This quote points to a social reality many seminary-trained clergy leaders who serve as pastors, ministry leaders or in other professional capacities are acutely aware of.  Sex and the Seminary reports that 9 in 10 seminary-trained leaders are not required to take a course about sexuality to obtain their Master of Divinity (MDiv).* However, these very same people enter church and community-based ministry settings where they support people who are impacted by sexuality issues and concerns.  

Sexual Theology Project aims to help pastors, ministers, and other clergy leaders who have attended seminary to make connections to sexuality, theology, and church ministry. This work seeks to connect clergy to the resources, tools, and support in doing the work to write a sexual theology that can serve as formational to wholistic ministry within their faith communities. Faith communities are ripe for meaningful dialogue related to their bodies, sex, and sexuality and are looking for clergy leaders confident to lead these conversations. These realities call for a project that equips clergy leaders with the resources, tools, and support to help them lead their churches and spiritual communities in honestly addressing human sexuality topics across the lifespan.

The vision for this project is to support the wholeness of the entire community by increasing the number of seminary-trained clergy who can foster healthy dialogue around sex and faith and articulate a sexual theology to better support their communities.  The project seeks to accomplish the following: 

• Increase the knowledge of human sexuality matters across the lifespan

• Identify practical ways for incorporating sexuality topics through teaching, preaching, and guiding

• Engage in open-honest dialogue about opportunities, obstacles and connections encountered in supporting the sexual-spiritual wholeness of people in their congregations and communities

*Kate Ott. “Sex and the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual Health and Justice”. New York: Union Theological Seminary, 2009.