Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) has called the Rev. Mark Chung Hearn, PhD, to serve as associate professor and director of contextual education beginning August 1.  

Hearn joins the CDSP faculty from Seattle University, where he has served since 2014 as director of contextual education and assistant clinical professor of contextual education and ministry. He is ordained in the United Methodist Church and holds a PhD in practical theology from Claremont School of Theology, an MTS from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, an MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a BA in religion from Point Loma Nazarene University. 

“Primarily I see myself as a bridge builder between church, world, and academy,” Hearn says. “But it always has to make sense within the concrete worlds in which I find myself and other people. My ministerial vocation is the healing and prophetic work that supports the flourishing of all creation.” 

In Hearn’s research and teaching, these efforts have variously taken the form of supporting men working to deconstruct toxic masculinity, embracing teaching practices that educate for racial justice, and “trying to help the big-c Church birth anew for the twenty-first century.” 

To equip students to be ministers who can help lead change, Hearn says we have to begin with theological humility and posture of learning: “People are always going to be asking us, ‘Do you really believe what you say you believe?’, followed by ‘And how are you going to act on it?’”  

Hearn joins the CDSP faculty during a time of growth, his hiring having been finalized shortly after the call in May of Peace Pyunghwa Lee and the Rev. Alison Lutz. 

“Dr. Hearn brings a depth of teaching experience in another West Coast setting, and a track record of research and publication deeply relevant to today’s urgent social crises,” says the Very Rev. W. Mark Richardson, PhD, president and dean. “We are pleased and excited to welcome him to the CDSP community.” 

Church Divinity School of the Pacific is a graduate theological seminary of the Episcopal Church and a founding member of the ecumenical Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Responding to the challenges of contemporary society with the good news of Jesus Christ, CDSP is rooted in Anglican identity and tradition and provides quality theological education that integrates scholarship, reflection, worship, spirituality, and the practice of ministry.