PTS Students Participate in Faith-Based Nonprofit Fellowship
July 19, 2018
This summer, Princeton Theological Seminary students Kerwin Webb, Ryan Slaughter, and Romee St. John joined the Center for Public Justice, a Christian civic education and public policy organization, as members of the Sacred Sector Fellowship initiative. Webb, Slaughter, and St. John are three of twelve seminarians who have been selected for the first year of this new initiative.
“We are incredibly impressed with this year’s cohort. These students represent a range of seminaries, and also come to us with a variety of professional interests and experiences,” said Chelsea Langston Bombino, Director of Sacred Sector. “After a week in the classroom with them, I am hopeful about the energy they will be bringing to their job placements.”
Sacred Sector Fellowship equips current or recently graduated seminarians with the skills and experience to lead within the faith-based nonprofit sector. The program provides emerging leaders with a holistic framework to integrate and fully embody their sacred missions in every area of nonprofit governance. Fellows receive training in public policy, organizational best practices, and strategic positioning.
The program kicked off with a five-day intensive training in Washington, D.C. From there, Webb, Slaughter, and St. John will work as consultants at their respective organizations: First Rock Baptist Church, the Council for Christian College and Universities, and Greater Fellowship. All of these organizations are located in the Washington, D.C. region.
On his experience with the initiative, Slaughter remarked: “Sacred Sector has provided me with holistic framework and strategies to help organizations fully embody their God-given mission. This Fellowship has expanded my professional connections, developed my resourcefulness and increased my commitment advancing organizations’ faith-based mission.”
St. John also added: “I want to have this experience so I could supplement my seminary training with learning about the administration and management of faith-based organizations. I have already learned a great deal about setting up policies that accord with law, while creating the necessary levels of accountability for a nonprofit to thrive.”
On the importance of the program, Webb stated: “I believe that this program is important for seminarians because it will allow them to gain useful, real-world experience while further discerning their call to ministry. Fellows have the unique opportunity to impact organizations and communities while living out their faith, which is crucial for effective ministry.”
Webb, Slaughter, and St. John will spend nine weeks applying what they have learned in Sacred Sector training. As strategic consultants, they will target areas for growth and seek to equip faith-based organizations to embody their sacred mission in every area of their organizational life.