Fostering Pastoral Assembling: An Interdisciplinary, Practical Urban Ecclesiology Course

The transition from academic theological education to pastoral ministry is a well-documented challenge. This gap between seminary and ministry is, for instance, examined in From Midterm to Ministry (2008). More comprehensive studies from the US context, such as Educating Clergy (2006) and the Learning Pastoral Imagination (LPI) project (2016; 2023), alongside a recent Scandinavian study (Felter et al. 2022; Kaufman et al. 2024), further explore this transition and its complexities. Additionally, the concept of pastoral imagination, as developed by Craig Dykstra and expanded through the LPI project with its emphasis on prudence (phronesis), has significantly influenced discussions on pastoral learning within US practical theology (Dykstra 2008; Scharen & Campbell-Reed 2012).

Building on insights from a Scandinavian study on novice clergy and their transition from seminary to ministry, this paper presents an undergraduate course in urban practical ecclesiology aimed at bridging this gap by integrating interdisciplinary academic learning with field-based experiences. Through a combination of lectures, field visits, and ethnographic methods, the course facilitates a dynamic interplay between different forms of knowledge. Drawing on Aristotelian distinctions between episteme, techne, and phronesis, we analyze the pedagogical design and learning outcomes, arguing that the course fosters a mode of theologizing conceptualized as pastoral assembling, rather than pastoral imagination. The presentation will include interactive course examples and student video reflections, illustrating the impact of this approach.

The course primarily serves students pursuing a theological degree with the aim of ordination in an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Scandinavia. It is structured around three main components:

1. Lectures, classroom discussions, and workshops – These sessions establish a foundation in urban ecclesiology, theological reflection, and qualitative research methods.
2. Field visits – Students explore various congregations, urban ministry settings, and inner-city locations in a Scandinavian capital, engaging with local representatives and encountering diverse socio-economic contexts.
3. Student-led field studies – Working in pairs, students conduct a small-scale ethnographic study of a congregation of their choice, culminating in a field study report.

A key feature of the course is its emphasis on embodied learning. Field visits expose students to the material, social, and spiritual dimensions of urban congregations. Before each visit, students familiarize themselves with the congregations' online presence, which we, as educators, categorize alongside in-person observations and interactions onsite as qualitative data.

Engagement with local representatives is followed by group reflections, where students and educators collaboratively analyze their experiences. Educators model how sociological and theological frameworks from the course literature can be applied to interpret ministry contexts. These discussions facilitate an iterative learning process, integrating theoretical perspectives with field-based insights.

Field visits serve as a core pedagogical strategy, enabling students to engage directly with urban congregations while developing analytical skills, including the ability to analyze material spaces and artifacts. Moreover, these visits introduce students to the practice of ethnographic research methods, such as interviewing, observation, and photo ethnography. The learning experience is characterized by an oscillation between different forms of knowledge:

• Episteme: Classroom instruction and field lectures provide theological and sociological frameworks for understanding urban church life.
• Techne: Fieldwork methods, including interviewing, participant observation, and photo ethnography, cultivate research competencies. Engaging with ministry practitioners offers students concrete insights into pastoral leadership and contextual challenges.
• Phronesis: By interacting with real-world ministry sites—environments shaped by material artifacts, social dynamics, and congregational culture—students synthesize academic insights with pastoral wisdom, refining their capacity for contextual theological reflection.

Conducting field visits as a group fosters a collaborative learning environment in which students critically engage with diverse perspectives, sharpening their ability to articulate and refine theological, methodological, and pastoral insights. The interplay between individual and collective reflection deepens analytical thinking and supports the development of what we define as pastoral assembling.

This concept underscores that theologizing in pastoral work occurs within complex and hybrid networks that extend beyond the immediate congregation (Latour 2005). Pastoral assembling is a mode of theologizing in which meaning is constructed through connections between diverse actors and entities, including those embedded in Christian traditions. In this framework, theological reflection is not solely an internalized cognitive act but an emergent process shaped by interactions between pastors, physical spaces, texts, digital tools, prayers, vestments, and the Holy Spirit. Rather than perceiving theology as a static body of knowledge applied to ministry contexts, we argue that theology is enacted and generated through pastoral practice, as clergy assemble and interweave multiple elements—including aspects of Christian traditions—to create meaning.

Viewing pastoral work as assembling rather than as an act of individual imagination has significant implications for theological education. If pastoral agency is relationally distributed, clergy formation should extend beyond individual development to include pedagogical practices that engage students in complex pastoral networks. This necessitates integrating digital literacy, material awareness, ethnographic fieldwork, and collaborative theological reflection into ministerial education.

Our analysis suggests that the interdisciplinary approach to practical ecclesiology in this course enables students to transcend a theory-to-practice model, fostering a dynamic interplay of knowledge forms. By weaving together epistemic, technical, and phronetic modes of knowledge, the course cultivates a contextually embedded theological competence. The findings indicate that this pedagogical model holds significant potential for bridging the academic-practical divide in theological education, equipping students with the analytical and pastoral skills necessary for contemporary ministry—both in urban settings and beyond.