The School for Ministry offers study, worship, service, experiential learning, and life in community to people being formed for lay and ordained leadership in the Episcopal Church. Along with more than two dozen other Episcopal dioceses, we partner with the Iona Collaborative, a cooperative project directed by the Seminary of the Southwest.

The School for Ministry enrolls postulants or candidates for the priesthood in the Episcopal church.

The School also prepares people to serve in licensed lay ministries, including as lay preachers and lay worship leaders.

The school will, in the future, offer courses to all who are interested in engaging with and deepening their faith.

The School community gathers via a blend of remote/online and in-person sessions. In-person sessions take place at Trinity Episcopal Church, Tilton, New Hampshire, where the school has worship, learning, and social space.

Subject areas for those in the ordination process include the six study areas required by the Episcopal Church’s canons (scripture, history, theology, ethics, worship, practice of ministry) in the context of theological training, practical experience, emotional development, and spiritual formation.

For Diocese of New Hampshire ordinands, competencies are evaluated using the General Ordination Exam or an equivalent process conducted by the Diocese’s examining chaplains.

Core year-long courses for ordination-track students include Scripture, Church History, and Theology & Ethics, as well as studies in pastoral care and leadership, preaching, and liturgy.

Click here for courses offered in the 2022 - 2023 academic year.

The School for Ministry follows a standard September-June academic year. Dates for 2022-23 are listed below. In addition to monthly study weekends, online gatherings one evening a week build our community and offer occasional formation work.

Formation fees for 2022-23 will be posted here soon!

The Iona Collaborative is the source of much of the academic material (course outlines, recorded lectures, readings, and other resources) for the School for Ministry’s students and local mentors. This material is primarily delivered online. Participants prepare for each residential weekend by studying this material and related resources, including readings in textbooks and primary sources.

The School for Ministry uses Google Classroom as its learning management system. The Iona Collaborative provides enrolled students with an email address to use within Google Classroom, which also serves as their credential to access the online holdings of the Seminary of the Southwest’s Booher Library.

A reliable, high-speed connection to the internet is needed to access the online material. A computer or other device with a camera and microphone that allows video conferencing over the internet is also needed.

During study weekends, students will worship and learn in community, as we discuss, expand on, and apply the material we’ve prepared.

On the ordination track, in addition to once-a-month weekends in community, you can expect to commit at least 15-20 hours per month preparing for study weekends. Some students in other Iona Collaborative programs report more. Preparation time variations reflect several factors: personal learning styles, other demands on the student’s time, and a student’s varying commitments month-to-month for planning and leading the School’s worship, including preaching.

Because the School for Ministry instruction uses a “flipped classroom” model, where lecture content is viewed before the class gathers, being ready for class may call for more preparation time than students may have experienced in their previous studies.

Those who complete the three-year priest formation track will receive a Certificate in Theological Studies from the Seminary of the Southwest.

Students enrolling as part of their preparation for ordination: an application form can be accessed here.

Students enrolling to prepare for licensed lay ministry, please contact the Dean directly.

As the School for Ministry grows, some of the courses offered may be a useful resource for those preparing for ordained leadership in other traditions.

No. New Hampshire’s vocational deacons are prepared for ordination through the Province 1 School for Deacons.

Some of the School for Ministry’s courses might be appropriate for people preparing for ordination in other denominations. Please contact the Dean directly to explore this possibility.