The Rev. David Gortner, PhD. is stepping down from his role as Program Principal for Thriving in Ministry and will complete his work on May 31, 2025. After transitioning from full time Faculty at VTS in 2018 to Rector of St. Luke’s in the Diocese of Spokane, David continued for seven years of building and […]
Finding space for sustained prayer is really difficult. Most of us just give God a few minutes and often when we are doing something else – driving the car, walking the dog, easing into the morning. But sitting with God in a sustained way and letting God speak to us is something that is hard […]
I arrived in the office on Thursday already running late for my next meeting. I had 110 emails waiting. But as I picked up my mail the latest issue of Anglican Theological Review was sitting on the side. I noticed that the Rev. Dr. Katherine Sonderegger had an article in it called The Future of Theological […]
A long time ago…in a galaxy far, far away…YOU were a prospective student at Virginia Theological Seminary. Do you remember those days? And how it felt to step on campus for the first time? As part of your discernment process for seminary, you may have joined us for a Visit Day, which continues to be offered once […]
As promised, I am continuing to receive ‘shout outs’ from any employee. It is lovely when a staff member wants to recognize others for their hard work. So, today, we are hearing from David Buresh, our cataloger and rare book curator. He says this: “I’d like to do a staff Shout Out! to Jim Fitch, […]
Very many congratulation to the Rev. Dr. Altagracia Pérez-Bullard, whose book Equipping the Saints to Serve the City: Multicultural Education for Lay Leaders’ Inclusive Ministry (Claremont Press 2025) is now available; you can buy it here. It is an important, powerful, and intensely practical book. The focus is urban ministry (inevitably diverse) and the need to […]
We settled into Chapel to listen to a fine sermon from Jackson Davey yesterday morning. The fourth quarter had started. Slowly we ease into the journey to the end of the academic year. The Spring Break pause is good and important because the last semester is often very full and complicated. It is full because, […]
The headline might give some people in the VTS community some concern. But just to reassure you, I am not referring to a visit to VTS. Our work in this respect is over. Instead, I am heading out for four days to be the chair of an ATS visit at another Seminary. Accreditation is important. […]
There is something a little odd about having a portrait unveiled three years away from retirement. I confess I was very ambivalent. There are enough white, elderly men adorning the walls of this Seminary. But when I was asked by donors whether I would like one done, I heard myself saying “yes please, I would […]
Spring Break is a good moment to make a fundraising trip. The result is that Institutional Advancement is organizing a Roundtable in Houston, Texas. Tonight we will be at Trinity Episcopal Church. Friend making is key to the future of the Seminary. As major universities are learning, income streams are vulnerable. An endowment is in […]