminars team-taught across disciplinary lines were followed by papers and projecs that integrated theory with practice. An advisory team, composed of both clergy and laity in the local setting, provided participants with support, accountability and evaluation, and carried equal weight with faculty assessment in measuring progress. Regional colleague groups composed of several participants and a faculty coordinator met regularly for sharing and support. And, at the end, the diploma could be presented in a ceremony in the local congregation which had shared in the benefits of the program. At its peak, this demanding program had about 80 participants in four tracks, and clusters in Alaska, Central Illinois, North Indiana, and Korea.

        2. FAVORITE COURSE. 

I developed an elective course called "Christian Education as Faith Translation," based on my book, Working Out Your Own Beliefs, which utilized the guidelines of the "Wesley Quadrilateral"--scripture, tradition, reason, and experience--in relating faith to everyday life, and contained sharing exercises related to each of these elements. As the quarter proceeded, trust and intimacy developed to remarkable depth. Once the prescribed exercises had been completed, the class identified other issues to explore using this method. One year, a young African-American woman suggested reflecting on the "Roots" series, a rerun of which was currently playing on TV. When I asked how many were watching it, only she and I raised our hands. This deeply offended the woman, who exploded with resentment at such disinterest in her heritage. Taken aback by her vehemence, the group fell silent, but then began to share their interracial experiences. With the floodgates released, strong feelings of fear, prejudice, anger, sympathy, and bewilderment were expressed. The exposure of these raw emotions served to enhance candor and deepen trust. The class became bonded in a shared experience of the divisive power of racism and the healing grace of confession and acceptance. During the rest of the quarter the class explored other controversial issues, made possible by the honesty of this one person. who later commented to me that it was in this class that her whole seminary education really "came together."

        3. SPECIAL PROJECTS. 

Before coming to Garrett-Evangelical I was, for eight years, a missionary, teaching Christian education at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. Although the Christian mission was central to my vocation, during my years at Garrett-Evangelical I could give only marginal attention to this aspect of ministry. However, after my retirement I turned my attention in this direction. I first volunteered for six years as a reservist with Christian Peacemaker Teams, a group which placed our bodies on the line between hostile forces to protect endangered people in troubled places. My assignments were in Hebron Palestine, Chiapas Mexico, and Barrancabermeja Colombia. After that, I taught for ten summers the course on "Mission" in the Course of Study School at Wesley Theological Seminary.  Growing out of these experiences I have now published a book entitled, Marks of Mission: A Life Transformed by 50 Years in Mission. This has led to my being invited by United Methodism Women to teach the course on "Poverty" in one of their regional schools this coming summer. In these endeavors my commitments to mission and education continue to coalesce, enabling me to bring my years of experience together as I continue to grow and serve as an activist theological educator.