Alum Spotlight: Radical Inclusion and Liberating Love
I’m Rev. Drew Hogan (he/him), and I graduated from the MDiv in Ministerial Leadership program in 2024. Today, I’m serving as a local pastor at Tabor Heights UMC in Portland, Oregon. I’m a provisional elder, currently applying for full membership in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference, and I’m deeply involved in youth ministries across the Greater Northwest Area—including partnering with a decolonized service and learning trip with the Yakama Nation.
My time at CST profoundly shaped my approach to ministry. Quite simply, CST radicalized me for inclusion. The diverse student body and professors embodied the expansive reality of the Kin-dom of God. Every course I took was rooted in God’s liberating love, and the opportunity for contextual learning alongside colleagues doing incredible work throughout the world was deeply formative and enlivened me in my vocation. CST’s commitment to cultural fluency helps me show up well in my ministry context and I feel prepared not just for my ordination journey, but for the thirty-five of ministry ahead of me.
If there is one thing I wish more people knew about CST, it’s that the hybrid degree program fosters an incredible foundation for building community and relationships that last long after graduation. The chance to learn from colleagues practicing ministry in a wide array of contexts is truly one of the greatest gifts I could have received.
To learn more about the hybrid degree programs at CST, click here.