In a recent convocation at the Columbus, OH campus of Bexley-Seabury, President Roger Ferlo spoke about the ecosystem of theological education which includes, families, congregations, pastors, mentors, dioceses (and especially Commissions on Ministry), seminaries and Anglican studies programs, the Board of Examining Chaplains + the General Ordination Exam (GOE), Episcopal Schools, college and miltary chaplaincies and the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes.
Ferlo then pondered the pressures on this ecosystem.
“It feels to me like climate change. There is deep denial and an increasing number of facts…facts on the ground”
He identified a number of pressures such as changes in technology, more diverse voices amongst the faculties, uncertainty about the value of ordination, and tension over the curriculum content.