WATCHING Is More Than Waiting
Every seminary makes a promise it can't fully keep. We tell students we will prepare them for ministry, yet the ministry they practice may span 20 years or more. I cannot tell you what the Church, or the communities it serves, will look like in 2040 and beyond. So the question becomes: How do we form leaders for a future we cannot predict?
Readiness, Not Prediction
Advent offers an answer. Jesus tells of ten bridesmaids who wait for a bridegroom whose arrival no one can predict. The wise ones don't guess the time correctly. They bring oil. They stand ready to respond whenever the moment arrives. The Gospel calls us to readiness, not prediction.
I learned this lesson long before I came to Bexley Seabury. As an Army chaplain, I watched soldiers discover that no plan survives first contact. Good training never promised that events would unfold as expected. It prepared people to think clearly, adapt, and remain grounded in their mission when everything around them shifted. I believe theological formation works much the same way.
If we train leaders only for what the Church has been or what we understand it to be today, we risk preparing them for a world that has already changed. Instead, we must form people who listen deeply to God, to Scripture and tradition, and to the communities before them. The Church needs leaders who can think theologically when no ready answer exists, collaborate across differences, and remain grounded in their vocation when circumstances change.
A Seminary Willing to Evolve
At Bexley Seabury, this understanding shapes not only how we educate students but also how we continue to evolve as a seminary. Advances in technology, changing patterns of community, and new approaches to learning are reshaping the landscape of theological education. We cannot prepare leaders to respond creatively to change unless we are willing to do the same.
That commitment is reflected in our work to expand chaplaincy education, including plans for an online Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program and new chaplaincy offerings beginning in Fall 2027. These initiatives reflect our conviction that theological formation must respond to the realities of ministry wherever it takes place—in congregations, hospitals, communities, and beyond.
We envision opportunities that serve those preparing for the priesthood, support deacons whose ministries carry the Church into places of need, and equip lay leaders who are equally called to serve God's people. The forms of ministry may differ, but the need for thoughtful, adaptable, and faithful formation remains constant.
A seminary cannot credibly teach creativity and adaptability unless it practices them. At Bexley Seabury, we continue to watch, learn, adapt, and prepare in response to our calling to serve the Church.
Preparing Today for What Comes Next
Preparation also demands investment now. The bridesmaids brought their oil before the night grew long. The leaders who will serve the Church decades from now are being formed today. Our responsibility is to ensure they have the wisdom, imagination, and support to meet whatever comes.
I cannot see the Church of the future. But together, we can help form leaders who will be ready to meet it.
