Theological education and priestly formation were among the central topics at the House of Bishops’ meeting held March 17-23, 2026, at Camp Allen in Navasota, TX. About half of the week’s sessions focused on how The Episcopal Church will prepare future priests for ministry in a changing church. The conversation reflected the complex realities facing theological education today, including affordability, student debt, changing pathways to ordination, and the growing need to form leaders who are theologically grounded, pastorally skilled, emotionally mature, and ready to serve in a wide range of ministry settings.
Seminary of the Southwest was well represented in those conversations by the Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Interim Dean and President; the Rev. Benjamin King, Ph.D., Academic Dean and Duncalf-Villavoso Professor of Church History; and the Rev. Nandra Perry, Ph.D., Director of the Iona Collaborative. Bishop Bruce is a member of the House of Bishops and is Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and Vice Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Finance.
“To be a member of the House of Bishops AND represent the seminary as the Interim Dean and President was a unique role for me in this most recent HOB meeting. Watching Dr. King and Dr. Perry talk with Bishops and share their wisdom with the House was a joy!” said Bishop Bruce. “The Bishops were very engaged in the conversations around theological education. This was, hands down, the best meeting on theological education the House of Bishops has ever had.”
Bishops gave sustained attention to the relationship between residential seminary education and local formation models, recognizing that the church needs both the depth and immersion of residential community and the practical responsiveness of diocesan and contextual formation close to where ministry takes place. The tone of the conversation was not anxious, but hopeful, with a sense that the church is entering a new era of discernment about how best to form priests for the future.
The Rev. King and the Rev. Perry both participated in presentations to the full House, contributing directly to the bishops’ shared discernment about the future of formation in The Episcopal Church. For Southwest, the gathering underscored a conviction at the heart of its mission: the church needs priests who are not only well educated, but also spiritually grounded, pastorally prepared, and ready to lead with steadiness and grace. That work remains central to Seminary of the Southwest’s calling to form leaders for ministry, service, and healing.
“Spending spring break at the House of Bishops was an unexpected joy,” said the Rev. King. “What I discovered was a great deal of support and goodwill among the bishops for what all the seminaries are doing, and for the direction we at Southwest are taking! It turned out to be an invaluable time.”
The participation of Bishop Bruce, Dr. King, and Dr. Perry reflected Southwest’s deep commitment to the future of theological education and to the church’s ongoing work of forming faithful, capable clergy for a changing landscape of ministry.
“Collaboration is the future of theological education,” said the Rev. Perry. “I think that’s the vision we all embraced: a ‘mixed ecology’ of bishops, seminaries, and diocesan schools working closely together to form the new, more diverse generation of leaders we all know our church needs. Through the Iona Collaborative, Seminary of the Southwest has been investing in this vision for nearly a decade now; so it was incredibly affirming to see it beginning to flourish.”