If Episcopalians knew about challenges facing seminarians, they would respond.
The high cost of seminary made it difficult for me to decide to attend. It was a big step for my family to have me give up a good job and salary and answer my calling. Many others cannot answer their calling because they simply cannot financially afford school. I think that’s a shame because the church is losing out on a lot of good people.
If Episcopalians knew about the economic challenges facing seminarians, they would want to help support the newest generation of clergy. They would want to set aside some money…but they don’t even know there’s a need or how expensive seminary is.
I think there are definitely ways the national church can help relieve some of the financial burdens for seminarians. Maybe they could take advantage of technology and the Internet to provide education closer to home versus at one of the national seminaries. As it is now, seminarians have to give up everything and move to a new city for three years. That entails a lot of burden and great expense. The church could also consider putting a cap on how much an individual seminarian can take out in loans.
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