Director’s Message

Time to Sift Apart

We discern a lot in life: when it’s time to seek a new job, what to do when the marriage is strained, when to guide teenagers and when to let go, where to move in retirement, how to approach conflict with a neighbor, or what treatments to pursue after a diagnosis.

Discernment comes from the Latin verb discernere, which literally translates "to sift apart." I learned this from a seminary professor, who explained that discernment is like pouring all the contents of your life into a sifter and letting that which no longer belongs fall away.

Discernment isn’t about choosing; it’s about shaking off the accumulated dust of life and keeping only what remains. In the Christian tradition, we believe the Holy Spirit helps us sift through the contents of our life to find what God wants us to see more clearly.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and the Office of Continuing Education, is continually discerning what the church and its leaders need. Because God’s world and God’s church are alive and ever-changing, we must discern how to best fulfill our purpose of forming and educating leaders to serve this church and world.

Through recent conversations with church leaders, PTS has discerned two pressing needs in today’s North American church: education and training for co-vocational lay pastors and asynchronous online continuing education for ministry leaders of all types.

PTS believes we have the resources and capacity to meet these needs, and last month we announced the development of Ignite: Microcredentials for Ministry. This program is made possible through generous funding of the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative and will be directed by the Office of Continuing Education.

Are you discerning something right now, or do you want to grow your capacity to sift apart the contents of your life? Register for an online course starting in January titled "Companions in Ignatian Discernment," designed and led by Pneuma Institute and delivered by PTS Continuing Education. See below for details and registration.

Peace,
The Rev. Erik Hoeke
Director of Continuing Education
McNaugher 211
412-924-1346
ehoeke@pts.edu

There's Still Time To Register!

Rethinking Christology for a New Missional Era

With the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells and the Rev. Dr. Edwin van Driel

Nov. 20, 2025, 11:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

In Person and Online

What do we say the Christian faith is about? What is the unique thing we find in Christianity but nowhere else? According to recent research, most pastors and church planters would answer these questions with “Jesus”—but find it difficult to express what difference he makes. Older soteriological models no longer seem to resonate; past language no longer feels life giving.

Drs. van Driel and Wells have recently published books in which they double down on the centrality of the incarnation for God’s relating to creation while offering fresh ways to unpack the meaning of the gospel for a new missional era. In this event, the presenters will explore their recent work alongside clergy and others, fostering shared reflection on the incarnation. Then, the Rev. Dr. Jessica Anschutz, director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, will join them for a conversation about the purpose of the church.

Register now! We hope you will join us!

An Online Spiritual Formation Course

Companions in Ignatian Discernment

Am I Called to the Ministry of Spiritual Leadership or Spiritual Direction?

Jan. 10, 17, 24, and 31, Feb. 7, and 14, 2026, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Designed and led by Pneuma Institute, delivered through PTS Continuing Education

Join a small community of lay and ordained persons sensing a call to the ministry of spiritual leadership, companionship, and/or direction for a journey of experiential learning and prayerful individual discernment.

Individuals interested in this class should be participants in a Christian faith community and have experienced a silent, directed retreat or the full Spiritual Exercises in any format. It is also desirable that the participant have six months or more of individual spiritual direction or willingness to begin regular spiritual direction.

Learn more and register.

Elsewhere in the Neighborhood

Metro-Urban Institute's Grant Writing Workshop, Nov. 19, 6:00 p.m., with Karris Jackson, In Person and Online

Faith Forming Families' Children's Spirituality Discussion Breakfast, Dec. 4, Free, In Person

Neighborhood Theology Video Series

How can churches adapt to a changing world while staying rooted in their identity and calling? In the latest episode of Neighborhood Theology—a project of the Seminary’s Neighborhood Collaborative—the Rev. Erik Hoeke, PTS director of continuing education, sits down with the Rev. Dr. Tod Bolsinger, leadership coach, author, and co-founder and principal of AE Sloan Leadership Inc. Together, they explore how congregations can practice faithful, adaptive leadership: understanding who they are, discerning their neighborhood’s needs, and creatively expressing their God-given gifts for the good of their communities.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to check out future videos!

PTS News and Resources

PTS Receives Lilly Grant to Launch Ignite: Microcredentials for Ministry

The Seminary has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help launch Ignite: Microcredentials for Ministry, a bold new initiative to form and equip Christian lay leaders for pastoral ministry through competency-based theological education. The program provides affordable, accessible, competency-based theological education that equips lay and bi-vocational leaders with the knowledge, skills, and spiritual formation needed to serve congregations through online learning, mentoring, and practical ministry experience. Read more.

Advent Devotional and Resource Kit Available

The Seminary's Advent Devotional and Resource Kit are now available! This complimentary devotional provides a reflection for each day of Advent, based on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s daily lectionary. The devotionals are written by PTS alums and can be accessed in various ways:

▪	Read and listen online or print and share.

▪	Receive daily e-mails. (Scroll to the bottom of this e-mail, select “Preferences,” watch for an e-mail from GoDaddy with the link to change your subscription, and pick “Devotionals (Advent & Lent)” from the list. Or, enter your information online and select “Devotionals (Advent & Lent).”)

▪	Request your printed copy. Call 412-362-5610 or e-mail reception@pts.edu.

Other downloadable Advent resources, including sermons, reflections, videos, and children's activities, are also available. Read more.

Continuing Education is part of the PTS Neighborhood Collaborative, which includes the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, Continuing Education, Faith Forming Families Network, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology, Metro-Urban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission Initiative. Together, in their respective and collective work, these programs foster vocational discernment, co-learning, and transformative action for the common good by connecting diverse neighbors locally and globally.