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The Pastoral Leader: Spirituality, Ethics, and Justice

Partner Disciples Seminary Foundation
Learning Pillar Wisdom-Based Leadership
Rigor Level Medium

How do pastoral leaders spiritually sustain themselves and their congregations/organizations to create the kinds of change they want to see in their communities?  How do we maintain a passion for justice? This course will introduce spiritual practices that can both ground us and propel us. What direction will your ministry take from here?  What values do you want to embody and carry forward? What values do you want to see your congregations/organizations embody and carry forward? And how will you take care of yourself in the process? 

Competency Areas

Aligned with Competency Area(s) 7, 12

7. Ethics

Be able to help parishioners think critically about the relationship of their faith to issues of justice, ethics and morality.

12. Spiritual Development

Establish and maintain spiritual disciplines that lead to personal growth and help others develop a rich spiritual life.

The Pastoral Leader: Spirituality, Ethics, and Justice

Taught by Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre

This course explores how pastoral leaders sustain themselves and their communities while pursuing justice and change. It introduces spiritual practices to ground and energize ministry, helping leaders clarify their values, guide their congregations, and care for themselves along the way.

This course is part of the DSF Certificate Program.

Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre

Meet Your Instructor,
Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre

Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre is Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He served as the elected President of the Society of Christian Ethics in 2012 and as Executive Officer for the Society of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion from 2012 to 2017. A recognized international Fulbright scholar, Dr. De La Torre has taught courses at the Cuernavaca Center for Intercultural Dialogue on Development (Mexico), the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (Yogyakarta, Indonesia), the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), and Johannes Gutenberg University (Mainz, Germany). He has also lectured at Italian Adventist University (Florence, Italy), University of Auckland (New Zealand), United Theological College and Charles Sturt University (Sydney, Australia), Pilgrim Theological College and University of Divinity (Melbourne, Australia), Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana (Costa Rica), the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (Thailand), and the Council of World Mission (Mexico and Taiwan).

Advocating for an ethics of place, Dr. De La Torre has led students on immersion classes to Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Peruvian Amazon, and the Mexico/U.S. border to walk migrant trails. He is a frequent speaker at national and international scholarly and religious events, including the Chautauqua Institute and the Parliament of World Religions, and speaks widely to churches and nonprofit organizations on the intersections of religion with race, class, gender, and sexuality. A recipient of multiple national book awards, he was honored by the American Academy of Religion with the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020 and the Martin E. Marty Public Understanding of Religion Award in 2021, becoming the first scholar — and the first Latinx — to receive both of these prestigious awards.

Join this course’s forum conversations