Threshold Self-Assessment
In our first year at Starr King, we are asked to complete the Threshold Self-Assessment. This tool, developed by the Starr King faculty, helps students evaluate several learning outcomes to prepare for religious leadership in a multi-religious and counter-oppressive context. This document tracks students’ progress and transformation during their learning journey at Starr King. During the Mid-Degree Portfolio Conference, we then have an opportunity to reflect on our initial Assessments and discuss our growth since then.
I submitted my initial Threshold Self-Assessment in the Spring of 2022, during my second semester of Seminary. The following sections of this page contain the original responses I submitted at that time, as well as my reflections as of the Spring of 2025.
Explore the Threshold Self-Assessment Themes
Spiritual Practice and Care of the Soul
When I began Seminary, I was largely unfamiliar and uncomfortable with spirituality; as I wrote in my initial Assessment, “I grew up in a form of Unitarian Universalism that largely rejected spirituality. " I came to Starr King grounded in the communal aspects of Unitarian Universalism but divorced from the spiritual and theological foundations of our faith, and at the time, I saw my spiritual ministry as primarily directed at supporting others in their spiritual practices while I began to process my spirituality in a Unitarian Universalist context.
Through courses and experiences at Starr King, I began to uncover the Seeds of my spiritual self which set me on my journey to claiming my ministry grounded in spiritual practice and understanding. It’s gratifying to see how far I’ve come on this journey and how much my spirituality has Bloomed; I have developed spiritual practices and become familiar and comfortable with ritual craft as an aspect of my ministry that grounds and supports my personal growth and engagement with the work. Integral to this process has been understanding myself as a spiritual person and identifying my needs, which have been met through deeper self-reflection and engagement with a home Unitarian Universalist congregation.
In a communal sense, I have also gained direct skills in providing spiritual and soul care to myself and communities through WEAV, The Languishing Project, and direct practice in chaplaincy. Though my focus has expanded beyond the scope of supporting young people, I still feel called to help individuals “develop a strong sense of spirituality to support their personal lives and justice work,” and I have continued to work in my ministry to integrate spiritual and pastoral support as a critical aspect of my empowerment of others. I have also begun to learn how to meet the need for “holistic pastoral care,” and am continuing to investigate how I can apply these skills within multi-religious and pluralist contexts.
As with all of these thresholds, but maybe most specifically the Spiritual Practice threshold, I recognize that my work towards spiritual and pastoral ministry is not yet complete; though I have come a long way in these past three years, my spirituality and relationship with pastoral care will evolve as I do. I hope to continue to deepen my exploration of spiritual practices and concepts and to settle into a regular spiritual practice that can sustain me as I grow my ministry. I also hope to gain more practical experience with pastoral care and chaplaincy and to learn how to better serve not just those in our Unitarian Universalist communities but the wider world. In my initial Assessment, I wrote about “creating containers” to help support others in their spirituality. Looking forward, I hope my ministry can become that container for others within my community and myself.
Educating for Wholeness and Liberation
When I initially considered my call to ministry, I don’t think I envisioned myself as a teacher. When I came to Seminary, I felt there were solid distinctions between “teaching” as a formal practice and “educating” as an informal practice. Even with my previous leadership positions in activist and community-organizing spaces, I hesitated to call myself a “teacher,” preferring to speak of the educational opportunities I had facilitated for others. I also don’t think I was particularly interested in exploring education as a primary function of my ministry beyond educating “communities about the realities of systems of oppression” within a Unitarian Universalist context.
My initial experiences at Starr King helped complicate my understanding of teaching and learning. From my courses and professors, I came to understand that education is not a static practice, nor is it a “one-way street” where information is transmitted from a “teacher” to a “student,” but that we are all teachers and learners in this work and through our ministry. These experiences helped me rethink my relationship to education and laid the Seeds for my future approach to teaching in a ministerial context.
Through my time at Seminary, I have also learned that the most important work of education is not delivering information but instead supporting individuals in developing their perspectives about the world. I reflected on this idea in my initial Assessment, writing that I hoped to “become better at helping people search for answers” through my ministry. I have continued to explore this idea throughout the past few years, and today, I understand this as a call to create and hold containers wherein individuals can explore meaning-making in generative and sustaining ways for their work in social justice and faith-based contexts.
Today, I am proud to claim my role as a teacher and educator. I often talk excitedly about having the opportunity to teach during WEAV seminars, where I feel lit up and fulfilled by the engagement and transformation I experience with and witness in our participants. In a less formal sense, I also see my work with The Languishing Project as a theological and justice-focused education that applies to broader multi- and non-religious communities.
Ultimately, unlike where I started three years ago, education has become a central part of my call to ministry. I may not be an educator in the “traditional” sense, but I am deeply committed to teaching others and learning from my communities to deepen my understanding of Unitarian Universalism and engagement with justice work. My ministry as a teacher has Bloomed over these past few years, and as I look to the future, I hope this facet will continue to ground my work and relationships with my communities.
Embodied Wisdom and Beauty
Reading my initial response to this theme, I realized I was constraining myself to a narrow view of “artistry” and creativity. For much of my life, “art” referred to the visual arts, a field for which I have a deep appreciation but minimal experience and/or expertise. I have always understood that my creative talents are in the realm of writing, and when I came to Seminary, I saw my the Roots of my ministry as grounded in written expression and storytelling to support work for justice.
I have certainly had the chance to explore the creative writing aspects of my ministry at Starr King. I have enjoyed exploring and developing my personal theological and reflective voice throughout my courses and have produced several creative writing works that reflect my spiritual and ministerial perspectives. But Seminary has also helped me expand my conception of “Embodied Wisdom and Beauty” and broaden my understanding of my capacities in this area. Through these transformations, my artistry has Bloomed into an integral part of my ministry and spiritual practices.
Concerning visual creativity and beauty, I have found a deep grounding in natural elements to inform my artistic expression. Many of the pieces I have created for Seminary, particularly the ones in which I have included a visual component, incorporate the colors or features of natural landscapes that I find inspiring; even this Portfolio reflects the colors of grass, trees, and water across its pages. I have discovered power and inspiration in many projects by incorporating photographs and pictures of flowers, trees, and other natural elements. I hope to continue to draw on these sources for creative and spiritual expression in my future ministry.
In addition to visual creativity, I have also understood embodied wisdom as an integral part of my ministry. Throughout my time at Starr King, I have been introduced to and deepened my engagement with somatic practices, and as of today, I currently integrate somatic practice in my personal life and practice of ministry. I have developed an understanding of these and other embodied experiences as sources of wisdom and natural beauty, tied to the inherent beauty and oneness of the bodies of physical beings. This is a perspective that I attempt to express in my work, and one that I hope to bring others into as a source of joy and inspiration in their lives.
I still resonate with the call for creative expression as a tool in justice work. I have become particularly attached to “visioning for the future” as a powerful way of leveraging this creative expression to produce generative thinking and plans for the future. This practice has been integral to my work with The Languishing Project and provides a foundation for how I think about the future and my work to better the world. I hope to continue integrating this tool and concept in my ministry to bring others into reflection on how we can build counter-oppressive and just communities.
History of Dissenting Tradition and the Thea/ological Quest
Particularly today, I feel incredibly strongly about the importance of critical thinking and historical reflection in my ministry. In my initial reflection I wrote that “my work to counter oppression must have a strong foundation in the histories and traditions that have shaped our communities in our current world;” as I think about this current administration and their attempts to erase the histories of systemic oppression and marginalization in the United States, these words are even more relevant to my understanding of the work I am called to do through my Unitarian Universalist ministry and action to create just communities.
My time at Seminary has helped me become more aware of the legacies and impacts of colonialism, white supremacy culture, and widespread marginalization that have been a large part of the systems of the United States. I have had opportunities to unpack and understand how these legacies shape our faith tradition and the communities I am a part of. I have also begun to explore how these systems have affected my perspectives on the world. These transformations have prepared me for counter-oppressive ministry and leadership within communities.
Of particular focus for me has been the history of Unitarian Universalism, its roots in patriarchal and exclusive Christian traditions, and its legacies of intentional and unintentional marginalization through the co-opting of faith and spiritual practices, an insistence on religious liberalism without reflection or grounding in theological traditions, and a refusal to take seriously its oppressive histories and foundations. Through my ministry, I aim to leverage my religious leadership and scholarship to bring new awareness to these legacies and create motivation within our faith to address these growing edges and create counter-oppressive and pluralist Unitarian Universalist communities.
I have always had a deep connection to scholarship and exploration of history, but my work at Starr King has allowed these capacities to Bloom in ways that directly support my ministry and goals for counter-oppressive praxis. Much of this transformation has been related to my comfort in claiming my voice and scholarship as legitimate prophetic witness and impactful within our faith tradition. I have come a long way in building this comfort, but I also recognize that this remains a growing edge for me, and I hope to continue to deepen my scholarship and use my voice as a tool to create justice within Unitarian Universalism and the world.
Life in Religious Community and Interfaith Engagement
In my initial threshold essay, I wrote that I was “still early on my path to becoming a minister for justice.” Today, I can say that I have traveled far along that path over these past few years; though I have not yet received the title of “Minister,” I have come a long way in claiming my prophetic, spiritual, and ministerial voice in my leadership and work for justice.
Since I wrote these responses, my calling towards religious leadership and pastoral engagement has Bloomed into a call for multi-religious education and advocacy. I see the Seeds of this call in my initial assessment, in my hopes to “use my position as a minister to bring community members together to work collectively towards justice” and to “minister across faith ‘boundaries,’” and over the years, these Seeds have Rooted and grown into a ministry wherein I seek to educate individuals about faith and spiritual practices to empower communities to act for justice in our world.
Through this growth, I have been fortunate to gain the direct experience I sought in this area. Through my work with The Languishing Project and WEAV, I have become comfortable with direct and indirect leadership, with providing spiritual and pastoral care across a spectrum of religious practices, and with “translating” and transmitting lessons from multiple faith-based and non-religious resources to support the creation of counter-oppressive and Beloved communities. Through these experiences, I see myself living into my goal of “acting as a faith leader” through my ministry.
As I continue on this path, I recognize that my role as a religious leader is still not fully formed. I am continuing to unlearn the aspects of white supremacy culture that hold me back from fully leaning into my capacities as a minister, including perfectionism and a hesitancy to trust. I am also continuing to learn about pluralism within a Unitarian Universalist context and deepening my relationship with other faith traditions.
Looking forward, I hope to continue to pursue multi-faith learning opportunities, including by taking additional courses, engaging with literature and content from other religious traditions, and exploring new avenues of discussion with my communities and peers. I also aim to seek more opportunities to serve as a faith leader within my communities, including through continuing to facilitate the WEAV program, seeking internships and/or fellowships, and gaining more formal experience with chaplaincy and pastoral care within a Unitarian Universalist context.
In a less tangible sense, I also hope to continue to challenge myself in areas of religious leadership. I hope to grow my capacity to recognize and see myself as a leader, trust in myself and my abilities, and trust that they will be received in the spirit of love and grace. I know I can be a leader; I know that I can act like a leader. But I also want to be able to feel that in my bones and my spirit.
Prophetic Witness and Work
I have always felt called to the work of social justice. When I started at Starr King, I already had experience working in activist spaces, including the leadership role I assumed while organizing for climate justice at my undergraduate institution. Even with this history, however, I came to Seminary with an understanding of activism as a primarily “secular” practice; though I still felt that call to work for justice in our world, I was wrestling with a sense of disconnect between my faith traditions and spirituality and my praxis. I also struggled to find a sustainable way to do this work without a solid grounding in spiritual practices of self-care - in some ways, I think this difficulty led me to write that “I don’t hope to be a direct leader” in the justice movements. Even still, these initial experiences provided the Seeds for my future prophetic voice and ministry.
Today, my understanding of my leadership has Bloomed tremendously; I do claim my title as a leader for social justice, and I feel called to help empower others to act for justice in the world and claim my voice as a prophetic witness. Particularly, I seek to be a “truth-teller” within our Unitarian Universalist faith and draw attention to our growing edges and the practices, ideas, and structures that need to evolve to live into our ideals of just Beloved Community. Though this type of leadership may differ from what I had imagined three years ago, it feels faithful to my calling and capabilities as an agent for social change.
In many ways, I already engage in this type of leadership regularly. In informal settings, I often offer care, advice, and reflections on the world in conversations with family, friends, and peers at Starr King. Though maybe not specifically “ministry,” these efforts help to uplift my communities and empower those around to witness their agency within our world.
In more formal ways, I engage directly with prophetic thinking and witnessing. Through The Languishing Project, I offer my reflections on our world and systems of oppression and resources to help individuals grapple with their emotions and find a new sense of purpose in working for justice. In a sense, this whole project has been a process of claiming my prophetic voice and leadership for social change.
I also engage in this prophetic work with the WEAV program, wherein we call attention to the vision of Unitarian Universalism as it relates to Beloved Community and empower participants to live into that vision themselves. Though WEAV has a set curriculum, there have been many opportunities for me to lend my voice to the prophetic calls for growth in the Unitarian Universalist faith, and I feel blessed to witness the growth within my communities as well.
As I deepen my ministry in this area, I am still learning to trust in my capacity to be a source of prophetic witness in our world. I am constantly growing in my confidence and capacity to claim my voice and role as a prophetic individual within our world and faith tradition. I am also continuing to deepen my relationship with trust in myself and the world and find new ways to take action within my communities.
I feel so strongly about this work because I believe that prophetic witness is integral to creating a just and sustainable world. Prophetic witness brings vital attention to our communities' harmful and damaged systems and insists that we make a change while providing a blueprint and guiding vision for a better world. This work is the catalyst for justice, and to build a better world, we need people who are actively ready to provide this witness and people who can teach others to claim their own prophetic voices. I seek to fill both of these roles through my ministry.
As I look toward the future of my ministry, I hope to continue deepening my relationship with the Unitarian Universalist community and polity, lending my voice to programs of Unitarian Universalist prophetic witness, and evolving my engagement with the praxis of prophetic work. I also hope to claim more authority with my prophetic voice as a witness for justice. Using my prophetic witness in this way, I hope to be an agent for real, counter-oppressive, and sustainable change in our communities.
Sacred Text and Interpretation
When I entered Seminary, I was largely unfamiliar with sacred texts; my encounters with such texts were limited to the few Christian and Hebrew Bible passages I had read during my time in Unitarian Universalist Religious Education. This unfamiliarity, combined with influences of “rationalism” and prioritizing humanism, made me feel largely disconnected and even a little “skeptical” of sacred texts, as reflected in my initial Assessment. These perspectives provided the Seeds of my relationship with sacred texts as they related to my ministry.
Since coming to Starr King, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to engage with many sacred and spiritual texts, and I have found my relationship with these entities to be much more complicated and beneficial than I ever initially anticipated. I surprised myself by loving my experience with the Hebrew Bible, particularly the interpretative practices that allowed for “flipped scripts” and liberation readings of the passages. Particularly impactful for me were the environmental messages of stewardship and right relationship that I discovered in the stories of Genesis, messages that still inform my understanding of interdependence and human relationship with the natural world.
Similarly, I have developed a strong relationship with the theological “sacred” texts of Unitarian Universalism, the writings of our Transcendentalist, Unitarian, and Universalist forefathers that remain impactful to our modern faith practices. Indeed, I have come to understand these sacred texts as vital to the foundation and beliefs of our religious tradition, and through my ministry, I seek to bring other Unitarian Universalist communities into alignment and reflection on these texts as a part of our worship and religious tradition.
In addition to deepening my engagement with specific sacred texts, I think it has been critical to unlearn my skepticism and judgment of sacred texts as necessary to religious and spiritual practice. Particularly within multi-religious and pluralist contexts, I understand that celebrating others’ faith traditions is integral to creating loving and just communities that accept all individuals. Though I may not be intimately familiar with every tradition’s sacred texts, I aim to minister to communities so that everyone feels comfortable bringing their whole selves into spiritual and religious space, including their relationships to sacred text.
In these ways, I am proud to reflect on my journey with sacred text and see how much my ministry has Bloomed in these areas. I recognize that I still have places where I could deepen my engagement and learning, but I know that my ministry is more impactful and counter-oppressive for the work I have already done. In the future, I hope to continue this work and to grow my capacity to encounter and engage sacred texts as part of my efforts to build Beloved Communities and justice in our world.
Thea/ology in Culture and Context
I spent my formative years in Unitarian Universalist Religious Education programs and steeped in what I considered Unitarian Universalist faith. I completed curriculums such as OWL (Our Whole Lives) and the Coming of Age program and attended my congregation's regular ministerial and lay-led services. These experiences often emphasized the justice and “good-works” aspects of our faith, grounded in the Seven Principles and ethics of our tradition, and my understanding of our faith tradition during these formative years was primarily divorced from theological reflection and questioning, having instead emphasized the social justice and communal aspects of Unitarian Universalism.
Therefore, by the time I got to Seminary, I had little to no familiarity with “theology” as a topic or area of study. Starr King was the first place I was asked to directly study and confront our Unitarian Universalist and other religious traditions’ theological texts.
The first course I took that was explicitly grounded in theological reflection was Spirituality of Female Mystics in the Fall of 2021. Interestingly, this course focused primarily on the writings of Christian women (“mysticism” having referred to the tradition of Christian mysticism) and was also definitively not an introductory course to theological investigation. Without really intending to, I dove head-first into the practice of theology in my first semester of Seminary and began to plant the Seeds for my future engagement with theological thinking and writing.
As I’ve continued to deepen my engagement with theologies (of many faith traditions), I have better understood and integrated theological work into my ministry and my understanding of Unitarian Universalism. I have continued to reflect on the need for a “robust theological understanding” to ground my faith practice and seek to bring other Unitarian Universalists into similar engagement with our theological traditions to create shared religious and spiritual perspectives. I have also leveraged a wide range of theological works as resources to support The Languishing Project by “translating” them into more approachable language to relate to people within non-theological communities.
Far from where I started three years ago, my theological voice has Bloomed along my journey at Seminary, and today, I lean on these perspectives to support my ministry. This has required me to claim my theological thinking as valid and accept my role as a theological leader within a Unitarian Universalist context and in supporting work toward social justice. In truth, I have fallen in love with the theological aspect of this work, and I hope that my future ministry continues to allow me opportunities to engage with and reflect on theology within my faith tradition and as it relates to the broader world.