Serving the Church

Our Alumni

We want to know what you up to. If your contact information changes, you accept a new call or change employers, or have a major life event, we want to know. Just fill out the form below.

Alumni Updates Form

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Columbia Grads

A New Generation of Pastoral Leaders

Columbia’s students serve local congregations as pastors and teachers and lead the way in redefining the frontiers of ministry. We are here to support you on that journey.

We invite you to nominate your fellow alumni for one of our alumni awards.

The Pioneer in Ministry Award shall be given to alumni who exemplify the ideals expressed in Columbia
Seminary’s Mission (found in the Seminary catalog) as well as recognize the passion,
commitment, and dedication of a recent graduate.

The nominee shall be distinguished through the demonstration of faithful ministry and leadership
in the service of God, courageous in conviction, the desire to continue to grow and learn in
ministry to the larger church while fulfilling the intentions of seminary training in fulfillment of
Columbia’s Mission Emphasis.
Examples of such service follow, but are not limited to: effective small church pastor,
demonstrated servant leadership, powerful positive impact on a community or congregation,
potential leadership in the church, service in a ministry of education, or other non-parish related
ministries.
An eligible recipient would, in general, be at least three years
graduated and no more than fifteen years graduated with a basic degree.

The Distinguished Service Award shall be given to Alumnus who exemplify the ideals of the mission of
Columbia Theological Seminary. All active members are eligible for nomination under the following guidelines:
A. A nominee shall have demonstrated an obedient and faithful ministry in the service of
God. In her or his life and work, the nominee shall have modeled well the Christian
life, demonstrating the wisdom of faith that comes through many years of experience
and knowledge of God and God’s creation gained through diligent study.
B. A nominee shall be an alumnus with a record of leadership in the Church, courage
of conviction, and working in partnership with the governing bodies and other
agencies of the church.
C. Selected nominees shall be present at the awards ceremony in which they are to be
honored. Exceptions may be granted for extraordinary reasons.
D. Current members of the Faculty and Staff of the Seminary and current members of
the Alumni/ae Council are not eligible for nomination. Members of the Board of
Trustees are eligible.

Alumni Award Nomination

For both Distinguished Service Award and Pioneer In Ministry Award

  • Max. file size: 50 MB.

Ministering to Ministers

Supporting Wounded Clergy

Ministering to Ministers (MTM) assists clergy in crisis after a forced termination or events that could potentially lead to a forced termination.

Learn More

Lifelong Learning

Continue Your Education

Stay curious. Keep exploring your passions through Columbia Seminary's lifelong learning program.

Learn More


Donate Today

Support Future Alumni

Whether you give to Meet the Call, the annual fund for Columbia Seminary, or give to the Repairing the Breach Endowment fund. Your gift helps pave the way for future alumni.

AR26 Workshop Schedule

Thursday 9:00 – 9:55amWorkshop Block A“Preaching the Easter Texts”
Anna Carter Florence

“Wonder of Worship 2026!”
Kathy Dawson

“How to be a Faithful Middle-Class Christian in America”
William Yoo

“The Church and/against/with Artificial Intelligence”
Dr. Mark Douglas & Dr. Rafael Reyes
Thursday 11:15-12:25Workshop Block B“Preaching the Easter Texts”
Anna Carter Florence

Title TBD
Rebecca Spurrier

“Spiritual Care as Embodied Integrity”
Dr. Jonathan Ball 
Thursday 2:30-3:45Workshop Block C“Candid Conversations: Communal Dialogue on Music, Liturgy & Leadership”
–  Tony McNeill & Columbia Students

“Spiritual Care as Embodied Integrity”
Dr. Jonathan Ball

“The Church and/against/with Artificial Intelligence”
Dr. Mark Douglas & Dr. Rafael Reyes

“Theology for Easter Morning”
Tim Hartman
Friday 9:00-9:55Workshop Block D“Candid Conversations: Communal Dialogue on Music, Liturgy & Leadership
Dr. Tony McNeill & Columbia Students

“Grounding Spiritual Practices for Ministry & Life”
Sharon Junn

“How to be a Faithful Middle-Class Christian in America”
William Yoo

Candid Conversations: Communal Dialogue on Music, Liturgy & Leadership

Imagine a roundtable opportunity for current students and alumni to talk about the surprises, challenges, lessons, and blessings of leading worship in the local church. Moderated by Dr. Tony McNeill, CTS Affiliate Professor of Worship & Seminary Musician, this session will provide space for CTS students and alumni to bring questions, ideas, and testimonies to a time of shared reflection and looking ahead.

Tony McNeil &
Columbia Students

The Church and/against/with Artificial Intelligence?

How might the church think about its interactions with, especially, generative artificial intelligence (e.g., Chat GPT, Perplexity)?  This session offers participants the occasion to think about what AI is, what risks it poses, what promises it offers, and how the church might engage AI even as both church and AI are undergoing times of rapid and dramatic change.

Mark Douglas
Dr. Rafael Reyes III

Wonder of Worship 2026!

In this workshop time, we’ll be exploring what the Lilly Endowment Wonder of Worship grant has been doing in its first 2 ½ years of operation. We’ll engage with what we are learning from our partner churches about intergenerational worship that takes the presence of children seriously and spotlight the resources the grant is producing  and curating that can benefit your church context.

Kathy Dawson and her handmade puppet Zeb.
Kathy Dawson

How to be a Faithful Middle-Class Christian in America

In this workshop, Dr. William Yoo tackles an urgent but perplexing question: What does it mean to be a faithful middle-class Christian in America? There are abundant resources in the Bible and theology to instruct the powerful and inspire the powerless, but Dr. Yoo is looking for divinely inspired wisdom to help people like him: Christians residing in between the rich and poor who neither wield absolute authority nor find themselves pushed to the margins. Dr. Yoo is excited to present his findings and share his convictions about how ordinary middle-class Christians can faithfully engage contemporary challenges such as the rise of white Christian nationalism, the decline of the American dream, and more.       

William Yoo

Embodied Integrity: Neurobiology, Relational Systems and the Art of Connection

This workshop introduces Embodied Integrity, the vital intersection where sacred vocation meets the science of the nervous system. Whether in a hospital or a parish, your physical presence is the primary instrument of care. Drawing on Polyvagal Theory and Interpersonal Neurobiology, we will explore how a regulated nervous system creates the safety required for soul-level connection. We will then expand this lens to “systems-thinking,” learning to maintain that groundedness amidst the pressures of communities and institutions. Join us to learn how to align your theology, biology, and contextual wisdom to offer care that is ethically grounded and emotionally resonant.

Sermon Preparation for the First Sunday of Lent: Reading the Verbs in Matthew 4:1-11.

Join Dr. Anna Carter Florence and colleagues on a walk through a process of discovering the verbs and discovering preaching angles for the First Sunday in Advent.

Anna Carter Florence
Anna Carter Florence