Our Mission

Led by the Holy Spirit, Virginia Theological Seminary forms and educates leaders who proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helps others participate in God’s mission throughout the world. We are a racially and culturally diverse residential community of The Episcopal Church, devoted to worship and prayer; teaching and learning; and research and service to the wider church.

Mission Emphases

Our home is The Episcopal Church. We bring to all we do: an abiding commitment to the life of faith with the life of the mind; our love of liturgy, music and preaching; and a generous, open orthodoxy.

Our longing is for God to form human lives who are passionate in their beliefs and practices for the Good News of God in Christ, caring for the earth, and bringing the presence of Christ through pastoral care to those in need.

Our ministry and mission are grounded on a lovely campus in a residential community, where people daily learn the discipline of worship; engage in rigorous graduate studies; and participate in lively table fellowship in the Refectory.

Our work is graduate theological education, where texts and traditions are opened, where connections are made with the contemporary Church and the world in ways that compel and excite.

Our mission is global in reach. Through our deep connections in the Anglican Communion and our Center for Anglican Communion Studies, we have ministry partners worldwide. We value our ecumenical and interfaith relationships and seek to learn from the perspectives of others.

Our Lifelong Learning programs, through creative and innovative initiatives, seek to bring education, training, and resources within the reach of all.

Our deep commitment is to shape Church leaders, lay and ordained, who are committed to the creation of a just society in which the image of God in all people is honored and where the sins of racism and injustice are named, challenged, and ultimately eradicated.

Our service to the Church and the world is enhanced by dedicated focus on research with an emphasis on practice.

Our connections with alumni, friends, and congregational and diocesan partners are important and strengthen the Seminary.

Our mission is delivered by dedicated employees who strive for excellence through the provision of services, and through careful stewardship of our resources. We are invested in the development of our staff, and are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our life together.

Explore Campus Calendar

Virginia Theological Seminary is the flagship seminary of the Episcopal Church. Founded in 1823, VTS prepares leaders from around the world for both ordained and lay service in the Church. Students from every Episcopal province in the United States and from many other countries have found their way to VTS to be shaped by the discipline of worship in an environment committed to learning so that they can serve Christ effectively.

Virginia Theological Seminary has led the way in forming leaders of the Episcopal Church, including the Most Rev. John E. Hines, M.Div. 1933, D.D. 1946 (H), former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Rt. Rev. John T. Walker M.Div. 1954, D.D. 1978 (H), the first African-American bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington; and theologian, author, and lay preacher Ms. Verna J. Dozier, D.D. 1978 (H). Serving the worldwide Anglican Communion, Virginia Theological Seminary educates approximately 25% of those being ordained who received residential theological education.

VTS celebrates the richness of the orthodox Christian tradition. We affirm the centrality of the Scriptures, the historic creeds, and our Prayer Book in our learning and living together. We recognize that Christians disagree about much and encourage the conversation as we seek to discern God’s will for our age. Christians across the spectrum are welcome at VTS.