Mark Dingler ’23 M.Div. is all about community-building. At Yale Divinity School, he’s gotten involved in student affairs and student government to rebuild the community lost to the isolation of the Covid pandemic. His goal after graduation in May is to become an associate pastor in a church where he can foster relationships. “Life is too hard to go through by yourself. You need people to walk on this journey.”
A desire for community is what led Mark, a native of Arlington, Texas, to pursue a degree in music education from Texas Christian University. He then discerned God was calling him to foster community in additional ways through the church. “I wanted to do relational community work, and the church has been that space for me.” The Disciples of Christ—his denomination then and now—stresses togetherness. “Our slogan is ‘a movement for fullness in a fragmented world.’ I love that idea of trying to find ways that we can work together to do the work that God has called us to do.”
He came to Yale in the fall of 2020, when classes and activities were online. “The first month I lived here I didn’t see anyone in person. I was really glad I had a dog.” As the pandemic subsided, Mark worked with others to bring people together. “We were trying to find ways to be Covid-safe while having events that helped foster community.” One was a gathering of his classmates in the M.Div. program for cookies and hot chocolate.
While at Yale, Mark has interned at Spring Glen Church, a UCC congregation of about 250 in nearby Hamden, and last year he filled in for a pastor who was away for seven weeks. “I led worship by myself, and they let me just jump in.” He also offered pastoral care and served on the Good Works Committee.
Mark is hoping to be ordained in June and is in conversation with several churches, looking to find one that will be a good fit for everyone. The Disciples of Christ congregations are mostly in the West and Midwest, and he’s willing to resettle anywhere. One of denomination’s appeals for Mark is that churches are led by local congregations and there is little hierarchy.
“We encourage diversity of thought and opinion. You can question and have your own thoughts and you can disagree with one another. We’re still in it together, we’re still loved children of God.”
