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Dr. Ginger Morgan Announced as New Associate Professor and Program Director for Interreligious Chaplaincy

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, April 16, 2026 — United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is thrilled to announce that Dr. Ginger Morgan will join its faculty as the new Associate Professor for Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Program Director for Interreligious Chaplaincy. Dr. Morgan will come to United from Madison, WI, where she is concluding her role at the Presbyterian Student Center Foundation as director of Candid and Community Initiatives. She is a highly qualified program director and chaplain with experience in healthcare, campus ministry, and higher education. With a PhD in Religion and Psychological Studies from Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver, as well as a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) from Vanderbilt Divinity School, Dr. Morgan draws from her theological and multidisciplinary education in her work. Interreligious studies is one of United’s four pillars, and the Interreligious Chaplaincy (IRC) program—unique among peer institutions—constitutes the largest and fastest-growing of the seminary’s programs over the past five years. In alignment with United’s ethos, Dr. Morgan is a gifted scholar of religious pluralism, highly educated in progressive theological education, and foregrounds justice in chaplaincy and pastoral care. These values are evident in a chapter titled “Many Doors: Expanding Thresholds for Grace,” written by Dr. Morgan for the upcoming book Dispatches from Campus (Augsburg Fortress Press). Dr. Morgan’s career also reflects her personal experiences and identity. Writing to the search committee, she shared, “My formation includes reconciling my lesbian identity with my faith and living as a religious minority in India during high school, both of which shaped my intercultural perspective and vocational commitments.” She continued, “Throughout my career, I have sought to create inclusive spaces of belonging, whether supporting LGBTQIA+ students, young adults in recovery from addiction, or building programs attentive to justice and equity." Rev. Dr. Molly T. Marshall, President, reflects, “United welcomes Dr. Ginger Morgan with confidence and great enthusiasm. Her varied leadership roles, especially in chaplaincy, equip her uniquely to lead our robust IRC program and to teach pastoral and spiritual care.” In his announcement to the student body, Dr. Kyle Roberts—Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs—noted that Dr. Morgan’s “career in chaplaincy spans hospital, hospice, and higher education contexts, and extensive program leadership experience.” He added, “I want to thank Dr. Demian Wheeler for leading this search process, especially during its formative stages during my sabbatical.” After participating in a months-long faculty search and on-site candidate lecture, being recommended by a unanimous faculty vote, and gaining approval from the Board of Trustees’ Academic Committee, Dr. Morgan will officially begin on July 1. Students, faculty, and staff are eager to welcome her to United for this exciting new chapter. For more information about United’s Interreligious Chaplaincy program, click here. About United Founded by the United Church of Christ (UCC) as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the creative edge of progressive theological thought and leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to educate leaders who, through the eyes of faith, engage in the dismantling of systems of oppression, exploring multi-faith spirituality, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Contact Nathanial Green (he/him) Director of Marketing and Communications press@unitedseminary.edu • (651) 255-6138 Admissions and Enrollment admissions@unitedseminary.edu

Against Hate: United Pagan Student Group on Asatru Folk Assembly in MN Town

Both the Pagan and Christian students, as well as the faculty, of the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities express regret over Murdock City Council’s 12/8/2020 decision in favor of the Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA). Any form of discrimination, exclusion, or racism done in the name of religion is a travesty. And in their ruling, Murdock City Council has allowed the AFA — an SPLC-designated hate group with a history of racism, transphobia, and heterosexism — to use a former church as a northwestern base of operations.United holds sacred the values of hospitality and inclusion. Although our student body is predominantly Christian, we do count practitioners of Paganism and Heathenry in our community. And because Heathenry and Paganism are smaller, lesser known spiritualities, they tend to be more easily and broadly painted by the louder and more unsavory outliers. We of United Pagans see the AFA as appropriating our traditions and ignoring the fundamental values of hospitality in the name of white supremacy. The AFA’s notion of Heathenry as a decidedly ethnic path is a denial of historicity and an affront to the many faces of the Divine. And their well-known association with white supremacist and neo-nazi politics mark the AFA as more akin to a hate group than a valid religious reclamation practice.All of us at United are joined in the recognition that the AFA is NOT representative of Heathenry. And United’s multi-religious community stands by the people of Murdock and the work of the Murdock Area Alliance Against Hate in their efforts to disassociate themselves from the AFA, especially in calling to go on record against welcoming what the AFA represent into Murdock. (more…)

Message from United Faculty on Trans Day of Remembrance 2020

Transgender Day of Remembrance calls us to honor transgender and non-binary people who have needlessly lost their lives due to violence, medical neglect, and suicide.  United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities decries these deaths and grieves the loss of these human beings, disproportionately from communities of color, created in the image and likeness of God. (more…)

“A Rare and Magical Space”: An Interview with Community Partner Allison Jones

Allison Jones is a community partner and friend of United who has participated in numerous events and programming at the seminary, including Arts Lunch, Social Transformation events, and Queertopia United. She is a long time musician and emerging artist with a passion for social justice, education, and public health. She currently works in the education department at JustUs Health in Saint Paul. I sat down with Allison Jones last Friday Nov. 13 to interview her about her experience being a community partner with United.  (more…)

What Do You See?: A 2020 Online Art Gallery from the United Community

What do you see? What do you hope for your community? For United? The world? What images, words, gestures, sounds might capture your prayers and petitions? Where are you already finding beauty? These are some of the questions that the artworks below respond to. They include glimpses of natural beauty, invoke community and connection, create moments of rest and restoration; they bless the work that still needs to be done. With the world and our country and communities in tumult, wrestling with multiple pandemics, natural disasters, and social injustices, the need for hope and prophetic vision is greater than ever. At United we believe that the arts are uniquely powerful and transformative in visioning a better world and bringing it to be. (more…)

Cycles of Violence: On Breonna Taylor, the Verdict, and Sacred Protest

The following message comes from CARJ, United's Committee Advocating for Racial Justice: Above all else, our politics initially sprang from the shared belief that Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else's but because of our need as human persons for autonomy.          -The Combahee River Collective, “A Black Feminist Statement” (more…)

Unexpected Healers: How the next generation of chaplains is changing the way we think about spiritual care

Back when I was a CPE educator in a large, metropolitan hospital system, I often gave my students an interactive assignment for their first day of training. I asked them to place themselves in busy lobbies, cafeterias, and waiting rooms at their assigned hospital, then sit at a table with open faces, a video camera, and a sign that said, “Tell Me What a Chaplain Does?” (more…)

Building Interreligious Bonds: United Partners with The Islamic Seminary of America

On August 6, 2020 United announced a partnership with The Islamic Seminary of America (TISA) to develop a degree in Interreligious Chaplaincy with a focus on Islam. This fully accredited MDiv degree combines United’s Interreligious Chaplaincy courses with other general courses offered at United with core courses in Islamic theology and religious texts taken through TISA with a faculty led by Dean Yasir Qadhi Ph.D.. The degree will be available to students beginning in January 2021. (more…)