Sustaining Ministry Education: Cultivating the Ecotone of Lifelong Learning, edited by Darryl W. Stephens. Atla Open Press, forthcoming September 2026.
A once-in-a-generation resource for leaders in lifelong learning for ministry!
Lifelong learning for ministry is the fastest-growing area of theological education in North America. Located at the confluence of church, society, and academy, lifelong learning is an “ecotone,” a transitional space with its own distinct ecology. Thus, the program directors and theological librarians resourcing lifelong learning are often on the forefront of educational innovation and attuned to the needs of churches and their communities. By bringing together directors of programs, theological educators, and theological librarians to share research and best practices, this book promotes a healthy ecotone focused on discovery, innovation, nurture, and sustainability.
Sustaining Ministry Education: Cultivating the Ecotone of Lifelong Learning, edited by Darryl W. Stephens. Atla Open Press, 2026.
An open access publication for program directors, theological educators, and theological librarians.
Contributors
Lindsay Andreolli-Comstock, co-founder and the managing director of Tumbuh Global and president and principal consultant for The School of Global Citizenry.
James Bell, Director of Nicholson Library at Anderson University and School of Theology in Indiana.
Helen M. Blier, Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary and President of the Association of Leaders in Lifelong Learning for Ministry (ALLLM).
David C. Chao, Director of the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Doris García Rivera, Academic Coordinator for Pathways and contingent faculty at Lexington Theological Seminary.
Lisa Kimball, Vice President for Lifelong Learning and James Maxwell Professor of Lifelong Christian Formation at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Katharine E. Lassiter, Senior Director of Lifelong Learning and DMin at Meadville Lombard Theological School.
Joshua E. Livingston, Program Manager for the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Jessica Lugo Meléndez, Executive Director of the Association for Hispanic Theological Education (AETH).
Glenn Melville, Director of the Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning in Auckland, New Zealand.
Jodi L. Porter, Director of Education for Ministry Innovation and adjunct faculty at Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia.
Jennifer L. Sanborn, director of development for The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.
Darryl W. Stephens, directs lifelong learning programs for the Moravian University School of Theology and the Greater New Jersey Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Kris Veldheer, retired theological library director and rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sturgis, Michigan.
Funding
This project was supported by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Open access publication was made possible through Atla Open Press.