One of the delightful things about being part of a seminary community is that we are always learning.

I don’t mean just in the classroom, although the energy and vitality of theological study is the beating heart of this institution. I’m talking about something broader: the faithfulness of being open to new insight as we seek to follow God’s call for the seminary.

This orientation isn’t limited to our academic enterprise. It permeates who
we are and what we do at every level. In this issue of Story, I hope you’ll see what I mean.

Over the past few years, our faculty listened deeply to the church and our students, evaluated years of assessment data, and reflected on the lessons of our accelerated MDivX pilot. You’ll read about how this led them to reimagine our M.Div. curriculum in a way that lowers barriers, strengthens rigor, and attends to formation rooted in communities of practice.

You’ll get a glimpse into the lives of students for whom seminary comes as a “second act”—lifelong learners whose rich experiences indelibly shape their call to ministry. And you’ll hear what we’ve learned from our siblings in Christ in the Anglican church, who share their perspective on the transformation from inherited ways of being church to a mix of old and new.

Each of these stories reminds us that God speaks through ancient practices of Word and Sacrament as well as new experiences rooted in ways that communities gather today. As we seek to lead faithful innovation for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a rapidly changing world, we pray that our hearts and minds are open to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit in all the delight, struggle, complexity, and simplicity in which we find ourselves.

Grace and peace,

Robin J. Steinke
President