Welcome to the School of Theology—an Episcopal Seminary

Committed to forming lay and ordained leaders for service to the Episcopal Church and the world

Devout: The Sewanee Rule of Life

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Learned: An Episcopal University

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Useful: For the Church and for the World

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Devout: The Sewanee Rule of Life

Christian ministry requires leaders who are sensitive to the presence of God in their own lives, and in the lives of those with whom they are called to serve. It is a high priority for us to encourage one another’s capacity to pray, to pray more deeply, and to develop the discipline to pray more faithfully. Through daily worship, prayer, study, spiritual direction, and quiet days, the School of Theology develops in its students such a pattern of life and a deep awareness of the presence of God. Whatever the context of one’s ministry, a reliable, disciplined prayer life is critical to survival and is the foundation of thriving in ministry. Seminary is the time to get this discipline well in place.

Rule of Life

A rule of life is a pattern that is consciously adopted to support one’s commitment to live as God calls us. Rather than a burdensome obligation, it is a means of creating balance and harmony in one’s life, establishing practices that nurture one’s life in Christ. All seminarians will develop a rule of life at the beginning of each year.

Groups

Under the guidance of their advisor, every student meets biweekly in a group format to discuss their Rule of Life, what’s working (and what needs some work!). These groups provide guidance, accountability, and stability in the spiritual life of all students—especially as they develop the habits of the heart necessary for a deeper discipleship.

Spiritual Direction

If the primary purpose of seminary is reorienting one’s life around prayer, study, and service, then by definition there is a period of being “disoriented.” Every seminarian is provided, at no cost to them, a spiritual director to support personal and spiritual development.

Quiet Days

Twice a year the School of Theology community—students, faculty, and staff—gather for a quiet day to pray and reflect on topics facilitated by an invited guest.

Chapel

The Book of Common Prayer is the center of our common life here, and the rhythm of our day is structured around the rhythm of the chapel bell. A typical week in the chapel looks a lot like this:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Morning Prayer (Rite II)	Morning Prayer (EoW)	Morning Prayer (Rite II)	Morning Prayer (Rite II)	Morning Prayer (Rite I)
Noon Eucharist (Rite II)	Noon Eucharist (Spanish)	Principal Eucharist	Centering Prayer	Noon Eucharist (Rite I)
Evening Prayer (Rite II)	Choral Evensong	Evening Prayer (Spanish)	Eucharist	Evening Prayer (Rite I)

Church Music

Music can shape and nurture the soul in a powerful and profound way, and the School of Theology has a commitment to church music that is second to none. Students will have access to a variety of courses, the chapel choir, weekly choral evensong sung by the seminary chamber ensemble, as well as various offerings from the music department at the College of Arts and Sciences.

Learned: An Episcopal University

Founded, owned, and governed by twenty-seven dioceses of the Episcopal Church, for more than 150 years, the University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee, has had a distinct and historic legacy of being a leader in education within the Church. Through the College of Arts & Sciences and the Seminary, the University is committed to preparing the people of the Church for serving their communities and the world.

The School of Theology is first and foremost, a residential graduate school with a rigorous academic focus. Lectures and seminars are important, but it’s the way that one engages with one’s coursework that really counts. We bring together bright minds and a wide range of views from across the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion, for deep theological conversation and reflection. You will be moving through the curriculum— Bible, history, theology, spirituality, ethics, liturgics, and homiletics in an environment where deep listening, vulnerable sharing, careful discourse, and personal and spiritual growth can all flourish.

Degrees & Certificates

Alternative Clergy Training at Sewanee

Alternative Clergy Training at Sewanee (ACTS) is a non degree course of theological studies for ordination for deacons and part-time or non-stipendiary priests in small congregations who have special circumstances that prevent them from attending our residential M.Div. program.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts program is designed as a general academic degree for people who wish to begin graduate study of theological disciplines in a church-related setting. It involves a two-year course of study, following either a general program or pursuing a concentration in a particular discipline.

Master of Divinity

The Master of Divinity curriculum is designed to form devout, learned, and useful leaders for the Episcopal Church. To this end, the curriculum includes study of Scripture, the Christian tradition, ministerial skills, and modern cultural contexts, with a view to the reasoned practice of the ministry of Word and Sacrament in both its historical context and its contemporary setting.

Anglican Studies

The Diploma of Anglican Studies and the Master of Sacred Theology in Anglican Studies are special programs that examine Anglican theology for those with a divinity degree and have transferred from another denomination in preparation for ordination in the Episcopal Church.

Advanced Degrees

Advanced degrees include the Doctor of Ministry and the Master of Sacred Theology. Both programs are designed for further education for those with a first graduate degree in theology. The D.Min. provides a way to enhance the skills and knowledge of those in professional ministry. The S.T.M. provides the opportunity to gain further mastery in a chosen area of theological study.

Useful: For the Church and for the World

Christian leadership is servant leadership, and it’s important to us that we foster a sense of humility and service in our students. When we explore our beliefs in the classroom and come to a place of conviction, we must then examine the consequences of those beliefs and put them into practice by taking action in the world around us. After all, one can’t learn ministry without doing ministry. Here are just a few ways students can be involved in serving the church and the world while in Sewanee.

Creation Care Committee

It’s our theological conviction that caring for creation is essential to our humanity, our covenant with God, and our mission as Christians. The Creation Care Committee seeks to magnify environmental and sustainability ministry opportunities at the School of Theology by collaborating with existing institutions, including the Master of Arts in Religion and the Environment program, the Center for Religion & the Environment, the Corners & Edges Seminary Garden as well as the environmental sustainability programs at the College of Arts and Sciences. The committee facilitates hands-on environmental ministry experiences and ideas with an aim to inspire future clergy and lay church leaders for the work of environmental stewardship in the parishes and communities they will serve. It also provides educational programming and encourages discussions of sustainability, environmental justice, ecotheology, and green ministry in all aspects of life at the School of Theology.

Diversity and Reconciliation Committee

The Diversity and Reconciliation Committee leads the seminary community—including students, faculty, and staff— in discussions around a range of critical social issues, such as race and racism and discrimination based on gender, age, class, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and disability. Listening sessions during the Advent semester will determine the direction of the committee's work in the coming year. In the context of God’s creation and reconciliation of humankind, the committee seeks to:

develop and implement ways to foster a change of mind and heart in and beyond this community;
widen the presence and participation of underrepresented groups throughout the School of Theology;
promote changes to our structures and culture so that we may be a more adequate sign and instrument of God’s reign.

Mission Committee

This Mission Committee plans, coordinates, and executes service events through which members of the seminary community can witness to, and live out, their call to proclaim the Good News and to share their resources of time, money, and talent with persons in need. Projects are in response to local, national, and international communities.

Pastoral Care Committee

The Pastoral Care Committee supports the life of the seminary through a holistic, multilevel approach addressing the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the community. Common prayer requests of students, faculty, and staff brings awareness to the concerns of the community while offering pastoral support to those who need it. The Pastoral Care Committee is actively engaged in both traditional and innovative methods for addressing the pastoral needs of the entire seminary community.

News & Events

Webinar Oct. 23: "Churches and Climate Change After Helene"

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Sewanee Seminarians Win First and Second Place in Living Church Essay Competition

Sewanee Reopens Hamilton Hall Following $22 Million Renovation

Recording now available of Online Faculty Lunch & Learn with Dr. Robert MacSwain

The session is entitled ”The Saint Is Our Evidence: The Hagiological Argument for the Existence of God"

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The Rev. Senator Kim Jackson presented the Rev. Melissa Kean, T'19, Memorial Lecture on Oct. 16

"Faith and the Fight for Justice"

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The Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite Lectured Oct. 15

"The Poetry of Music and the Music of Poetry: Some Reflections on John Donne, George Herbert and Others.”

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The St. Luke's Lecture Series entitled "The Spirituality and Preaching of Pauli Murray" was delivered Oct. 2 by Donyelle McCray

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The School of Theology to Dedicate the Gift of The Saint John's Bible Heritage Edition

Join us in the Chapel of the Apostles or online Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 at 5:10 p.m.

Learn more and join the livestream

School of Theology to host an online MIQRA—72-hour reading of the entire Bible

Join the School of Theology community online beginning Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3p.m. (CDT) until Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 3p.m.

Learn more and view the livestream here

"Why Christain Nationalism isn't Christian"

The Rt. Rev. Robert C. Wright lectured at the School of Theology on Sept. 18, 2024.

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Recording of "Praying Our Story" now available

The Rev. Dr. Hilary Bogert-Winkler presented "Praying Our Story" on Sept. 9 at an online faculty Lunch & Learn.

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Applications are now open!

Contact Walker Adams, director of recruitment and admissions

Learn more and apply

Registration Now Open for Online Faculty Lunch & Learn Series

Join us throughout the academic year for a series of free online Lunch & Learns

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The Rev. Sara Ardrey-Graves appointed Interim Associate Dean for Community Life

"Worldmaking and Environmental Reparations"

Dr. Andrew Thompson delivered the SUMMA Keller Keynote lecture on July 17 on the campus of the University of the South.

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Dr. Mark Ardrey-Graves Appointed Assistant Professor of Church Music

Did you miss us at General Convention?

Visit our virtual exhibit

Dr. Hannah Matis to lecture June 12 at 7 p.m. CDT. Join us on campus or online.

"Daring the Wilderness: The Preaching and Theology of the Beguines"

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School of Theology Commencement was held Friday, May 10

A Convocation for the Conferring of Degrees was held in All Saints' Chapel.

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Recording of Dr. Kenneth Miller's an online Lunch & Learn "The Hymn Since 1982" now available

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"The Sacredness of Water"

The Rev. Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre lectured on Apr. 3.

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The Rev. Dr. Reed Carlson to Join the School of Theology Faculty

"Pastoral Desolation and its Remedy in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop”

The Rev. Dr. Julia Gatta delivered an online Lunch & Learn on March 4.

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"Faith, Race & the Lost Cause: Confessions of the Confederate Church"

Chris Graham lectured Feb. 8 in Convocation Hall.

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"America's Real Sister Act: Excavating the Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States"

Dr. Shannen Williams lectured Feb. 1 in Convocation Hall.

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"Moving Mountains: Preaching that Confronts Confederate Monuments"

The Rev. Dr. David Stark delivered an online Lunch & Learn Feb. 1.

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The Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga delivered an online Lunch & Learn Thursday, Nov. 9

“Freedom Villages: Being Church in the Wake of the Slave Trade in East Africa"

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The Rev. Canon Natalie Arendse to Lecture Monday, October 23 at 7 p.m. (CDT)

Has the Anglican Church of Desmond Tutu Lost her Prophetic Voice? Join us on campus in Convocation Hall or online.

Recording Coming Soon

Th Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, C'69, receives honoary degree

Now Available: Recordings of Lizette-Larson Miller's Lectures, Essential Baptism

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Recording of Termaine Hicks's Keynote Address Now Available

Wrongly accused and incarcerated as a young man, Termaine Hicks spent 19 years fighting for justice. Along the way he found invincible faith and, finally, freedom.

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Rule of Life

Groups

Spiritual Direction

Quiet Days

Chapel

Church Music

Creation Care Committee

Diversity and Reconciliation Committee

Mission Committee

Pastoral Care Committee

Social

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