Kurty Darling will serve for one-year as Visiting Instructor for Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) Ministry and serve as grant manager for the Nurturing Children through Worship and Prayer initiative grant. Kurty is a Ph.D. student at Luther Seminary and holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and Sociology from Bethel University and an M.A. in Narrative Theology from United Theological Seminary. She has taught for the past five years at Bethel University on the topics of Christianity and Western Culture, Great Books of the Western Humanities, Spiritual and Faith Formation, and Theological Research.

What drew you to studying theology and why does narrative theology interest you?
I was drawn to the field of practical theology because of the rich way it brings together theory and practice. To me, theology is a vibrant and living reality that finds purchase in the lives of individuals, in the history of the church, in the ever-coming action of God, and within the interpretation of the scriptures. Practical theology brings each of those elements into its method, and I find that to be necessary and interesting. Narrative theology remains important to me because it takes seriously the story of the text and the storied life of the interpreter—I think it gives life to readers of scripture today.

What are some compelling and problematic aspects of evangelical visions of a flourishing life?
For many evangelicals, a life that is lived well is a life that is guided by the Spirit of God, which is a beautiful thing. I would say it is not an easy thing to do in our world, where the plausibility of belief itself is in question. But the movement itself can often get in its own way as its worship practices and biblical reading strategies center results, growth, and often control.

Tell us about the Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer grant. Why is children’s ministry seen as secondary when raising children in the faith is so important to Christian communities today and into the future?
Raising children in the faith is so important! We are hoping to orient the church around the important work of the children’s minister. There is something theologically significant about the encounter between child and children’s minister. The church often looks at what happens within children’s ministry as a kind of holding space for the work of the real church service. Within the grant we will be hosting cohorts of children’s ministers, and Andy Root will be writing a text that explores some of these issues.

What are you most excited about as you continue to connect with the Luther Seminary community?
I am excited about the way that Luther Seminary is committed to serving the needs of the church into the future, even as we do not really know fully what those needs may be. The people I have met so far have a great energy and excitement about taking on what is to come. It is a refreshing attitude to meet, when the unknowns of the future could create an atmosphere of fear.

We’re all excited about the new residency program. How can we support the initiative?
The residency program is about to launch, and the team is excited to see where this program leads. At this point, we still have capacity to partner with another organization in bringing together spiritual formation and theological education to someone who may be working in a ministry and curious about pursuing seminary education or full-time ministry in the future. So if you know of a place, feel free to reach out!