Episcopal Seminaries Struggle With Costs: Long-Held Training Model Faces an Uncertain Future [Open]

The Washington Post ^ | 17 May 2008 | G. Jeffrey MacDonald

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Episcopal Seminaries Struggle With Costs Long-Held Training Model Faces an Uncertain Future By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Religion News Service Saturday, May 17, 2008; B09 In the cloistered world of Episcopal seminaries, time sometimes seems to stand still as clergy-in-training gather in stone chapels to pray in ways familiar to their forebears centuries earlier. But the semblance of timelessness can be deceiving. Some of the 11 seminaries affiliated with the Episcopal Church are slashing core programs, while others report rapid growth in enrollment. Still others are reexamining conventional wisdom about what it takes -- and how much it costs -- to shape a faithful priest. The Episcopal method of training clergy "is a very expensive way to do theological education," said Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Pittsburgh-based Association of Theological Schools. "There is significant financial stress in the Episcopal seminary system." Centrist and liberal seminaries are facing especially hard times: ·

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Interesting article -- the two seminaries that actually believe something, Nashota House (historically Anglo-Catholic, but with an increasingly evangelical ethos) and Trinity School for Ministry (Evangelical in bent, but with an appreciation for Prayer Book catholicism and even some Charismatic influence) are growing. Also increasing numbers of ordinands being trained in non-TEC schools.

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Influx of men and women with mid-life crisis is the probable cause: more interested in helping themselves than helping others. and bringing with them the contagion of secular anxieties.

But, since Episcopalians have been “trendier than thou” since the early ‘60s, there is no screening mechanism to discern the truly religious from the self-serving.

[PAR35]

Ping

[sionnsar]

Our own seminary (St. Joseph of Arimathea, APCK) is now open to to the ACC and UECNA, and has students from outside our province. It seems the (Traditional) Anglican Diaspora may be starting to re-unite.

Thanks to PAR35 for the ping.

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[hinckley buzzard]

The way we've done it recently may be the optimal way, but we've got to find other ways to do it."

Yes especially since your seminary has been infested with homosexuals. I note the parallel with the Catholic seminaries, where the traditional, conservative ones are full and the liberal homosexually biased places are dying on the vine.

[LiteKeeper]

The seminary experience "is taking a secular person and making that person into a spiritual being," said Brett Donham, chair of the EDS board of trustees.

I would disagree. If a person is not "spiritual" when they enter seminary, they may well end up walking away. I was in seminary for 3.5 years. That time was a real drain on my spiritual life...it was not the place to acquire a spiritual life.

Perhaps that is one of the reason Episcopal seminaries are failing...they need to being with "spiritual" persons, not secular!

[kaehurowing]

This is good news. Hopefully most of these heretical non-Christian institutions are going to go bankrupt.

[xJones]

The Episcopal method of training clergy "is a very expensive way to do theological education," said Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Pittsburgh-based Association of Theological Schools. "

It certainly has been, there's no telling how much money it's cost TEC for educating and training Bishop Vicky Gene Robinson.

[PalmettoMason]

Correct!

And there is no telling how much it is costing us to educate and provide cover for fomer NJ Governor McGreevy.

Many times I have considered leaving the Church over this kind of nonsense... but I love the liturgy too much.