Campus Pastoral Team

The Campus Pastoral Team serves the community of faith (students and their families, faculty, and staff) gathered at PLTS. The members of the CPT are:

  • Pastor Sarah Birdsall Isakson is an MDiv graduate (2002) of PLTS and is the PLTS Pastor for Spiritual Direction. She is available by appointment: or (510) 847-6530.
  • Pastor Donna Duensing is an MDiv graduate of PLTS and is the PLTS Pastor for Pastoral Counseling. She is available by appointment: or (510) 237-7848.
  • Dean Cheryl Heuer is an MDiv graduate of Luther Seminary and coordinates the Wednesday Forum Schedule. She is available by appointment: or (510) 559-2754.

The Campus Pastoral Team is committed to being proactive as well as responsive to the needs of this community.

Faith Active in Love

Faith Active in Love is a series of three week-long sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area that immerse participants in experiential learning and theological reflection regarding a distinct justice issue each week. Students engage in the complexities of a particular topic by: listening to people affected, visiting innovative non-profit and community organizations, talking with top theologians at the Graduate Theological Union, participating in hands-on activities, discussing the issue with one another in small groups, and reflecting theologically on our Christian response.

The Rule of Life

Spiritual Formation at PLTS does not begin when people arrive in Berkeley, nor does it end when they leave. And, while practices and prayer are key components in formation, lifelong spiritual formation is more than an interjection into our lives. Spiritual Formation is much more than a list of practices. PLTS’s Spiritual Formation program provides motivation and support for continuing growth in prayer, in worship, in relationship to God, and in relationship to all of God’s creation. It provides opportunities and methods for growth in discipleship. And, it also provides skills, resources, and room for reflection so each person’s formation can be personal, meaningful, and continual. In short, Spiritual Formation at PLTS, is portable. We can carry with us, wherever we go the desire and ability to sustain and adjust our individual rhythms of prayer, as well as the desire and ability to cultivate groups of people for faith sharing and prayer. Jesus set this example for us when he gathered the apostles (Mark 1:16-20). Download the Rule of Life handbook (pdf)

The Worship Life of PLTS is coordinated by Michael Aune, Dean of the Chapel. You can contact him at .