It. Is. Finished.
Introduction
64,280 words. 254 Pages. Three years. 12 professors. Countless hours. That is the quantification of my seminary career. This portfolio demonstrates a great deal of growth. It demonstrates the roots of my faith as they have developed over the last three years. From basic knowledge to discipline and Sacred Pathway discovery, much of this portfolio includes my very first interactions with all of these concepts. First and foremost, you will read my Capstone work. The final thoughts of this journey. In the appendixes you will view all of my prior works developed over the last four years. The appendixes are ordered by core courses, specialization courses, electives, and Capstone projects. Each appendix includes sub appendixes for courses and further sub appendixes for specific course works. Each sub appendix is separated by page breaks and headers as well as listed separately in the table of contents.
Conclusion
More than anything, this seminary portfolio represents the journey. My journey has been riddled with so much change. Divorce. Four jobs. Health challenges. A whirlwind courtship and marriage. A new home. All of this instability and change is evident as one read through the Appendixes. However, you will also see how my journey created stability in the midst of the chaos. You will see immense gratitude for my faith community, my seminary education, my husband, and the disciplines and pathways Seminary has infused into my life in a way they wouldn’t have otherwise.
My hopes and intentions for ministry have changed drastically since the beginning of my seminary journey. However, the real value in my seminary journey is the how and the why behind ministry. I started seminary in order to fulfill what I thought was a call to vocational ministry. However, the why behind ministry has led me to begin a ministry made solely of volunteerism and service. To take on the cost of a seminary degree with the intention of some sort of return on investment, to ultimately settle into a vocation that requires no formal training what-so-ever and devote my newfound education to volunteer ministry… That is truly amazing to me.