Low Residence, High Impact:

Alum perspectives highlight strengths of Hybrid Program

by C arly l ane

In January CDSP announced a new curricular approach, committing to a hybrid-only model for its degree and certificate programs beginning in 2025 (see “Hybrid Shift,” pp. 4–7).

The seminary has long been a leader in online theological education and spiritual formation, especially through its Hybrid Anglican Studies and MDiv Programs launched in 2011 and 2014 respectively (though formerly known as “Low Residence”—see “CDSP… Everywhere,” p. 2).

A recent series of conversations with alums of these programs surfaced a number of significant themes about the impact of this learning modality both during students’ studies and beyond.

Accessibility & hybrid vocation

One of the primary virtues of a hybrid format is that it makes theological education and formation for Christian leadership available to students who might otherwise be unable to attend seminary. they couldn’t in good faith uproot and relocate for a residential program. Others discussed the financial burden associated with doing so.

Some alums discussed the importance of maintaining their current jobs while enrolled in the program and how this professional continuity informed their sense of call:

“If you’re asking me to leave what has been my primary vocation in order to be formed for ministry … [y]ou’re asking me not to engage in the kind of blended vocational work that I feel I’m being called to do,” said the Rev. Sarah Kye Price (MDiv ‘18), PhD, professor of social work at Virginia Commonwealth University and vocational development minister for the Diocese of Virginia. Price also served as St. Margaret’s visiting professor of women in ministry at CDSP last year.

Several hybrid alums cited family or other life commitments that meant

“To do that blended vocational work, I can’t leave one side of my vocation and actually get the formation I need,” she added.

Relatedly, several alums spoke of how enriching it was to be able to continue to rely strongly on networks of local support (healthcare providers, mentors, ministerial communities, close friends, etc.) while pursuing their new or evolving call.

Diversity & contextual ministry

One benefit of increased accessibility for the CDSP Hybrid Program has been a broadening of many factors in the overall demographics of enrolled students.

“I was connected to and in formation with a much more diverse group of people than I would have been otherwise,” said the Rev. Dan Carlson ‘22, curate at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Portland, OR, who spent time as both a residential and a hybrid student. “That’s in terms of age, life experience, and where we were in the world.”

Many hybrid alums agreed, speaking enthusiastically about the wide range of life experiences represented in their cohort of classmates. One class included students based in Massachusetts,

Oregon, and Japan; another included students based in New York, Hawaii, and California.

“My seminary experience exposed me to fellow students and faculty who are very different from me,” said the Rev. Ryan Baker-Fones, curate at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Eugene, OR. “We come from different backgrounds, have different experiences, and are in different contexts.”

The Rev. Tim Dyer ‘19 added that such exposure is essential, given that political and social issues are divisive in many communities where students will serve. Price made a similar point:“We constantly brought our contexts into our learning with each other. And I think that that’s different than when everyone comes together at [a] residential seminary … I think the constant exposure to each other’s contexts helps you become aware of the contextual nature of [ministry].”

Community & applied learning

Another refrain that stands out from these conversations is the profound sense of community within the hybrid program, a sense of digital intimacy.

The Rev. Amy Newell-Large ‘22, curate for parish life at St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, CO, is another alum who participated in both learning modalities. She reported that the online forums supported especially rich sharing.

“People could really think deeply,” she said.“We trusted one another and could share very openly. I think that also contributed to the depth of our relationships, our willingness to engage theologically, wrestle with one another a little bit, and always do so with so much thoughtfulness.” As a result, she said the “the depth and strength” of relationships in the program were, and continue to be, important to her.

In a similar vein, the Rev. Robin Woodbury ‘20, deacon-in-charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Canton, OH, shared that she and her hybrid classmates “built lasting relationships online” and “still stay connected … celebrating each other’s ordinations and marriages, and sharing anything else we have going on.”

The Rev. Anthony Jones ‘20, assistant priest at St. Augustine’s Church in Brooklyn, NY, and the Rev. Alex Leach ‘19, priest-incharge at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Woodland, CA, each made a related point. They suggested that because they were daily engaging both their coursework and their local contexts, they had the opportunity to apply, reflect on, and then share what they were learning with one another in a powerful way.

“The online education gives you an opportunity to bring those things forward,” Jones said.

The Rev. Joél Muñoz (CAS ‘21), EdD, also spoke to the power of this repeated action-reflection model. Muñoz is curate at St. Francis in-theFields Episcopal Church in Zionsville, IN, and a public school administrator working in the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township.

“My way of understanding ministry and the work that I actually did at the time as a school leader was pushed and challenged in ways that I could apply,” he said.“It wasn’t, ‘Here’s a theory and we’re going to just think about it.’ I was gonna go—as soon as I finished my course readings, I was applying it as I worked with the families, the students, the community, and the faculty of the school.”

Still more perspectives

The summary above represents a very small sampling from this rich series of conversations with hybrid alums. Together, the interviews paint a picture of an initiative that is offering highly-accessible degree and certificate programs to people from all walks of life, including those who feel called to hybrid vocations; fostering opportunities for applied learning as students engage coursework while embedded in their various contexts; and cultivating a deep sense of community between diverse students, so they can effectively enrich and support one another as leaders in a diverse and evolving Church.

To read more individual excerpts and view a video highlight reel, visit cdsp.edu/hybrid-stories .