HOLLAND — Western Theological Seminary’s Center for Disability and Ministry and InterVarsity Press Academic are partnering to co-brand a series of books about disability and practical theology.
The series will aim to provide a way to share research and conversations generated by the Center for Disability and Ministry and related work of other scholars and authors. The goal of the series is to spark conversations around “key issues in disability theology with a view to increasing knowledge, creatively and faithfully impacting Christian practice,” according to a press release.
The books will use practical theology as a basic framework and will also be targeted to congregations.
Benjamin Conner, director of the Center for Disability and Ministry at WTS, and John Swinton, director of the Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, will serve as co-editors for the series.
Conner’s book “Disabling Mission, Enabling Witness” was published with IVP Academic in 2018.
“The more I learned about the research, teaching and community outreach programs he and Western Theological Seminary have been building, the more interested I’ve been to deepen our partnership,” IVP Academic editorial director Jon Boyd said. “The chance to collaborate on books about disability and practical theology is a perfect fit.”
“Our new partnership puts us on a really exciting road, I think, allowing both the Center for Disability and Ministry and IVP Academic to do what we each do best, but to envision greater things than we could on our own.”
“The time seemed right to pursue a publishing partnership to amplify the work done through and stimulated by the CDM,” Conner said. “Both John and I felt that IVP Academic would be the best partner because of their commitment to the academic conversation and their capacity to distribute the work.
“We hope that this partnership between the CDM and IVP Academic will provide the perspectives and resources necessary for supporting churches to become more inclusive of both the gifts and challenges that the human experience of disability can bring for shaping congregations for faithful ministry to all people.”
In addition to the CDM, Western Theological Seminary has developed a Friendship House for young adults, including those with disabilities, to share seminary life and initiated a graduate certificate and doctoral program relating to disability and ministry.
