The Rev. Shawn Strout, Ph.D. is Associate Dean of Chapel, Director of Assessment, and Assistant Professor of Worship. He first taught at VTS as an adjunct faculty member in 2018. He joined the faculty as Visiting Professor of Worship in 2020.
The Rev. Shawn Strout, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Worship, Associate Dean of Chapel, and Director of Assessment. His passion is teaching future lay and ordained church leaders about the history, theology, and practice of liturgy. He believes liturgical theology helps students see the many ways we experience God in the liturgy and that liturgical practice empowers students to be confident liturgical leaders.
He says he began his love affair with liturgy when he first stepped into an Episcopal church. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was an active participant in worship and not just an observer. From that moment forward, he has loved the liturgy and the study of it. He believes for many people, liturgy is where we meet God.
Dr. Strout has served as a parish priest for over eleven years. He currently serves as Associate Priest at Trinity Parish in Washington, DC. He has also served at St. Paul’s K Street, the Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes, both in Washington, DC, and Christ Church in Kensington, MD.
Dr. Strout published his monograph Of Thine Own Have We Given Thee: A Liturgical Theology of the Offertory in Anglicanism with Pickwick Publications in 2023. His forthcoming book with Church Publishing is Shepherding Souls: A Handbook for the Pastoral Offices. He has also written peer-reviewed articles for Studia Liturgica, The Anglican Theological Review, Worship, and Anglican and Episcopal History.
Dr. Strout received a personal grant from Wabash entitled “Engaging Seminarians with Mind, Brain, and Education Strategies.” He also coordinated two institutional grants, one from the Lilly Foundation for the Pathways for Tomorrow, Phase One, and another from the John Templeton Foundation on “A Longitudinal Study on the Impact of the Seminary Environment on Seminary Students.”
Dr. Strout is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, Societas Liturgica, and the past chair of the Society of Scholar Priests. He currently serves as assistant editor for Studia Liturgica.
Dr. Strout frequently presents lectures and seminars on various liturgical topics.
Ph.D. Theology and Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America
M.Phil. Theology and Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America
M.Div. Virginia Theological Seminary
M.A. Professional Counseling, Liberty University
M.A. Human Resources Development, Webster University
B.A. Bible, Pensacola Christian College
Linked Publications
Of Thine Own Have We Given Thee: A Liturgical Theology of the Offertory in Anglicanism
(Pickwick Publications, 2023)
Learn MoreThe History of Liturgical Revision in the Church of England and its Implications for the Episcopal Church
(Anglican & Episcopal History, Volume 92, June 2023)
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