Funding Future Leaders
Why It's Important

God calls every Christian to ministry. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. Our Baptismal vow, to "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ,” mandates that call explicitly.

Among those called to ministry, some are called to ordained ministry. That is, God calls some to administer the Sacraments, to preach and teach the Word of God and to lead others in ministry. Ordained leaders fulfill their call in small and large congregations and chaplaincies; in urban, rural and suburban areas; among the rich and poor alike. They lead the church’s effort to reach out to the millions who hunger for the life-giving message of Jesus Christ.

Whether you are on a search committee looking for your next parish priest, a bishop seeking to attract and retain the best priests for your diocese or a church member concerned about faith formation for the next generation, you know the importance of having Christ-centered, well-prepared ordained leaders in order for the Church to survive and grow.

In a world of growing religious extremes, the Episcopal Church provides a powerful center alternative, a via media, based on Scripture, tradition and reason. The church invites people to take a life-long spiritual journey to discover the truth of the Gospel in their everyday life.

Just as we are all called to ministry, we are all called to support one another in preparing for and carrying out those various ministries.

We are part of the Episcopal Church. Bishops (episcopoi) and ordained ministers  are integral to our theology, our heritage and our polity. In recent years, we have tested the calls of aspirants to ordained ministry in the crucible of the whole Church. However, our Church as a whole and its congregations and dioceses have not adequately financed the education of our future ordained leaders.

The Episcopal Church remains the only major denomination in the United States that does not have a central funding source to support seminarians in their education and training.

Once we as a church affirm a person’s call, we must find a way to fund the training needed to fulfill that call. If we do not respond faithfully, where will our children and grandchildren find the truth, beauty and dignity of the Christian faith as expressed in the Episcopal Church?