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ATI at a Glance
• Founded in 2007
• Celebrating 20 Years in 2026
• 400+ Doctoral Students Mentored
• 40+ Universities and Seminaries Represented
• Summer Institute (Philadelphia)
• Mentoring Seminars in Asia
• Teaching and Learning Workshops
The Asian Theological Institute (ATI) is a mentoring program for doctoral students (PhD/ThD) engaged in religious and theological studies whose research, scholarship, or vocational interests explore Asian and Asian American religion, theology, history, culture, philosophy, mission, ministry, and interreligious engagement. Distinguished faculty and scholars serve as mentors in ATI's programs, guiding and supporting students throughout the dissertation writing process and their development as scholars.
ATI selects up to 20 candidates each year for the Summer Institute through a competitive application process. Applications are accepted from January 1 through February 10, 2027. The Summer Institute is held on the campus of United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. Selected participants are eligible for travel assistance and a stipend provided through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Since its founding, ATI has mentored more than 400 doctoral students from over 40 universities, divinity schools, and seminaries in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In addition to the Summer Institute, ATI offers annual Mentoring Seminars in Asia, teaching and learning workshops, dissertation research grants, collaborative research grants, and professional development opportunities that support emerging scholars and strengthen theological education.
Rev. Dr. Paul Rajashekar
Director and Founder (since 2007)
Contact: ati@uls.edu
To be accepted, applicants must have completed their doctoral coursework and comprehensive exams. In addition, selected candidates must be prepared to present their dissertation or project proposals to a peer group of students and ATI faculty for review/feedback. ATI faculty also offers individual mentoring.
2027 Registration opens on January 1, 2027 and cuts off at midnight EST on February 10, 2027. Thanks to a grant from Lilly Endowment, the ATI will offer selected candidates travel to an from their institution on record and a small stipend.
APPLY HERE FOR THE 2027 INSTITUTE - REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 1, 2027
ATI cultivates scholarship, mentorship, and collaboration in the study of Asian and Asian American Christianity, theology, religious traditions, history, culture, philosophy, mission, and ministry. The Institute provides a forum for intellectual exchange, professional networking, and collaborative scholarship among doctoral students and faculty mentors.
ATI seeks to:
• Explore issues and themes related to Asian and Asian American histories, cultures, religions, and theological traditions within graduate theological studies
• Engage the rich theological, historical, philosophical, and cultural traditions of Asia and the Asian diaspora within academic scholarship
• Deepen and broaden the perspectives that inform research, teaching, and ministry
• Foster meaningful connections among doctoral students, scholars, and mentors
• Share resources that strengthen research, writing, teaching, and publication
• Create opportunities for ongoing collaboration, professional development, mentorship, and mutual support
Rev. Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar
Director, ATI
Luther D. Reed Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus
ati@uls.edu
Rev. Dr. Junehee Yoon
Coordinator, ATI
Adjunct Professor of Ethics
jyoon@uls.edu
The Asian Theological Institute (ATI) was founded in 2007 as an experimental mentoring initiative by Rev. Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar, then Academic Dean of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), and his colleague, Rev. Dr. H. S. Wilson, Professor of Church History and Missions.
As doctoral students studying in the United States during the 1970s, Drs. Rajashekar and Wilson experienced the challenges of pursuing theological scholarship with few faculty mentors familiar with Asian theological perspectives, cultural contexts, and scholarly concerns. Their experiences inspired a vision for a mentoring network that would support future generations of scholars engaged in religious and theological studies.
That vision began to take shape in 2006 when LTSP received a planning grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant enabled Dr. Rajashekar to convene a conversation among Asian and Asian American scholars at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature annual meetings in Washington DC. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and plans were developed for a new mentoring initiative.
The program launched in May 2007 as the Asian Theological Summer Institute (ATSI). From the beginning, the Institute was designed to support doctoral students whose scholarship engaged Asian and Asian American Christianity, theology, religion, history, culture, and related fields. Through a weeklong residential program, participants received feedback on dissertation proposals, engaged in interdisciplinary dialogue, and benefited from both peer and faculty mentoring.
Over time, the program expanded through support from the Henry Luce Foundation and, more recently, Lilly Endowment Inc. The Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia, and now United Lutheran Seminary, has provided institutional support and a home for the program's continued growth.
In recognition of its expanding mission, ATSI became the Asian Theological Institute (ATI) in 2023. Today, ATI offers far more than the annual Summer Institute. The program provides dissertation research grants, collaborative research grants, teaching and learning workshops, professional development opportunities, an international mentoring network, and annual Mentoring Seminars in Asia.
Over the past two decades, ATI has grown into an international network of scholars, mentors, and alumni representing more than40 universities, divinity schools, and seminaries across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Participants have come from a wide range of national, cultural, denominational, academic, and religious backgrounds, creating a vibrant community of scholars engaged in theological and religious studies.
ATI was intentionally designed to foster cross-cultural, cross-national, interdisciplinary, and ecumenical collaboration among scholars exploring Asian and Asian American Christianity, theology, religion, history, culture, and related disciplines. This commitment to scholarly exchange and mentorship remains central to the Institute's mission.
Over the past two decades, ATI's vision has remained rooted in fostering scholarship related to Asian and Asian American Christianity, theology, religion, history, and culture while welcoming participation from scholars whose research aligns with the Institute's mission and objectives.
Today, ATI's reach extends well beyond North America, nurturing an international network of scholars, educators, church leaders, and researchers. ATI has welcomed participants from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Syria, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mongolia, Australia, the United States, Canada, and several European countries.
The annual ATI Breakfast at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature meetings provides an opportunity for ATI faculty, alumni, and current participants to renew relationships, strengthenprofessional networks, celebrate new publications and appointments, and highlight the ongoing impact of the Institute.
ATI faculty mentors serve as the program's Advisory Committee, providing guidance for the Institute's ongoing development and strategic direction. The faculty based in Asia serves as the Advisory Committee for the Mentoring Seminars in Asia. Dr, J. Paul Rajashekar, Luther D. Reed Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus at United Lutheran Seminary, serves as Director of ATI. Dr. June Hee Yoon, Adjunct Professor of Ethics at United Lutheran Seminary, serves as ATI Program Coordinator. Dr. Jayakiran Sebastian, H. George Anderson Chair and Professor for Mission and Cultures, is the ATI Coordinator for Grants.
ATI collaborates with the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning and periodically organizes workshops on pedagogy and teaching practices for ATI alumni. Workshops have been offered in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2024, and 2025 with additional workshops planned in 2027. The Wabash Center also sponsors the annual ATI Breakfast at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature meetings.
ATI played a significant role in the formation of the Association of Asian and Asian North American Theological Educators in the United States (AANATE) and maintains collaborative relationships with Pacific Asian North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry (PANAAWTAM), the Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI), the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE), and the Asian American Theological Forum (AATFWEB.org), an online scholarly journal developed by ATI alumni.
ATI also collaborates with the Foundation for Theological Education: Asia-Pacific and a variety of theological schools, accrediting agencies, and educational consortia throughout Asia. These partnerships help extend ATI's mentoring network and support the development of emerging scholars across the Asia-Pacific region.
ATI has also collaborated with Candler Foundry at Emory University to offer online courses focused on Asian and Asian American studies of Christianity.
In response to growing interest from theological institutions throughout Asia, ATI launched its first Mentoring Seminar in Asia in October 2025 in partnership with the Foundation for Theological Education: Asia-Pacific and a consortium of theological schools in the region.
The inaugural seminar, held in Bangkok, Thailand, brought together doctoral candidates from India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Mongolia, South Korea, and the Philippines. Similar to the Summer Institute, participants receive mentoring, dissertation feedback, and opportunities for interdisciplinary scholarly engagement.
The second Mentoring Seminar will be held August 2-8, 2026, in Bangkok.
The Mentoring Seminars extend ATI's mission of fostering scholarship, mentorship, and collaboration while strengthening networks among emerging scholars throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
ATI offers up to 10 grants of $ 3,000 to ATI alumni engaged in dissertation research, writing, and editing expenses. Strict criteria apply. Applicants must have attended the Summer Institute in the past two years to be eligible.
ATI offers up to ten dissertation research grants of $3,000 each to ATI alumni engaged in dissertation research, writing, or editing. Applicants must have attended the Summer Institute within the previous two years.
Eligibility Requirements
• Applicants must be full-time PhD students who have completed coursework and advanced to dissertation research.
• Applicants must provide evidence of an approved dissertation proposal or prospectus.
• Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from their academic advisor.
• Applicants must provide a budget narrative describing the intended use of grant funds.
• Applicants who have received comparable grants for the same project from other organizations may not be eligible.
Applications are received on a rolling basis.
Submit your proposal here. For inquiries, contact the ATI Grants Coordinator: jsebastian@uls.edu
ATI offers up to five collaborative research grants of $5,000 each to ATI alumni pursuing collaborative or interdisciplinary projects related to Asian and Asian American Christianity, theology, religion, history, culture, and related fields.
Applicants must submit a proposal that includes project goals, participants, timeline, budget narrative, anticipated outcomes, and plans for publication or dissemination. At least one applicant must be a resident of North America.
Applications are received on a rolling basis. Submit your proposal here. For inquiries, contact the ATI Grants Coordinator: jsebastian@uls.edu
Comments from ATI Alumni about the Summer Institute
ATI alumni consistently cite the Institute's rigorous academic feedback, supportive mentoring relationships, and vibrant scholarly community as transformative to their doctoral studies and professional development.
"The proposal sessions were among the most valuable components of ATI. The comments I received helped me strengthen my methodology and think more critically about the broader significance of my project. I also learned a great deal from listening to the projects of other participants."
"ATI was a transformative experience for me. I found ATI to be a welcoming and intellectually vibrant community where diverse perspectives were genuinely respected."
"One of the greatest strengths of ATI is its ability to bring together scholars from different cultural, religious, and disciplinary backgrounds. The conversations throughout the week expanded my understanding of how research can contribute to compassion, healing, justice, and social responsibility."
"The encouragement I received from faculty mentors and fellow participants strengthened both my academic work and my sense of vocation. I leave ATI deeply grateful for the friendships, mentorship, and scholarly exchange that made this week so enriching."
