This is a joint program with the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan 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 August through June and are held at either the St. Francis Retreat Center in Dewitt or on Zoom.
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 of Eastern Michigan will provide a scholarship of 1/3 of the tuition for each student from this diocese. Financial support of 1/3 of the tuition from the student’s home parish is an expectation. Students are urged to approach their home parish for any needed financial support. Invoices to students and sponsoring congregations are sent out twice per year, with half owing in each installment.
The Academy is open to individuals that have been granted Postulancy status by the Commission on Ministry.
Dates for 2024-25:
Dates 2024-25
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 2024 – 2025 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 (Bible only for $720, Homiletics only for $280 – successfully completing the Bible class is a prerequisite for taking the Homiletics class). 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 9:30-4:00pm and Homiletics taught from 7 – 9pm. Participation in the Homiletics class requires you to be present for Morning Prayer beginning at 9:15 and Evening Prayer from 4:00-4:45pm.
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. Canon Tracie Little
Canon for the Southern Collaborative and Adult Formation
