From editorial project manager Mia Staub: I am currently going to seminary, but going is not quite the right term. I am doing an online program. I guess I am logging in to seminary. Lots of schools are exploring new models for seminary education these days. It can be a way for them to better navigate declining enrollment. But it also creates new opportunities for potential students. 

Almost all the members of my cohort work full-time, bringing in our job experiences and perspectives from across the country. I have done group projects with an artist in Brooklyn, a higher ed counselor in Michigan, a lawyer in DC, and a small group coordinator in Washington state. The diversity of our group is a result of the program’s accessibility.

We all met in person for the first time this January and admitted we did not feel like “real” seminarians until we walked on campus. After talking with some in-person students, I really envied the tight-knit community the school established with those living on campus, even though I’m grateful for new and different models too.