This is a joint program with the Dioceses of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and is based on the Iona Collaborative, a local formation curriculum developed by the Seminary of the Southwest in conjunction with the Iona School for Ministry of the Diocese of Texas. The curriculum includes academic modules on Holy Scriptures, church history, and theology as well as a variety of class sessions on spirituality, liturgy and music, and the theory and practice of ministry. Teachers from the collaborating dioceses facilitate classroom discussion on video lectures provided by professors from the Seminary of the Southwest.
Class weekends are held once a month from September through June at the Colombiere Retreat and Conference Center in Clarkston, MI.
The cost of the program is $4,300/year which covers tuition, overnight accommodations, and meals for each of the 10 sessions, as well as the August retreat. In addition, the cost of required textbooks will range from $100-175 per year. The diocese may subsidize a portion of this cost – the student must communicate with the Bishop.
The Academy is open to individuals that have been granted Postulancy status by the Commission on Ministry.
Dates for 2023-24:
Lay Preaching Courses
Eastern and Western Michigan will be offering training for lay preachers seeking to get licensed in our dioceses. The courses take place alongside our Academy for Vocational Leadership. If you feel called to serve as a lay preacher, please speak with your priest (or senior warden if your congregation is without a priest) and, with their approval, complete the application by the July 31st deadline.
To complete the classwork in order to receive a license, the lay preacher is required to take one year of Bible instruction and one year of Homiletics formation. These may be completed by participating in both classes in one academic year or by taking Bible this year and Homiletics next year.
This formation expectation is a change for new preaching licenses in Western Michigan. Those previously licensed in Western Michigan will be expected to have completed some form of continuing education (on Scripture or homiletics) before their license will be renewed in December. You are encouraged to consider participating in the Academy programs as a means of completing this requirement and further equipping oneself for this ministry.
The 2023-24 school year will be a mixture of in-person at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt and online via Zoom. The cost to participate in both classes is $1,000 (or Bible only for $720). During the weekend, participants interact with Academy students at meals, worship, and break times. Each Saturday follows the same pattern, with the Bible course taught from 9:30-3:30pm and Homiletics taught from 7-9pm. Please read below for dates.
If you would like to talk about these classes, please contact the Rev. Canon Dr. Tracie Little at tlittle@eastmich.org or at the office, 877-752-6020.
Click here to download and complete the application to attend Preaching Classes.
The Rev. Deacon Liz Kinsey
Western Michigan Academy Faculty
