Many individuals involved in ministry never had the chance to receive theological education. Now Grand Rapids Theological Seminary is giving them the chance.

Last September, GRTS started the Urban Cohort Initiative.

“The program is about teaching and equipping men and women who are already engaged in ministry. Some have been pastors or leaders for 20 plus years,” seminary President Doug Fagerstrom said.

These leaders have been involved in ministry a good portion of their life, but they wanted to take their education a step further.

“The cohort is made up of seasoned urban leaders,” Fagerstrom said. “They are each doing urban ministry in a significant way. However, they have never had a previous opportunity to gain a formal theological education.”

Tara Kram, director of admissions at GRTS, said most of these students were not able to be enrolled in seminary earlier in life because they did not have the time, resources or opportunity to pursue it.

They have now been offered the opportunity they missed earlier in their lives. Fagerstrom said there has been a “marvelous response.”

Last fall, 25 urban ministry leaders enrolled as seminary students.

“It has grown to 27 enrolled students with a waiting list of 43 at this time,” Fagerstrom said.

The leaders are involved in ministry ranging from Mel Trotter to churches all around the area to the Salvation Army.

Some of the students enrolled in the cohort are Justin Beene, who works for Bethany Christian Services; Daniel Parker and Doriane Parker, both serving at Kingdom Life Ministries; and John-Thomas Richards, whose ministry is at Calvary Church.

Stedford Sims, who works at Sherman St. CRC; Denise Stevenson, serving at City Hope Ministries; and Christy Carlin Knetsch, working at Madison Square CRC, are three other students enrolled in the class.

In addition to the above students, Nathaniel Moody, Jessie Jones and Joseph Jones all minister at Brown Hutcherson Ministries, and Dennis McMurray works at Renaissance Church of God in Christ. Another student, Daniel Oglesby, is the vice president of human resources at Spectrum Health, and Cynthia Parney serves at City View Church.

Two more students are Roger Ross, working at the Salvation Army, and Robert Paterson, whose ministry is at The Edge Church.

Students involved in other various ministries are Albert Logwood, Will Moore, Jo Oglesby, Celeste Babers, Julian Guzman, Christopher Powell and Satina Thrower.

Every Tuesday evening this group of students gathers together at the seminary. Fagerstrom said these leaders have indicated this opportunity has impacted their teaching and preaching greatly.

“They are learning more about the Bible than ever before,” Fagerstrom said.

Kram reiterated this. “Those involved have expressed the benefit of being in class with other urban ministry leaders and engaging Bible, theology and ministry from a new perspective,” she said.

Not only are they learning within the cohort, “there is a sweet and contagious spirit among the leaders,” Fagerstrom said. “They are eager and willing students as they learn and develop their ministries, all at the same time.”

Fagerstrom said the students are very positive, energized and growing together.

Fagerstrom said if anyone talked to a student enrolled in the cohort, “You would have heard an excitement in their voice and [seen] an enormous smile on their face.”

In fact, Dennis McMurray, senior pastor of Renaissance Church of God, is enrolled in his first class in the cohort, an Old Testament course taught by David Kennedy, associate professor of Old Testament. He had nothing but good things to say about the course.

“The class has been worth its weight in gold many times over,” McMurray said in an enthusiastic voice. He said the word “fantastic” does not do justice to the cohort and the opportunity it has presented to him.

He said not only has the cohort sharpened him personally and helped him deepen his knowledge in ministry, “It accommodates my life style as a senior pastor.”

“GRTS offering the cohort [allowed] me to do something that I’ve been desiring to pursue for 20 years,” McMurray said.

And unlike the average college course, “The course attendance is nearly 100 percent each week,” he said.

These individuals all enrolled in the cohort to grow in the knowledge of their ministry and to increase their own biblical knowledge. However, their focus has moved beyond that.

“They are also getting to know the other leaders in our community and becoming friends and colleagues,” Fagerstrom said. “They have begun to wonder and anticipate what God is going to do through them as a group—not just as individuals.”

“God is at work. They are growing, and so are we,” Fagerstrom said, speaking of the students in the cohort and the seminary faculty.