S+H 2010 Apr-May-June.pdf - Trinity School for Ministry

Stock photograph
Raising Up
Seminarians
by Justyn Terry
have heard that the first Dean/President of
I Trinity, Bishop Alf Stanway, used to love
to remind people of one of the principles
of the Church Missionary Society: “Under
God, everything will depend on the quality
of the people chosen for the task.” Of all the
many blessings the church enjoys and the
many assets it might list, its leaders have a
particularly special place. Having well-trained
and well-resourced leaders is vital for a
healthy, missionary church.
In these complex times I am keen that we
continue to take seriously identifying, training,
and supporting leaders for the church. We
need many ordained and lay leaders who are
able to plant churches, renew churches, and
build churches that embody the Gospel and
transform their neighborhoods with the light
of Christ and the power of the Spirit.
Trinity generally relies on others to have the
“vocational eyes,” as Bishop John Rodgers
delightfully puts it, that are on the lookout for
people whom God is calling into such vital
roles. Our primary concern as a seminary is
with training and supporting them as they
respond to that call.
It is our privilege to welcome many able
students to our campus and to our online or
intensive classes. They are deeply committed
disciples of Jesus Christ who are already
immersed in Christian ministry and longing
to help form vital Christian communities.
How can we, in the wider church, best support
them as they prepare for the future?
One way would be for you to “adopt” a
seminarian, praying for them, encouraging
them through letters, giving them frequent
flyer miles to visit family, suggesting to your
rector that they speak to small groups or
preach at your church, and asking them to
write a letter for your parish newsletter.
Another way would be for your church to
sponsor a seminarian for his or her entire
time at Trinity. This could be for students sent
to Trinity from your church – and
many churches already do this I am
delighted to say – but we can also
link churches to current students.
A third way is by funding
scholarships. Many of our excellent
students would not be in seminary
at all had it not been for the fulltuition
scholarships we were able to
offer this year; several others would
be at other seminaries that were
not their first choice but offered
generous scholarships. All of them
would have been accumulating
levels of debt which would make it
harder for them to accept a call to
smaller churches and church plants
when they graduate.
Our vision is to be able to offer full-tuition
support, based on need, to 30-50 students
a year on an on-going basis. Full tuition
costs over $9,000 a year, so this will involve
building up our current scholarship provision.
Are these things that you, or someone you
know, would be excited to partner in? How
better to support the many new clergy and lay
leaders the church will need in the years that
lie ahead?
Help plant
a church:
sponsor a
seminarian
April – May – June 2010
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