ESR Access
Not everyone with a call to ministry is free to relocate to the area where his or her preferred school is located. ESR Access is designed with these students in mind, combining two-week intensive courses and on-line, internet-based courses to provide an educational option that prepares persons for ministry in a distributed education format.
Students who enroll full-time in the School of Religion through ESR Access will come to Richmond, Indiana twice per year for two-week intensive classes. Four other courses may be taken, selected from the school's on-line courses or from the courses taught at one of ESR's regional sites, where courses are also offered as two-week intensives. Currently, these sites are located in California, Connecticut, Iowa, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Students may participate in the ESR Access program full-time or on an occasional student basis.
For full time participants, ESR Access begins with an intensive course in Richmond, Indiana. This course focuses on spiritual formation, and is also designed to allow Access students and ESR faculty to meet and become personally acquainted. This initial course provides an opportunity for students to experience life at ESR, and to meet fellow students with whom they will be interacting via electronic media in the on-line courses. This time together allows for periods of worship and Common Meals, each of which is important in our conception of learning in community. Throughout the Access program, intensive courses offer an opportunity to come together for the purpose of learning a variety of practical ministry skills and of engaging topics important for a well-rounded theological education. Foundational, introductory courses, such as Introduction to Theological Reflection or Old Testament History and Literature, are offered on-line, as these courses generally demand longer periods of time to consume and process large amounts of information. This combination of course offerings creates stimulating learning opportunities that continue ESR's commitment to transformational educational experiences while meeting the logistical needs of many persons.