“Every person in the pews on a Sunday morning is a theologian, whether they realize it or not,” said The Rev. Porter Taylor, rector, St. David’s by-the-Sea, Cocoa Beach. With this philosophy in mind, the church has launched The St. David’s Institute (SDI) to provide accessible theological training for members of St. David’s and beyond.

Taylor announced the launch on Jan. 31 during his Vision Sunday sermon. On Feb. 4, the first product, The Lenten Resource Guide, became available on the parish’s website.

“I am thrilled with the response to The Lenten Resource Guide,” Taylor said. “When I announced the St. David’s Institute’s launch, I had so many people bubbling with ideas and questions. One of the most excited about our classes is one of our 90-year-old parishioners, who has requested a course on eschatology.”

“The Collect for COVID-19” from “The Liturgy During a Pandemic.”

The Lenten Resource Guide includes numerous prayers, including “The Collect for COVID-19.” This collect comes from “The Liturgy for a Pandemic” that Taylor wrote in March of 2020 out of his need to have language for his response to the pandemic. To date, it has been downloaded in 94 countries, and several churches around the country have incorporated the collect into their weekly worship.

Two parishioners also started plans to create a resource library on the parish campus, and Christ Episcopal, Melbourne, and St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce, also distributed The Lenten Resource Guide.

St. David’s is in the midst of a complete branding and website overhaul, and SDI will have a section on the new website with downloadable resources. All will be free to use and distribute, while some seminars and classes might have small fees associated with them to cover guest lecturers’ fees. “We will also record several of our classes so people can participate at a distance,” explained Taylor. “If we’ve learned anything this year, it’s the importance of digital accessibility!”

SDI has three purposes. The first is to provide helpful and practical resources for parishioners, the deanery and the diocese. “In the beginning, these will be things like resource guides for church seasons, special liturgies, collects for personal and corporate use, etc.,” explained Taylor. “Eventually, we’d like to put together some resources in video and e-book formats.”

SDI’s second purpose is to equip St. David’s members and the community with theological education through seminars and special one-off events, which will also be available to the deanery and diocese. “They might focus on things like theology in worship or theology in art, or even a class for parents on teaching theology in the home in readily accessible and fun ways. We have one member who is an artist who is excited to teach a course on writing icons.”

The institute’s third purpose involves a longterm goal. “It will take several years to develop but will be more structured and provide longterm courses,” said Taylor. “For example, we plan to offer a St. David’s Institute Certificate with several courses taken over a 12- or 18-month period, ending in the development of a resource written by the participant, which we then offer in part of our library of resources.”

Taylor is currently developing a Bible study called Kingdom Glossary, which will be available for clergy to download and use as inspiration or in full format. “The study will go through important words, concepts and phrases that are foundational to our understanding of kingdom mission,” he explained.

Taylor is also working on SDI’s first course, “Theology Basics,” which anyone may attend. “This course will teach people how to begin to think theologically and then give an overview of some of the theological study areas,” he explained. “It will make all of those ‘-ology’ words accessible for all stages of theological study. We will answer questions like ‘What are soteriology, pneumatology and Christology, and why should I care?’”

Right now, Taylor and his wife, Rebecca, comprise the writing/development team. “I have already spoken with several academic colleagues who are very excited to come on board for special events,” he said.

“There has been a divorce between the theology taught in institutions of higher education and that of the local parish for too long,” Taylor said. “By returning theology to the heart of the local parish, every member is equipped for kingdom ministry and mission without the expensive degree and fancy piece of paper to prove it!”

For more information on SDI, please go to stdavidsbythesea.org.