Widening Paths to Ministry

“When I first felt the call, it was like every door was closed. Then, I decided, ‘Yes, I’m going to do this,’ and suddenly those closed doors started opening.” Benjiman Durfee is a first-year M.Div. student, who already serves Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts as a licensed local pastor. Like many who seek ordination his path was not simple, and yet he remained ardently committed to following God’s claim upon his life; his hunger to serve his community. Fortunately, Garrett Seminary’s commitment to improve access and affordability in theological education helped eliminate structural barriers, bolstering Durfee’s faith that this dream lay within his grasp.

Durfee didn’t originally plan to serve in ministry. “I had gone through a really difficult time in college,” he remembers. “I started working as music director at a church, but didn’t feel like I had a personal relationship with God. But, when I showed up each Sunday, it began to feel like all the sermons spoke directly to my life.” Week after week, he heard the minister speak directly into the pain he experienced as a gay man growing up in the church, offering care and the potent reminder of how deeply he was loved by God. “It seemed like she was on a mission to heal me, even though she didn’t know what was going on,” he confesses. “It was God’s grace calling me back.”

Over years, Durfee’s commitment to the church deepened. People would regularly ask if he had considered a ministerial vocation, but the call always felt just beyond his reach. “I was working too many jobs at once, trying to engage in ministry part-time. When I would look at the time demands, the money, it just wasn’t going to work,” he says. “A year later, I found myself appointed as a local pastor to this congregation, working three-quarters time. I wanted to continue my education so I could better guide the people I serve, but I couldn’t see how that was possible.” He did not want to leave his church community, nor could he afford to uproot his life for a residential seminary program. “Then, I heard that at Garrett you can study for an M.Div. entirely online,” he recalls. “For the first time, it felt possible that I could pursue my dream to make ministry a full-time vocation.”

Garrett didn’t only eliminate logistical hurdles, a significant scholarship eased the financial burden, too. “If I hadn’t received a scholarship, I would not be doing this right now,” he says bluntly. “But the timing is right, and I’m so glad that Garrett and its generous donors are making this possible.” Indeed, philanthropic giving enables Garrett to offer students, on average, a 70% tuition scholarship, blazing a path that students like Durfee can travel. “I’m so excited to have colleagues with whom to reflect theologically,” he says with joy. “It feels like everything in the world is falling apart around us, and this is a place where I can build my own prophetic voice to offer hope.”

That pastoral presence Durfee feels called to offer is firmly grounded in the care he received. “Coming to understand how deeply God loved me transformed my life,” he says. “It helped me deconstruct what the world had told me about myself and find meaning. I want to be that vessel of God’s grace for others.” As he begins classes, Garret’s constructive ethos and focus on servant leadership have already reassured Durfee that he’s where he’s supposed to be. “We are called to be co-creators with God,” he observes. “All the suffering in our world can feel overwhelming, but if we focus on the difference we can make within ourselves and in our local communities, that can be the spark to bring renewal.”