The Association of Theological Schools

Congratulations, graduates! ATS member school Grace Theological Seminary honored its 2026 class during a commencement ceremony held last month.

Congratulations to the 2026 graduates of ATS member school Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon!

On Friday, May 29, the LTS community gathered for Convocation 2026, joining with our partners in the Saskatoon Theological Union for the 25th Joint Convocation.

As Chair of the Common Faculty, Rev. Dr. Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero welcomed graduates, families, faculty, and friends, reflecting on the joys and challenges of endings, beginnings, and transitions.

Convocation not only marks the completion of a degree or certificate, but it is also a ritual of transition for these graduates, “all of whom has experienced varying levels of change by forming knowledge, engaging with and sometimes wrestling against the ancestors of the faith, developing relationships of collegiality and communal suffering, and growing … growing in their understanding of what it means to be someone who leads amid the chaos of an ever-changing world.” Dr. Schiefelbein-Guerrero acknowledged that life transitions can be positive experiences filled with newness and/or negative experiences filled with loss or grief; and that both types of experiences can lead to a profound sense of uncertainty and asking, “What is next?”

“Convocation” in Latin means “a calling or coming together.” Dr. Schiefelbein-Guerrero noted that, for graduates of theological programs, the root vocare (call/vocation) takes on significant meaning: “The One who has called us together in this place is also the One who calls us from this place and into the world. The answer to ‘what is next’ is to listen – to discern – God’s call: the call that brought you, graduates, to your studies; the call that brought all of you here to celebrate; and the call that sends you forth.”

For this reason, Dr. Schiefelbein-Guerrero closed his address by stating that Convocation does not mark an ending but rather a beginning of what is to come, tying it with Sylvia Dunstan’s hymn “Bless Now, O God, the Journey,” which participants sang at the end of the ceremony. He concluded, “Graduates, you may not fully know the roads on which your upcoming journey may bring you but be assured that you do not travel them alone – for God has blessed and is blessing that journey, and we who are with you tonight will continue to accompany you as you go forth.”

What did participants have to say about the 2026 ATS self-study workshop we held earlier this year?

“The workshop solidified for me that completing a strong self-study isn’t just about timelines and documentation. It’s about sustaining relationships across the institution. Keeping people engaged and connected, even when competing priorities arise, will be essential to doing this well," said Baranda Fermin, director of online learning and institutional effectiveness at Gammon Theological Seminary.

Read more here:https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/self-study-workshop-prepares-member-schools.pdf

Congratulations to the 2026 graduating class of ATS member school Methodist Theological School in Ohio!

Congratulations to the 2026 class of ATS member school Vancouver School of Theology! The school celebrated its graduates during a commencement ceremony held earlier last month.

Congratulations to the 2026 graduating class of ATS member school Catholic Theological Union at Chicago!

Registration is open for our 2026 Technology in Theological Education Group Gathering! If you are an IT or EdTech professional who works at an ATS member school, plan to join us October 20-22 in Pittsburgh to discuss new systems, AI, and helpful tools for your work.

View more details and register: https://www.ats.edu/eshop-events-one/details/156/2026-ATS-Technology-in-Theological-Education-Group-Gathering

Congratulations, graduates! ATS member school Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago honored its 2026 class during a commencement ceremony held earlier last month.

ATS Research Roundup: Three recent open-access articles written by ATS staff and consultants on student formation offer actionable insights for institutions and leaders.

📌 The first article published in the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care reviews differing assessment approaches drawing on published literature and field experience in theological education.
https://ow.ly/iMPf50Zavfy

📌 The second, in Pastoral Psychology, discusses a new set of tools for measuring student formation called the Spiritual Formation Assessment.
https://ow.ly/LWu250ZavfG

📌The third, in Review of Religious Research, shares study findings around the significance of a theological education for noncongregational and nonfaith vocational contexts and roles.
https://ow.ly/c0Pp50ZavfB