Starr King School for the Ministry is designed to be student-centered, where with the help of an Academic Advisor, you can craft the education that you want and need to live into your call to ministry.
To provide some structure, we created Thresholds, which also align with the Unitarian Universalist’s Competencies for the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. Each Threshold learning outcome corresponds to traditional disciplines in the field of religious study. The eight Thresholds are:
These Thresholds provide guidance into well-rounded ministry. These include developing and growing leadership skills, studying systemic oppressions, building just and sustainable communities that counter oppressions, developing or deepening your own spiritual practices, and engaging others in multi-religious conversations that are counter oppressive. To learn more about the Thresholds and outcomes, please visit our Threshold page.
Each class embodies one or more of these areas, which are clearly identified in course descriptions. This way, it’s easy to keep track of them during your time at Starr King and a great way to assess how you are journeying through your degree.
However, Thresholds were not meant to exist in a vacuum. The Thresholds include all of you, not just your SKSM education. We understand that ministry is about all the learnings that we have – education, vocation, volunteer work, and so much more. Threshold Assessments are completed at the beginning, middle, and end of your degree program in order to determine growing edges, as well as identify the areas in which you have fulfilled requirements. If you are going to see the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, the final Threshold Assessment comes in handy when completing essays for Competencies.
If you want to learn more about Thresholds, courses, or any part of Starr King, please feel free to connect with us.
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Each student’s course of study is individually designed.
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