About Sean

Before joining the faculty at Uniting College, Sean spent over twenty years as a Minister of the Word in congregational ministry within the Uniting Church. He enjoys bringing the richness of that experience to leadership formation through Supervised Field Education and teaching in areas related to ministry practice. He believes that the love of God and imaginative application is core to all fruitful expressions of ministry and mission. His recently awarded PhD thesis is entitled, Spiritual Affections and the Pastoral Disposition. Flinders University awarded Sean the Vice Chancellors Medal for ‘Thesis Writing Excellence.’

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Units taught by Sean

• MINS1510 Introduction to Formation for Ministry

• MINS2528 Supervised Field Education

• MINS2534 Liturgy and Worship (in the Protestant Tradition)

• MINS2801 Integrative Ministry Practice

• MINS3321 Church, Ministry and Sacraments

• MINS3335 God the Trinity

• MINS8557 Reflecting on Best Practice in Ministry

 

Recent Publications

• ‘Paying Attention to Divine Beauty: Jonathan Edwards, spiritual practices and the forming of affective disciples.’ National Assembly of the Uniting Church Research Colloquium, Melbourne, November, 2015.

• ‘The Promise and Synergy of Integrative learning: Reflections on Recent Classroom Experience’’, ANZATFE Biennial Conference, Melbourne, December 2015 & Revised for UCA National Educators Conference, Brisbane, 2016.

• ‘‘Theological Aesthetics and the Atonement of Christ’ 2016 ANZATS Conference, Melbourne, 2016.

• ‘Why the ‘art’ of Christian ministry?’ ANZATFE Research Day, Melbourne, 2016.

• ‘First be Filled: Pedagogical Practices for Formation’’, ANZATFE Biennial Conference, Sydney, December, 2017 & revised for Graduate Research Hour, Uniting College, 2018.

• ‘Humilitas & Ethical Ministry Practice’, ANZATS Conference Auckland, 2019.

• ‘Free of Contract. Free of Charge.’ New Times, December 2019.

• Spiritual Affections and the Pastoral Disposition PhD Thesis, Flinders 2020. Unpublished and embargoed until 2022.

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Qualifications

• Bachelor of Theology – Flinders University, SA.

• Diploma of Pastoral Care – Adelaide College of Divinity

• Master of Arts (Hons) – Andover Newton Theological School, MA.

• Doctor of Philosophy – Flinders University, SA.

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Positions

• Coordinator Professional Pastoral Supervision

• Coordinator & Teacher of Supervised Field Education​

• Executive Member of Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Field Educators

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About

Sean is somewhat eclectic. He is a reader of culture, a player of acoustic music, a writer of liturgy and an occasional writer of poetry and song. He is also a keen political observer, a lifelong supporter of Essendon Football Club, and in 2019 coached an U/16 district-cricket club to a Premiership.

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Sean is married to Christine and has a blended family of five, ranging in age from 18 to 35. He has one grandson aged 6 and a near two year old granddaughter.