Date: February 4, 2026
Today the Boards of VTS and GTS are meeting. Yesterday, there was a rich and full plenary session, at which I was present for fifteen minutes or so, as the Board formally began the process of searching for my successor in light of my planned retirement in the summer of 2028. It was encouraging to see the care, seriousness, and hope with which the Trustees are approaching this important moment in the life of our two seminaries.
At the same time, we continue to see extraordinary signs of vitality in our common life. The Molligen Forum was an astonishing success, offering a powerful and timely conversation through the witness of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and the Rev. Senator Kim Jackson of Georgia. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Kyle Lambelet and to the St. Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice for their vision, leadership, and superb organization of an event that engaged both heart and mind.
It feels especially right that, even as the Board deliberates about the future leadership and direction of these two seminaries, programming that genuinely makes a difference continues at VTS. This is how it should be: thoughtful governance alongside vibrant formation, public witness, and theological engagement, each strengthening the other as we look ahead with confidence and hope.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary.Â