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August 17, 2015 ♦

THIS WEEK…the Bexley Seabury faculty meets for its annual overnight retreat. Once again we are gathering in Indianapolis—the halfway point between Chicago and Columbus—which obviates our need to choose one of our host cities over the other! (And of course, driving to Indy is cheaper than flying into either O’Hare or Port Columbus.)

forest overhead WEB

We are a small faculty, and so we know each other well, even though we function professionally several hundred miles apart. My colleagues have a clear sense of their mission as teachers and researchers, a love for the Episcopal Church, a love what they do to train and strengthen its leaders, and an excitement about what the future might hold not just for Bexley Seabury, but for theological education more generally. It is a privilege to work with such wonderful and dedicated people.

To be sure, their excitement about the future—and mine—is tempered by an undercurrent of anxiety—an anxiety shared not just by theological educators, but by almost anyone involved in American higher education. We live in political and cultural times not overly friendly toward the pursuit of wisdom, whether secular or godly. The church has changed, and so of course have Bexley Hall and Seabury Western, which exist now as a single entity. We enjoy almost 300 years of history between us, but only three years of shared experience as a new institution.

I am delighted to report that this new/old institution reached a milestone this summer, when the Association of Theological Schools granted us a seven-year accreditation as a “seminary beyond walls,” embracing new forms of online and hybrid pedagogy while maintaining a deep commitment to face-to-face formation in communities of worship and mutual support. The visiting team was deeply impressed by the progress we have made since our two schools federated three years ago, as we rebooted our academic and formation programs in creative response to the changing needs and diverse learning styles of the students attracted to a seminary like ours.

In effect, with this renewed accreditation in hand, we are now at Square One of our new joint venture. As the faculty gathers in Indianapolis, a special Beyond Walls Task Force of our Board of Directors is preparing its recommendations about the seminary’s future direction, with a report to be presented to the full Board when it meets in Chicago in mid-October.

  • Should we continue in two sites and two cities?
  • How can we reshape the MDiv to be more accessible and affordable?
  • In doing so, how best to leverage the considerable financial resources that have been generated from the sale of the Evanston buildings and the continued legacies of our now combined endowments?
  • Are there better ways to recruit and shape future leadership for the church than the ways to which the church has grown accustomed over the last several generations, especially among younger people who might never have considered lay or ordained ministry an option in a consumer-driven world?
  • What partnerships can we forge with our most vibrant congregations in shaping the future of ordained and lay leaders?
  • What can we do to recruit African American and Latino/a candidates for lay and ordained ministry, as well as African American and Latino/a faculty? How can we rethink what we teach and the way we teach to honor their history in the church and to empower them for leadership?
  • What should an Episcopal seminary look like in a post-Christendom America—an America pluralist in belief, suspicious of religious authority, and haunted by intense consumerism in all things—including matters of the Spirit—and a defensive and often stridently xenophobic exceptionalism?
  • And most to the point, where is Jesus in all this?

All these questions, especially this last one, are now on the table. Encouraged by our renewed accreditation, and guided by a gifted and generous Board, we can now ask these kinds of searching questions from a position of relative institutional strength—with no buildings to maintain, no debt to service, talented teachers, a dedicated board, a unique cohort of students (and the scholarship funds to attract even more), and most of all, a clear mission that encourages bold inquiry, resilient leadership and a thirst for Gospel justice.

No wonder our faculty gathers this week in Indianapolis with such good will and such enthusiasm, in spite of all anxieties. It promises to be another signal year for Bexley Seabury. We will keep you posted. Watch this space.