A Proposal for Traditional Anglican Theological Education and Formation for the Clergy

by:
The Rev. Charles Nalls, SSM
The Rev. Mr. Jason Dechenne, SSM
The Rev. Richard Sutter, SSM

The Anglican Church in America

April 2008

From the beginning of the traditional or "continuing" movement, the question of a qualified, educated and well-formed clergy has been most problematic. Untrained, poorly trained and/or poorly formed deacons, priests and elect have caused difficulties in evangelization and, indeed, simply maintaining existing parishes. A proliferation of unaccredited or specious seminaries, as well as the willingness of men to "train" in these entities, has cast the movement into further disrepute. Even in instances in which continuing Anglican bodies have attempted organic seminaries, results have been inconsistent and the popular image is one of the "diploma mill."

This paper proffers some suggestions for remedying the formation-education crisis in a cost and time effective manner, using existing, accredited educational sources.