Stephanie Douglas-Bowman
MA, 1998
DMin, 2024 (expected)
After returning from overseas work as a missionary, I came to Wycliffe to do an MA in Theology, intending to pursue a career in academics. God had other plans! I have now served for over twenty years in pastoral ministry as a priest in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. A particular focus of my ministry has always been faith formation in children and youth, and at one point I found that interest needed more formal structure for me to pursue it more satisfactorily. That is when I decided to return to Wycliffe to pursue a DMin, researching faith development in children and the domestic church.
The first time around, I chose Wycliffe because of faculty at the College and at the Toronto School of Theology (TST) who were qualified to guide me in my obscure field of research (enculturation theology, African Independent Churches). The well-rounded education I gained has stood me well in pastoral ministry.
The second time around, I chose Wycliffe again because it provided a program that was rigorous enough academically, while recognizing the demands of its full-time working students. During my doctoral studies, I have been able to explore the wealth of insights from the field of psychology and education insofar as they touch on faith transmission and faith development, drawing from the wealth of specialization across the TST colleges. My doctoral research program is a course I've developed called Young Disciples. After graduation, my hope is to polish up the materials to make the program useable to other interested Anglican churches.
