Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Hannah Matis.

The School of Theology is pleased to announce that Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Hannah Matis has been elected president of the Anglican Theological Review (ATR). Matis succeeds Dean of the School of Theology the Very Rev. Dr. James F. Turrell, who served two terms as ATR president and shaped the trajectory and future of the journal. Dr. Matis brings to the presidency a deep scholarly background and substantial experience in academic leadership.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Matis into this leadership role,” said Director of Operations Christopher R. Smith. “Her scholarly insight, administrative skill, and deep commitment to theological education make her exceptionally well-suited to guide the ATR into its next chapter.”

Matis has taught widely across the field of church history, including the history of spirituality, Anglicanism, the Episcopal Church, and the experience of women in Christianity. Her most recent book, The History of Women in Christianity to 1600 (Wiley-Blackwell, 2022), reflects years of teaching and was designed as a resource for both seminarians and lay readers. Her research focuses on early medieval biblical interpretation and the church in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Dr. Matis is a graduate of the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Durham (UK).

“As many of you know, I am honored to be following on from the two terms of my predecessor, Dean of the School of Theology James Turrell, and building on the strong connection he established between the ATR and the School of Theology at Sewanee,” said Matis.

“As the newly appointed president of the Anglican Theological Review, Inc., I want to express a deep sense of gratitude and respect for the extraordinary leadership of our outgoing president, the Very Rev. James F. Turrell,” Matis remarked.

During his two terms as president, Turrell played a pivotal role in advancing the mission and long-term viability of ATR. In 2019, he led efforts to secure a new institutional home for the journal at the School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee—a strategic move that strengthened administrative support and positioned ATR for continued growth. His leadership was also central to establishing a successful publishing partnership with SAGE Publications, Ltd., a collaboration that has expanded the journal’s reach and visibility.

Turrell’s steady and wise stewardship guided the ATR through a period of financial challenge. His advocacy, foresight, and commitment to strategic planning ensured the journal’s fiscal stability and paved the way for a capital campaign that will support ATR for generations to come.

Beyond these organizational achievements, Turrell remained steadfast in upholding the intellectual rigor and scholarly excellence that define the Anglican Theological Review. His dedication to thoughtful theological discourse has preserved ATR’s vital place within the Anglican Communion and the wider academic community.

“On behalf of the board, the editorial team, and all those who have benefited from the journal’s work, I extend our deepest gratitude to Jim for his invaluable contributions. His leadership will remain an enduring part of the ATR’s prominent history,” Matis said.

When asked about the future Matis shared, “2026 looks to be an exciting year for the journal, and you will hear more from us in the coming months about developments here. For now, I recommend to you the current fall 2025 issue of ATR, and the wonderful work of its editors and contributors.”

“As a medieval historian, I am particularly moved by our opening essay from a professional hero of mine, the great Caroline Walker Bynum, in her essay with the ATR engaging the work of Julian of Norwich and Annie Dillard. There is no better time of year to consider the themes of “Embodiment and Sacrament in Christian Thought.”

Learn more about the Anglican Theological Review here.

The ecumenical planning grant team for Stories of Hope and Renewal (from left): Dr. Josh Packard, Iain Chester, Megan Bissell, The Rev. Lorenzo Lebrija, and The Rev. Nikki Collins.

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) has been awarded a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help revitalize faith by sharing personal narratives. The grant, which is the largest in the Seminary’s history, is funded through Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.

The funding will support Stories of Hope and Renewal, a five-year collaboration between VTS’ Lifelong Learning department, Future of Faith, and denominational leaders from The Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The project aims to help Christians present authentic, contextual witness, countering incomplete public narratives that portray Christianity as dying, scandal-ridden, or irrelevant.

Building on the data-supported conviction that people are transformed by seeing themselves reflected in trustworthy spiritual stories told by relatable narrators, the initiative will collect narratives about how people have come to know and love God through local faith communities. These stories will be shared at local festivals and through an online repository, a book, social media, and a podcast developed for a spiritually open audience to help inspire others to seek a relationship with God.

A key part of VTS’ role in the project will be creating resources to equip institutional leaders with the theological and practical tools they need to harness stories for public witness and Christian formation. These efforts aim to help leaders understand both how and why storytelling is central to the Christian life.

The Rev. Kyle Oliver, EdD, project director for Stories of Hope and Renewal, said: “Stories change us. They help us see ourselves reflected in someone else’s struggles, hopes, and encounters with grace. Faith leaders from every tradition need to listen and speak in new ways. Now is an ideal time for the Church to focus on how ordinary people and communities describe their encounters with God in Christ. I’m delighted that our Lifelong Learning team and their partners are devoting themselves to these urgent questions of evangelistic and Christian formation.”

“Our work at Future of Faith has uncovered thousands of everyday stories about people whose lives have been shaped in meaningful ways by their faith communities. These stories have stayed hidden for too long, even though they strengthen neighbors’ bonds, encourage curiosity about faith, and reveal the vitality inside local communities,” said Josh Packard, co-founder, Future of Faith. “This collaborative, ecumenical project creates the infrastructure to make those stories visible at both the local and national levels and we couldn’t be more proud to be involved.”

VTS is one of 60 organizations from across the United States that have received grants through the initiative since 2024. The groups include media organizations, denominational judicatories, church networks, publishers, educational institutions, congregations and other nonprofit charitable organizations.

The aim of Lilly Endowment’s National Initiative on Christian Faith and Life is to help organizations identify, produce, and share with a wide variety of audiences compelling stories that portray the vibrancy and hope of Christian faith and life.

Notes to editors:

For media enquiries, please contact Nicky Burridge, Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Advancement at VTS.
Tel: (703) 461-1782

Mobile: (703) 300-2876
Email: nburridge@vts.edu

About Virginia Theological Seminary:

Virginia Theological Seminary is a residential seminary founded in 1823 and has a long tradition of shaping faithful women and men, lay and ordained, for leadership in The Episcopal Church and beyond. It is the strongest seminary in the Anglican Communion and provides more than 25 percent of the clergy of The Episcopal Church.

About Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary:

The mission of the Department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary is to connect, nurture, and highlight communities of faithful practice. It is a multi-faceted department grounded in theology and research-based practices to provide transformation learning for courageous leadership in a changing church.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.:

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.

About Future of Faith:

Future of Faith equips ministries with research and resources to do relational ministry at scale. Our tools and resources support future connections to faith life by fostering Sacred Listening, gathering information with wonder and curiosity, and building meaningful relationships. We are committed to elevating the work of others who are listening deeply and building the pathway to the future of faith.

The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce

The Board of Trustees of Seminary of the Southwest (Southwest) is pleased to announce the appointment of The Rt. Rev. Diane M.  Jardine Bruce as Interim Dean and President, effective January 2, 2026. The Executive Committee of the Board, following consultation with an advisory group of seminary administrators and faculty, and the concurrence of the Board, made the appointment at a specially called meeting on November 14th, at which it also selected the Isaacson Miller search firm to assist with the search for the 10th Dean and President.

Bishop Bruce, a well-known leader in The Episcopal Church with extensive experience in diocesan leadership, multicultural ministry, budgeting, and organizational development, will guide the seminary during the transition. “I am thrilled to join the students, staff, and faculty at Seminary of the Southwest and to walk with them and the Board through this time of transition!” said Bishop Bruce. “I have long admired the work and direction of this fine and forward-thinking institution and am excited to be a part of it.”

“Bishop Bruce takes a relational approach to her work of oversight, deepening trust through listening and partnering with other leaders,” said The Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Chair of the Southwest Board of Trustees. “She understands the role of an interim to strengthen the institution during a time of transition and will be a thoughtful and wise support and guide for our whole community. Her financial expertise and gifts as a seasoned leader in multicultural ministry make her well-suited to lead Seminary of the Southwest in this season.”

Bishop Bruce most recently served as Bishop Provisional of the Diocese of West Missouri (2021–2025), where she led the diocese of 47 congregations through a successful period of stabilization and preparation for the election of their next Bishop Diocesan. During her tenure, she worked with diocesan leaders to revamp governance structures, establish a zero-based and narrative budgeting process, and rebuild key commissions and committees. She currently serves on the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, where she is Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and Vice Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Finance.

Bishop Bruce was elected Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles in 2010. In her 11 ½ years in that role, she oversaw over 70 congregations serving as the bishop to 5 of the diocese’s 10 deaneries, and visited each of the 133 congregations in the diocese multiple times.  She expanded multicultural ministry, strengthened stewardship programs, and effectively supported parish growth and vitality across the diverse diocese. Her earlier ministry includes distinguished service as Rector of St. Clement’s by-the-Sea in San Clemente, where she led significant parish growth, expanded Spanish-speaking ministry, and built innovative liturgical and community programs.

Before entering ordained ministry, Bishop Bruce spent 17 years in corporate leadership at Wells Fargo Bank, ultimately serving as Vice President of Compensation, Management and Analysis. Her background in corporate systems, analytics, training, and team management has informed her strong administrative and financial leadership in the Church.

With proven excellence in transitional leadership, Bishop Bruce brings a deep commitment to multicultural ministry that aligns with Southwest’s mission and identity. With fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, and some Cantonese, she is adept at leading and connecting in diverse contexts. She is widely recognized for her creative, transparent budgeting. She brings genuine enthusiasm for Southwest’s mission, a deep commitment to inclusive, creative, and diverse Christian communities, and a special interest in each of the three core programs of the seminary: the residential M.Div, the Iona Collaborative, and the Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Counseling and Spirituality.

Bishop Bruce holds a D.Min. in Congregational Development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Claremont School of Theology, and a B.A. in Linguistics from UC Berkeley. She has been recognized with multiple honorary doctorates and numerous awards for excellence in clergy leadership and service.

Isaacson Miller is a nationally recognized search firm. Ernest Brooks, III, the primary consultant for Southwest’s search, has recently worked with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City on their dean’s search and is currently engaged with Berkley Divinity School at Yale on a search for their next dean.

In life, there are some moments you never forget.

It was the fall of 1997, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was about to hear whether I was to be a postulant and allowed to go to seminary.

With some trepidation I entered my bishop’s office and sat across from none other than Frank T. Griswold. It wasn’t long into our conversation that (to my relief!) he warmly affirmed that the Diocese of Chicago would be glad for me to continue in the discernment process leading to ordination.

Although I had already taken a number of courses in theology, he did tell me that he wanted me to “attend a seminary where I would receive a solid pastoral formation”.

“Well, I was thinking I might attend Seabury-Western.”

“Excellent choice!” he responded.

He was right. While attending Seabury-Western, I received an excellent education in pastoral ministry. So much so, that several years later, I was teaching others in their process to ordination when I was part of the faculty at Bexley Hall.

My meeting with Bishop Griswold comes to mind even more so today because our Bexley Seabury offices are now across the hallway from where that very meeting took place.

Yes, that’s right, we’ve relocated our permanent offices to the Episcopal Diocesan Center in Chicago. We’ve been praying about and strategizing for this move for a year, and we’re excited to see it come to fruition.

“I am delighted to have Bexley Seabury join us at the Episcopal Diocesan Center in Downtown Chicago. We share a deep and abiding care for the formation and preparation of people for both lay and ordained ministry.” The Rt. Rev. Paula Clark (13^th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago)

Bexley Seabury Seminary has also been deeply engaged in strategic planning with our new, incoming President, The Rev. Mark C. Lee, PhD. Mark is an Episcopal priest, Army Chaplain, and CPE educator, overseeing the formation of chaplains in the Army. Mark brings a wealth of experience in teaching, administration, strategy, and planning to the role and sees great promise in Bexley Seabury’s approach to forming the leaders that the church needs now.

I will continue serving as Interim President through the end of the year and, beginning in 2026, I will take up the position of Chief of Staff/Chief Operating Officer, working directly under Mark to provide oversight for our operations.

Tom Ferguson has agreed to serve as Academic Dean, which will provide consistency and continuity as we develop and deepen our path to prophetic and pastoral service. Tom will continue to teach Church History.

As Bexley Seabury Seminary just celebrated its 200-year anniversary, I am confident this new partnership with the historic Episcopal Diocesan Center will sustain us into the future. We are all dedicated to remaining rooted in our communities to provide educational opportunities to all the people of God.

“Bexley Seabury’s move to the Episcopal Diocesan Center will facilitate ideas, discussions, and actions in actualizing the real and relevant ministry that we confront together in this changing church. The entire Diocese of Chicago embraces the opportunities afforded us to build deeper relationships with Bexley Seabury.” The Rt. Rev. Bishop Paula Clark

So, while you may find us at a new location, our mission will remain the same. We will continue to envision a vibrant and inclusive future that educates, forms, and inspires the body of Christ to blaze new pathways for prophetic and pastoral service in response to God’s call.

For anyone seeking pastoral theological education, ordination or feeling called to another type of ministry, we are here to offer the support you need to achieve your goals.

Contact us to learn more and get additional information: https://bexleyseabury.edu/contact-us

For more information:

Vicki Bohlsen
(317) 513-8039
vbohlsen@bohlsengroup.com

Welcoming Jamie Hawkey as the Leader’s Way Chaplain

We are honored to welcome The Reverend Dr. Jamie Hawkey as the chaplain for the Leader’s Way week at Yale. Dr. Hawkey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in ecclesiology, ecumenical theology, and public life. Educated at Cambridge (MA, MPhil, PhD) and in Rome, the Rev’d Dr. Hawkey is Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, Chair of the Westminster Abbey Institute, and a Chaplain to HM The King, having first been appointed a Chaplain to HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2017. He is also a Bye-Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and a Visiting Professor in Theology at King’s College, London. With his substantial contributions to theological dialogues and public theology, and his experience overseeing national liturgies as Minor Canon and Sacrist of Westminster Abbey, the Rev’d Dr. Hawkey is an invaluable addition to our program.

Leader’s Way Week in Residence: An Extraordinary Community of Innovators at Yale

The Leader’s Way Fellows are an extraordinary group of innovators committed to transforming the world with the power of the Gospel. This unique program begins with an immersive five-day residential experience at Yale in June. Participants will learn from esteemed Yale faculty and visiting luminaries, benefiting from a rich educational environment. For the second year in a row, Theodicy Jazz Collective, under the direction of the Rev’d Dr. Andrew Barnett, will be leading the group in its worship music throughout the week.

“The Leader’s Way was incredibly transformational and inspirational for my role as a ministry leader. I feel excited to return to my congregation equipped with new knowledge, skills, and relationships that can help us start a program in our parish that will allow us to explore deeper who God is calling us to be.”
—Maria Hartz, St. Mark’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, NY

The Leader’s Way Home: Newly Renovated Berkeley Center

The newly renovated Berkeley Center will be the programmatic home for The Leader’s Way. With the recent completion of a donor-funded $6 million renovation, this state-of-the-art facility embodies our commitment to providing place-based theological education, spiritual formation, innovative learning, and community building.

The Leader’s Way Online: Ongoing Learning and Community

Following the week in residence, the learning journey continues with monthly online workshops designed to deepen understanding through active practice. These workshops will focus on essential topics such as prayer, resilience, and adaptive leadership. Fellows will also meet monthly in mentor-led peer groups to develop an Innovative Ministry project and provide support for their larger ministries. When fellows complete The Leader’s Way, they receive a Yale certificate.

Application Information

Applications for The Leader’s Way program are now open. Clergy and lay leaders called to innovation and transformation in ministry are encouraged to apply. Tuition is $3,500, with a limited amount of half scholarships available for those demonstrating significant financial need.

To apply or learn more about The Leader’s Way program, please visit our website or contact Dr. Brandon Nappi at brandon.nappi@yale.edu Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is recommended to secure a place in the program.

About Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

Berkeley Divinity School is the Episcopal seminary at Yale University. For over 160 years, Berkeley has prepared clergy, educators, and leaders to serve throughout the Church. Berkeley seminary students are Yale Divinity School students, with all students receiving full tuition scholarships based on demonstrated need. Berkeley’s commitment to forming leaders extends beyond seminary through the Transforming Leaders initiative, which includes The Leader’s Way podcast, online courses, workshops, and its flagship certificate program.

Freida Herron, a lay leader, preaches at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Maryville, Diocese of East Tennessee. Herron graduated from the Episcopal Preaching Foundation’s lay preacher training program in 2023 and now serves as one of its trainers. In 2024, she became the first layperson to preach at the closing Eucharist of the Episcopal Parish Network conference. Photo: Courtesy of Freida Herron

[Episcopal News Service] In 2024, Freida Herron, a lay leader at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Maryville, Diocese of East Tennessee, became the first lay person to preach at the closing Eucharist of the annual Episcopal Parish Network conference.

For many Episcopalians, hearing from voices from different backgrounds, ordained and lay, enhances their spiritual growth. 

The growing interest in hearing from lay leadership inspired the Episcopal Preaching Foundation to establish a special training program to prepare them for the pulpit.

“The lay preaching program has enriched my life and helped me answer my call to do the work of the Holy Spirit and do the same for other lay people,” Herron told Episcopal News Service. 

Herron graduated from the lay preacher program in 2023 and is one of 31 instructors from 12 dioceses who’ve taught over 100 students since the program was launched in 2022. The initial five-student pilot cohort was funded by a grant from New York’s Trinity Church Wall Street. This month, 30 students from 12 dioceses will graduate from the program. 

The mostly virtual program is churchwide, with students grouped by dioceses; once they graduate, their bishops license them.

Over the 11-month program, students read articles and books, watch videos, write personal reflections and meet with fellow students in their diocese via Zoom or in person to practice homiletics, aka preaching. Topics range from biblical hermeneutics and exegesis to preaching for different contexts and occasions.

“Some weeks it is talking through what they’ve read and learned, and some weeks it is preaching mini sermons, and some weeks it’s preaching full sermons,” the Rev. Jo Nygard Owens, the preaching foundation’s national program director, told ENS. “There are a lot of different ways that they engage, but as they move through the curriculum, more time is spent preaching and providing feedback in small group sessions.”

For Karen Olson, canon for ministry in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota and a program trainer, hearing perspectives from lay and clergy orders is both “important” and “compelling.”

“Lay preaching, I think, is relatable,” she told ENS.

The Episcopal Preaching Foundation is accepting applications from adults in the dioceses of El Camino Real, Northern California and San Diego for the 2026 English-language cohort through December. The course will begin in February.

The foundation is also working on a Spanish-language curriculum and hopes to begin recruiting a Spanish-speaking cohort in January. Peter Wild, the foundation’s executive director, told ENS that the Spanish curriculum will be developed specifically for Latino ministries, not simply a translation of the English-language curriculum.

The growing demand for lay preacher training comes amid an increasing churchwide clergy shortage, though, according to Wild, students enroll for their own reasons. This is especially evident in how they preach because the Scripture they’re interpreting “has a slightly different implication for them” than clergy, he said.

“This is why, for the people in the pews, it can be a beneficial thing to include a lay preacher and their perspective, when possible, clergy shortage or not,” Wild told ENS.

For Jason Franklin, communications director of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, joining the 2022 pilot lay preaching program was a way to help Episcopalians understand that the church’s lay and clerical orders are equal. 

“People ask me all the time why I didn’t just go to seminary and get ordained – and that’s a fair question, and I was previously in discernment – but I really feel called to the order of lay ministry and reaching out to people from that perspective,” Franklin, who occasionally preaches at St. Paul’s, told ENS. “Having that kind of diversity of voices is, I think, the future of the church. …There’s a real hunger from the people sitting in the pews every week to hear from the pulpit someone who’s just like them.”

The Episcopal Preaching Foundation is in the early stages of creating the National Association of Lay Preachers. Once it launches in January, Franklin will serve as executive director. A national database of lay preachers will also be established for dioceses.

While the new association is in development, the foundation is offering other avenues for alumni, instructors and anyone interested in learning more about lay preaching to network and share their experiences. Last month, 60 people from The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, including alumni and people in discernment, gathered virtually for the first annual lay preacher conference.

“I think the preaching program really teaches us a lot about how we connect our professional lives with our spiritual lives as lay people,” Franklin said. “It’s a really exciting opportunity to develop further our own personal beliefs and help this wonderful program grow.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

For more than 158 years, Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) has stood on the quiet strength of faith and the persistent belief that education changes everything. Founded in 1867 by the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, our mission was clear from the beginning: to transform lives through learning, leadership, and service.

That mission has never changed, but today, our survival depends on whether others still share our belief in it as well.

Like many historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country, SAU has faced moments of hardship. We have made mistakes, and we have learned from them. We have faced financial challenges, leadership transitions, and the heartbreak of skepticism — not only from critics, but sometimes from our own community.

And yet, we are still here. We are still teaching. We are still believing. We are still transforming lives — one student, one degree, one dream at a time.

When you step onto the grounds of SAU, you feel something more profound than struggle — you feel purpose. You feel the presence of those who built this place brick by brick with faith stronger than circumstance. That’s why I write to you today — not to ask for a bailout, but to invite your belief.

Our story is not one of defeat, but of redemption. We are rebuilding our foundation with integrity, transparency, and renewed commitment to the students and community we serve. We have a plan. We have the people. And we have one final chance to ensure that this institution — a cornerstone of Raleigh’s history and a national symbol of perseverance — continues to shine for generations to come.

SAU is more than an HBCU. It is a living testament to what happens when faith meets opportunity. It is proof that something once broken can rise again with grace, courage, and the support of a community.

To every philanthropist, leader, and believer who has ever wondered whether your support could genuinely change the world — I assure you, this is your moment.

Because saving SAU is not about saving a single school, it’s about saving hope. It’s about saving opportunity. It’s about ensuring that a legacy built by faith can continue to build futures.

To those who have stood with us, we extend our gratitude. To those who have doubted us, we understand. And to those who are listening with open hearts — we invite you to believe again. Faith built us. Belief will sustain us. And together, we can make history once more.

With Falcon Pride,

Dr. Verjanis A. Peoples, Interim President
Saint Augustine’s University

Click here to support the Falcon Pride Initiative

Boston University School of Theology students connect with associate dean for academic affairs Rady Roldán-Figueroa.

Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Online Master of Divinity (OMDiv) program, designed to make high-quality theological education more accessible to students across the globe. Through rigorous academics and spiritual formation combined with practical ministry experience, the program prepares students for ordained or lay ministry, all within a supportive and interactive virtual community.

“The need for trained and compassionate faith leaders has never been greater,” said G. Sujin Pak, Dean of the School of Theology. “By launching the Online Master of Divinity, we hope to share even more broadly and accessibly the unique combination of beloved community, stellar teaching, high-level learning, and fruitful spaces of dialogue that the School of Theology cultivates in its vocation to equip wise and courageous leaders for today.”

The OMDiv offers a curriculum that builds core competencies in sacred texts and interpretation, practical theology, ethics, spirituality, and spiritual care, complemented by contextual education placements that allow students to integrate learning with ministry in their local communities. Launching with the inaugural Ecclesial Ministry track, and a Chaplaincy track to follow, the program supports students preparing for ordained or endorsed ministry, grounding them deeply in their own traditions while equipping them broadly for faithful service. The OMDiv embodies the School of Theology’s historic Methodist roots and its ongoing mission to form leaders who serve with wisdom, humanity, and justice.

Final approval of the OMDiv as a new graduate degree at Boston University is anticipated in November 2025. Initial admissions decisions for the Fall 2026 OMDiv cohort are slated to be issued in December 2025. 

The program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future. 

Virtual Curacy: Addressing Critical Needs

Berkeley’s first Virtual Curates gather on retreat at Cathedral Ridge in Colorado.

Berkeley Divinity School’s commitment to forming compassionate servant-leaders for the Church and the world who are generous, wise, and equipped to lead in new ways is unwavering. The Virtual Curacy, a hallmark of this commitment, is designed to address the critical shortage of traditional curacy and apprenticeship opportunities for newly ordained Episcopal clergy. The program offers substantial mentoring, fellowship, and practical learning in four key areas: Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Care, Administration and Management, and Visionary Leadership. It includes in-person retreats, an intensive residential week at Yale, and curates who successfully complete the program will receive a Yale certificate.Currently, eleven curates from eight dioceses are enrolled in the pilot cohort of the Virtual Curacy program. Applications for the second cohort will open on November 1, with the program beginning in August 2026. Scholarship funding for dioceses in need will be available. For more information, visit the Virtual Curacy homepage  or contact Dr. Brandon Nappi, Executive Director, Office of Transforming Leaders at brandon.nappi@yale.edu. 

“Lilly Endowment’s support for Berkeley Divinity School’s Virtual Curacy Program is a huge boost to our work with newly ordained clergy around The Episcopal Church who find themselves immediately in charge of a parish,” says the Rev’d Dr. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. “This will enable us to partner with many new priests-in-charge, from whichever seminary or training program, to find effective mentoring and continued learning while they offer pastoral and sacramental leadership across the country.” 

“The season of change and uncertainty before us poses an extraordinary challenge to the clergy called to lead and love God’s people. Berkeley’s Transforming Leaders program is on the front edge of providing critical support and ongoing formation. The leaders who have participated from my diocese are leading some of our most vital ministries, and I highly recommend it,” stated The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota. 

“Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”   

Transforming Leaders: Cultivating Lifelong Growth and Learning
Since its founding, The Office of Transforming Leaders has reshaped the landscape of lifelong formation within the wider Church, having served over 1,000 clergy over the past three years. The program’s concise online courses for clergy and lay leaders, the flagship Leader’s Way residential intensive, and the award-winning Leader’s Way Podcast have set new benchmarks for formation and education. The new Virtual Curacy continues this legacy by matching recent graduates with seasoned mentors across dioceses and time zones, ensuring geography is no barrier to their calling. 

A Landmark Achievement
This landmark grant also propels the Inspiring Berkeley campaign past its ambitious $23 million goal, adding momentum to an era of renewal. The Berkeley Center, revitalized through more than $6 million in renovations, reinvigorates the school’s shared residential and spiritual life. Moreover, the extraordinary gift of full-tuition scholarships for every student in need ensures that Berkeley continues to form leaders free from financial burden. 

About Berkeley Divinity School at Yale:
Berkeley Divinity School is the Episcopal seminary at Yale. The mission of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale is to form and transform lay and ordained leaders for the present and future Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. A Christian community of worship, learning, and service, it shares in the ecumenical and scholarly vocations of Yale Divinity School. 

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe. 

The 2025 Ancient Order Radical Vocation Conference, commonly known as RADVO, took place Sept. 25-27 at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas. Photo: Courtesy of Kimberly Durnan

[Diocese of Dallas] The message of hope in a tumultuous world is the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the recurring theme for the Ancient Order Radical Vocation Conference, commonly known as RADVO, a theology and discernment conference held at the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, Texas, during the last weekend of September.

Top theologians in the Episcopal and Anglican tradition spoke at the Sept. 25-27 gathering of nearly 250 attendees with a focus on hope in Christ, the Gospel and the call to love your neighbor. 

The gathering brought together young up-and-coming theologians, clergy and discerners nationwide. The conference framework included theological talks from authors, academics and thought leaders in the Christian faith; worshiping together in Holy Eucharist and evensong; developing relationships and forming community; and creating space for unstructured discussions among a cerebral and passionate group of believers.  

It’s easy to get distracted with the busyness of our lives, so to be here with clergy, church leaders, people just discerning and being reminded that it is all about our hope in Christ was a wonderful thing to see, said the Rev. Nathan Webb, associate rector at Peter and Paul Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia. 

Early in the conference a panel of theologians spoke candidly on a topic pastors everywhere are talking about: how to best minister to those who are politically opposite in their congregations. One speaker talked about hateful words exchanged publicly online between two parishioners with differing political views and how bringing them together, in person with their pastor for discussion, human connection and understanding resolved the issue in a satisfying way. 

People think being prophetic is telling people off on social media or saying they hate their enemies, said the Rev. Tish Harrison Warren, author, columnist and priest in the Anglican Church in North America. “The prophetic needs to be truly alternative so the church behaves in such a way that it doesn’t fit in the political categories of our day but should challenge everyone in the room whether they are on the left or the right,” she said.

Clergy must consider ways to create congregations where people of diverse political views can worship together and experience the power of the Gospel, Warren said.

Kenneth Keith, who lives in Dallas and is discerning his call to serve, said the panel discussion was “refreshingly” realistic. “That speaks to me,” he said. “Theologically I don’t fall neatly in the categories of the tradition that I grew up in or the tradition that I’m in now. It gives me permission to be there and not fit into any of those categories except for allegiance to Christ the King.”

Panelists also said preaching in today’s climate should focus on the Gospel and not culture. The Rev. Annette Brownlee, who teaches pastoral theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada, talked about theologian Karl Barth, a leading Christian thinker in the 20th century, who insisted that God’s revelation in Christ, not human culture, philosophy or politics was the foundation of theology. The Church must be centered on the Word of God, not on state propaganda or cultural ideas.

She also talked about being a minister to all in the church because one day that may mean pastoring a teenager who is transitioning and the next day to the parents who are against it. “We are called to love one another, period.” Brownlee said. “What an important vocation to witness to the power of love over our petty, finite, transitory distinctions.” 

Many were also encouraged by the words of Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who gave a homily by video at the conference during a morning worship service. Rowe preached from readings of Ezekiel and the Gospel about seeds of the cedar tree and mustard bush. He talked about Ezekiel’s towering cedar tree, mighty and capable of bearing fruit and sheltering God’s creatures with its sturdy branches. Meanwhile, the mustard seed is invasive, grows unchecked and crowds out native plants, but provides yellow flowers as it spreads across mountains and fields.

Our participation in God’s mission requires us to nurture both kinds of seeds, Rowe said. “The Kingdom of God is like both. We need our towering resplendent institutions that anchor The Episcopal Church as a witness to our past and provide shelter for ancient truths and the thinkers who safeguard and strengthen them,” he said. “And we need our edgy church plants, campus ministries and restarts where we wrestle the challenges that make a bold, bright witness to the truths in a culture filled with conflict and chaos.

“Either way, Team Cedar or Team Mustard, the Kingdom of God is like the seeds you are planting now and the growth that God is giving. The Kingdom is upon us now in all its towering majesty and all its chaotic, golden wonder. As members of the body of Christ sometimes we are called to be its branches and sometimes we are called to rest in its shade and always we are to proclaim its hope.”

Shruti Kulkami, who is discerning her call and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, said she took comfort from Rowe’s homily. “I really appreciated him saying that God works in different ways,” she said. “If what you see is not what you are hoping for or what you expect, trust that God is working through that and to keep going. That is a message a lot of us needed to hear.” 

While much of the conference focused on theology, those in discernment for holy orders were invited to a special luncheon to hear Central Florida Bishop Justin Holcomb and Dallas Bishop Coadjutor Robert P. Price talk about the process of discernment in their dioceses and to answer questions. 

Holcomb talked about how the Diocese of Central Florida had ordained around 150 people in the last decade and that there is a need in The Episcopal Church for young clergy to replace those who are retiring. He said his diocese looks for people with an excellent reputation, an exemplary family life, Christ-like skills, a disciplined life devoted to scripture, and those who are spiritually mature. 

Price said that discernment in community is key and helps people understand their call, that it’s not just their own subjectivity, rather it’s about serving in suffering love in a community of faith. “It’s about what people that you trust, mentors and spiritual fathers and mothers are saying to you and to trust that word,” he said. “Your openness to that is a gift.”

Philip Gains, who is a student at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina and a youth minister at St. George’s in Nashville, Tennessee, said he came to the conference for theological formation and to hear and think about discernment as he seeks to understand his own call.  “The content has been really good, and it has been great just listening to people who are at the top of their game theologically and pastorally and seeing what it can look like being a priest in this church outside my particular parish and how there is real community that is found in that space,” he said. 

Embracing the normalcy of life as a vehicle for God’s glory was another sub-theme that emerged throughout the event. The Rev. Ephram Radner, who is a professor of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College said, “Hope is discovered in normalcy where God has chosen to magnify his greatness. Priests are called to testify to the hope that living a normal life is a gift from God. It’s a fundamental aspect of human existence. It’s through normalcy that humans can find hope and meaning.”

Warren also touched on the idea of normalcy when she talked about a duty of delight by finding joy and beauty in small moments. She encouraged church leaders to practice delight intentionally and to not view it as a waste of time. This may be reading a book, drinking a good cup of coffee, talking to a friend or taking a nap. 

Faithfulness and consistency to spiritual disciplines is also important, Warren said. Perseverance is needed for hope. Persevere during hard times even if there is weariness or feeling less connected to God. Keep praying, keep meditating on the Psalms, keep listening to the spirit, keep practicing silence, keep learning and keep showing up to church, she said.

Many attendees said that the ideas of consistency in Christian disciplines and embracing normalcy resonated with them. Leaning into the ordinary of our lives is a great way to serve others, said Jacob Plamer, a Truett Seminary student who is in discernment. “I love the focus in just doing the ordinary work of the church and how that is a window into God’s grace in people’s lives,” he said. 

Keith agreed and said, “What I will never forget from Mother Warren is when she said the ‘Lord rends the heavens to reveal an average Tuesday’, I think that is wonderfully said not only to ordained life but to whatever vocation someone might have.”

The RADVO conference is offered every two years in Dallas at the Church of the Incarnation. The event attracts global speakers and has included the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, N.T. Wright, Stanley Hauerwas, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and more. The next RADVO is scheduled Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2027. 

Watch Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s full sermon here.