School for Ministry

The completion of the 2022 Epiphany Term marked a significant milestone for the School for Ministry as we “graduated” our first four students (one on a diaconal track, one on a priestly track, and two on a deacon-to-priest track) since becoming part of the Iona Collaborative. The collaborative continues to grow with more than thirty Episcopal dioceses throughout the US now participating as members. The collaborative supports local formation through both clergy and lay tracks. It also supports continuing education needs by providing graduates from an Iona member program an opportunity to take courses in the Bi-vocational Ministry Program which is specifically designed to support the on-going educational needs of bi-vocation deacons and priests.

For the 2022-2023 term the school will continue to utilize the facilities at the Dayspring Conference Center for both classroom meetings and overnight accommodations for the student cohort. Local clergy will continue to provide the in-person facilitation that supplements the video and written materials provided by the collaborative. This in-person component is important as it gives the students opportunities to discuss the materials and ask questions. While this year’s program will continue to be focused on clergy development, it is hoped that an opportunity for lay development, either with an intent to seek licensure or not, will be in place for the beginning of the following school year.