Trinity Lutheran Seminary and Bexley Hall Announce Partnership

     CHICAGO (ELCA)-- Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced July 22 an agreement of partnership with Bexley Hall (Episcopal) Seminary, Rochester, N.Y., to provide theological education to Lutherans, Episcopalians and seminarians of other denominations on Trinity's Columbus campus.
     "We will educate our future pastors and priests together at this one location, integrating the two programs as much as possible," said the Rev. Dennis A. Anderson, president of Trinity Lutheran Seminary.
     The agreement calls for Episcopal students to be fully integrated into Trinity's program.  Special arrangements are being made to provide ecclesiology, spiritual formation, fellowship and worship opportunities for Episcopalian students.
     "We are returning to our roots," said Dr. John Kevern, dean of Bexley Hall.  "Bishop Philander Chase created Bexley Hall in 1824 not far from present-day Columbus."
     In 1997 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly narrowly rejected and the Episcopal General Convention overwhelmingly approved a "Concordat of Agreement" -- a proposal for full communion between the two church bodies. The Lutheran assembly later rededicated itself to establish that relationship in 1999.
     Full communion would allow for the availability of clergy to each other's churches.  It would also "commit both Lutherans and Episcopalians to educate their leaders in the liturgies, doctrines and traditions of both churches," said Kevern.
     Kevern will teach both Bexley Hall and Trinity students on Trinity's campus beginning this fall.
     "We will teach about both church bodies," said Anderson, "and we will be able to experience the richness of both traditions as the two schools join on one campus."
     "To our knowledge this is among the first such full partnerships in the United States," Anderson added.  "There are other schools developing agreements to offer classes on the other's campus, but this agreement's goal is ultimately to offer the master of divinity degree of each school at the Columbus site."
     Last fall trustees of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, another ELCA seminary, approved an agreement that was ratified in January by trustees of General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary, New York.  That agreement outlined "13 avenues of cooperation" between the two schools.

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Ann Hafften, Director 1-773-380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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