Since our last communication, we have begun identifying, screening, and evaluating potential candidates in light of the position profile, shaped by the many people who took part in our listening sessions. This is a process of careful, prayerful discernment: listening to one another, considering the needs and hopes of both seminaries, and seeking the person who can lead them faithfully into the future.
The committee has approached this work with a strong sense of shared purpose. We have built a high level of trust and collegiality among our members, and that trust is helping us engage in this discernment with candor, care, and respect for the different perspectives represented around the table. Paul’s prayer for the Philippians offers a fitting hope for our shared work: “that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters” (Philippians 1:9–10, NRSVUE).
We are also joyful and grateful for the strong interest in the position. We have received a robust number of inquiries from potential candidates, and we are encouraged by the depth and breadth of that interest. It reflects the high regard in which VTS and GTS are held across The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
The process of receiving and reviewing applications and nominations is ongoing. We anticipate holding first-round interviews in mid-winter and remain on track to present a recommendation to the VTS and GTS Boards of Trustees in spring 2027. It is not too late to share a name. Nominations and suggestions of potential candidates are still welcome, and can be submitted through the dedicated IM webpage: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/virginia-theological-seminary-and-general-theological-seminary/dean-and-president
Thank you to everyone who has participated in a listening session, completed a survey, or recommended a potential candidate. Your contributions have been invaluable. We are grateful for the strength and dedication of the VTS and GTS communities, and we look forward with hope to the opportunities ahead for our new Dean and President.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Troy Mendez
Chair of the Search Committee for the Dean and President
The General Theological Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary
Notes to editors:
For media inquiries, please contact Nicky Burridge, Senior Vice President for Communications and Institutional Advancement at Virginia Theological Seminary and The General Theological Seminary.
Tel: (703) 461-1782
Mobile: (703) 300-2876
Email: [email protected]
About Virginia Theological Seminary:
Virginia Theological Seminary was 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 The General Theological Seminary:
The General Theological Seminary of The Episcopal Church was founded in 1817. It is the oldest seminary of The Episcopal Church and has educated and formed leaders for the church in a changing world for more than 200 years. The Seminary was chartered by an act of The Episcopal Church’s General Convention and its name was chosen to reflect its founders’ vision that it be a seminary to serve the whole church.