In a season where there is so much turbulence, I am pleased to report that the news from The General Theological Seminary is good.

On every front, GTS is leading the way. Through its hybrid Master of Divinity (MDiv) program, GTS continues to provide an outstanding degree that meets a crucial need for students who are unable to relocate for three years of residential seminary. Although there are several hybrid options available, ranging from local diocesan programs to the hybrid MDivs offered by some of our sister seminaries, the GTS hybrid MDiv continues to be more than five times oversubscribed. In the fall of 2024, we welcomed our largest incoming class of MDiv students since 2010. This year, our incoming class will be even larger, with 22 students joining the program.

Equally exciting is the fact that we have our first hybrid cohort graduating this May. I am delighted (and yes proud – after all, I taught them ethics) to report that GTS was the only Episcopal seminary where all candidates achieved a 100% competency rate in all five areas of the General Ordination Examinations.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt University is progressing with its plans to renovate the Close. We are currently awaiting approval of the lease arrangement. Once that has been granted, there will be one further month before closing, and then renovations can begin. The Close will be transformed with buildings repaired, the Chapel restored, and everything made ADS-compliant.

Finally, I would like to remind you that all GTS alumni are eligible to access the outstanding resources of Virginia Theological Seminary’s Bishop Payne Library. Thanks to the Affiliation Agreement, you can access more than 29 computer research databases, including major databases such as the Atla Religion Database, Oxford Bibliographies for Biblical Studies, EBSCO Religion and Philosophy, ProQuest Religion Database, and JSTOR Arts & Sciences III. In addition, there are more than 430,000 digital books and journals. These resources are part of collections from vendors such as EBSCOHost (eBook Academic Collection and eBook Religion Collection) and ProQuest (ProQuest Ebook Central). If you prefer a physical book, the library will mail it to you. Please do make use of this wonderful resource.

I do have one request for all readers of this update. We need ambassadors and advocates for GTS. We are retaining the critically catholic and liturgically rich tradition of General -after all the Rev. Dr. James Farwell, a GTS alumnus, is teaching liturgy. We have secured our future while retaining our historic home, the Close. We are financially viable, and we are producing extraordinary graduates.  

As we all walk through the season of Lent, we acknowledge afresh the brokenness in our own lives and in the world that we are seeking serve. May God bless each one of you, and may Holy Week and Easter bring you grace and hope. 

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.

President of the General Theological Seminary