Introductions: Bill Goettler

August is nearly upon us. Unbelievable. Second year is about to start for me so I'm about to reminisce (this is my blog, so it's about me for a second). One of the first memories I have of being at YDS was actually Prospective Students Day. After Chapel, at Coffee Hour, I was talking to a (seemingly) random Presbyterian minister. Quick smile, witty, and knew all the students. As a schmoozing prospective (and Presbyterian) trying for any assistance in getting into Yale, I was trying to talk this guy up.

This guy was Bill Goettler. Bill serves as co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New Haven with his wife, Maria LaSala. He is also the Asst. Dean for Assessment & Ministerial Studies at YDS, meaning he oversees much of preparation for ministry--MDiv ears should be perking up. He's a great resource, and has a great office if you want to chat and lament such issues as why Presbyterians have to take learn Hebrew and Greek and take lots of exams while Episcopalians just have to be able to stand incense and cross themselves at the right time to be ordained.

So below, an interview with Dean Goettler:

Q: What is your role here?
A: My role here is to work with every MDiv student to develop a portfolio and an approach to academic and personal life that will help them move through their degree in a purposeful way, and then to lead them into a midterm conversation ½-way through their three year program. This discussion takes place with them, their advisor, myself, and other mentors. Its intended to be a deeply significant conversation about where they’ve been and where they’re going. After that, each student continues that process of conversation and growth through graduation.

Institutionally, my role is to help YDS go through program-outcomes-assessment, which means self-reflection and assessment about how well we are meeting our goals for MDiv students. That’s done with faculty standing committees (which include students). It sounds boring but it’s actually really cool to think that the school takes very seriously that kind of self-reflection. The faculty talk to each other about this project, and then they continue to revisit their goals and check in on how they’re doing. You might think a school like Yale might not do that kind of self-reflection, but in fact we do, and it’s a great asset for this institution.

Q: Why do you find yourself at Yale?
A: I was drawn by the chance to work with MDiv students at Yale as they figure out what is ahead for them in ministry and in study. And that’s really fun; our students are interesting human beings with a whole range of life experiences behind them. Over three years, it’s a delight to be in on their movement toward ministry, and to be a part of their communal and individual journeys.

The whole job offers an aspect of ministry that came as a surprise to me after two decades of parish ministry. I love it.

Q: How did this surprise come to you?
A: I spent 10 years teaching Presbyterian polity and helping with Supervised Ministries here at Yale, and I guess it went well because I was invited to have a larger role. My wife, Maria (who is also co-pastor with me of First Presbyterian Church) and I figured out some ways for me to take on that larger role and stay involved with the local congregation. I am able to continue to practice ministry in a church and also engage students. That’s not something one can plan for in a professional life, so that was the surprise.

Q: Students come in from many denominations and places on their spiritual journeys. There are a plethora of churches in this area. Are there home churches for people during their time at YDS?
A: Some churches draw more students than others. I’ll use my church as one example. Sometimes one chooses the church because of proximity (First Presbyterian in a 10 minute walk from campus) and sometimes it’s history (a good number of students and faculty attend First Pres), and sometimes it’s denominational (we are the only English-speaking Presbyterian Church in New Haven). It’s a fun, very progressive community, near enough to the university to bring many people: undergrads, grads, Ph.D. students, young professors, old professors.And then lots of other people who have no connection to Yale at all.Every year we lose 20% of active congregation as the academic turnover and changeover takes place. In the fall, new people always show up! That adds a vitality and a sense of urgency to the church’s life and ministry that Maria and I enjoy. There are many factors that go into finding a home church, and I encourage people not to settle too early or too easily. Visit five churches, minimum.

Q: What has surprised you about YDS?
A: In ministry studies work, the open-hearted willingness to engage the questions I ask, both from students trying to figure out the intersection of academic/spiritual/personal life, and enthusiasm of faculty to take part in that discussion. Faculty at Yale are sometimes portrayed as focused solely on their academic work. They are indeed involved with that here, but they are enthusiastic as well about the growth of students, and the effort to train ministers…it probably doesn’t hurt that the Dean has long said its important for them to be involved as well!


Q: What do you think is underutilized by YDS students?
A: YDS students do not take courses downtown nearly enough. The degree requirements make it difficult to imagine taking courses in the broader university (downtown). But there is a huge and wonderful university just blocks away, and that is the most underutilized part of YDS. Have you taken a course downtown?

Q: No, but I will this semester.
A: Good. It’s crazy not to do that. If nothing else, sociologically not to meet people who are not Div school students, and to fail to engage the many people who are from the other schools and disciplines and perspectives is a detriment to your work at YDS.

Q: What do we as students often miss out on in New Haven?
A: It’s too easy to live in a student bubble. This is a very interesting and complex city. There are huge opportunities to learn beyond the walls of the university, and to engage people who are wise and have lived through the struggles of a northeastern city. Those folks offer profound ministries and witness to the goodness of this community.

Again, I recommend going to at least 5 churches, including some churches that are very different than your own tradition. That’s my pitch. Get to know people outside Yale, outside your denomination. It makes living here more real. Our church has an after-school program that is always looking for more volunteers. Columbus House does great ministry with homeless people, and almost any church has links to other community organizations.

Q: What has you most excited about the upcoming year?
A: There are 81 new MDivs, and I’m excited to get to know them. Seventy are reaching their midway point in the degree, and I am really excited for the upcoming discussions. It’s quite amazing, the 70 who have completed their first year will bring in pastors, Bishops, directors of non-profits, etc. who will sit in a circle and have these really wise conversations about the hopes and dreams of the students and give their best counsel. This began as part of an experiment three years ago, and it really works. It’s well worth the effort people put into it. I’m excited for those things.

Q: Is there something students should be aware of before they come?
A: The Nica’s vs Romeos debate. These are the two terrific Italian delis, a couple of blocks from YDS. But you must choose your favorite.This is one of the hardest decisions to make: where to eat. Now it’s been thrown into a vortex because of Orange Street Market. So now there are three Italian Delis that are down the street, any one of which would put a great smile on your face for lunch. The drama is how the three delis are related to one another, the great love lost between them and their owners, and how this feud has led to the three stores.The problem is that you cannot ask the owners of any of the three because they will not tell you. It’s left up to the gossip of the street to learn the sordid tale.

Q: So can you fill us in on the sordid tale?
A: I won’t say anything if it’s going into print. The word on the street is still that Nica’s is the best, but I think Orange Street Market will rise fast this fall. Café Romeo’s (a fourth option) is the real newcomer, a few blocks farther down the road. It’s a different flavor, it almost doesn’t belong in New Haven—more Brooklyn style coffee shop. It’s not really a true deli, and their coffee costs too much.

Q: Any fashion tips for the incoming class, something they should know about?
A: The tall, thin man look will continue to be popular. If you are that, no one will know your name for a time; you’re going to be interchangeable with many others. There have been students who tried to bring in the beard, but it’s not really caught on. I think mostly because of the pictures of the students in the hallways from the 60s and 70s that give such opportunity for laughter.