These last two weeks have been exciting for SIM and our ministry together. 

First, the Episcopal online community was buzzing with an article by a significant voice in The Episcopal Church (TEC). The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. wrote the following about seminary education in TEC:  "In the absence of bold, creative leadership there is little chance that things will change." An Episcopal priest, author, and the Director of Spiritual Formation and Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Schmidt recommended three steps to improve the state of theological education in The Episcopal Church:

• "One, rigorous academic preparation is absolutely essential to creative, competent, servants of Christ who are deeply formed and capable of forming others...

• Two, that kind of preparation is more important than ever before. We live in a complex and fast-changing world that will require a generation of leaders who are as well trained and educated as are the people in any other profession...

• Three, I am also convinced that as many new creative approaches to education as there might be, a residential model of focused, face-to-face education and formation in the faith is the best means of preparing a generation of thoughtful, faithful servants of the Gospel." 

His proposal is an endorsement of SIM's mission to support Episcopal seminarians. In our exchange of e-mails regarding his article, he wrote: "I think [the $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends] is a vitally important initiative.  In fact, it may be the most important thing that has happened church-wide in theological education for a long, long time."

Second, as a guest of the Council of Deans (the deans of Episcopal seminaries), themselves guests last week at the House of Bishops conference at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC, I had an opportunity to hear about a primary theme of the bishops' conference: "selection, recruitment and formation of young leaders."  That topic is almost identical to SIM's mission since 1857, when we were founded to "find suitable persons for the Episcopal ministry and aid them in acquiring a thorough education."

Third, a rector friend recently described his sense of what is going on with SIM:  "I think you've breathed new life into a grand and wonderful old lady, and I give thanks for your most important ministry and the direction you are taking this most important ministry in our midst." 

The "you" to whom my friend writes is each of you:
SIM alumni, seminarians, donors and friends.  You are causing "most important" to be a most common descriptor of SIM's ministry. Thank you for your part in making SIM increasingly critical to the future of TEC. You are responding to the situation which compels many seminarians to incur debt for an expensive education for an important calling but a low compensating profession. You recognize that recruitment of leaders with a call is problematic when the burden of financing their seminary education falls upon the seminarians themselves.

The $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends is the antidote to Rev. Schmidt's concern that the Church lacks "bold, creative leadership". The $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends is a doable, grass roots monthly giving program that provides a conduit for the EIP (Episcopalian in the pew) to become part of the solution - a "do-the-math solution."  With the possibilities inherent in the $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends, theological education in The Episcopal Church can be funded in full, and the recruitment discussed at Kanuga can be truly realized. If only 5% of EIPs joined at $18.57 per month, sufficient funds would be generated to cover the tuition cost of every fulltime 3 year Episcopal M.Div student! Success would be a game changer for The Episcopal Church!

I agree with Fred Schmidt that we are engaged in a "vitally important initiative." This is an exciting opportunity. Let's change the world of theological education in The Episcopal Church.  Let's SIMboldly! With friends in your Episcopal network, view our video (click on link below) and sign up for the $18.57 Circle of Seminarian Friends at www.simministry.org.

 

 

Faithfully,