In her book The Close Chloe Breyer invites readers to walk with her through her first year at the General Theological Seminary in New York. Beginning with her advent at the seminary, she follows the framework of the liturgical church year as she explores the nature of God’s call and the day-to-day realities of life spent in preparing for ordained service in God’s church. This Eastertide excerpt embodies her perception of being, in Laurence Hull Stookey’s words, at “the intersection of time and eternity”—where she is reminded, not for the first time, that some of the most important elements of priestly formation occur outside the classroom.

Here and there around North America, rigorous short courses in theological education are springing up to meet the needs of lay people who find the adult education curricula of individual congregations insufficient for their purposes. One such offering is the Koinos program in Seattle, Washington, where founder Ward Gasque has found an eager, paying market for the curriculum. Is intensive lay education a possible program for your school?

Today’s theological students don’t fit the standard profile of fifty years ago. Indeed, they don’t seem to fit a standard profile at all. Each student has a unique story, and trustees and administrators would do well to listen carefully and learn from these stories. Every school’s student body has its own distinctive profile. Knowing how your school’s profile compares to others’ can help you clarify and develop your school’s particular mission. Some broadbrush characteristics are are laid out in this article. More detailed information is available to you from other resources named in the material that follows.