The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) Board of Trustees announced today the appointment of the Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin as the new President and Dean. Read the full press release here.
Hear directly from President Bucklin below.
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August 5, 2024
Dear Episcopal Divinity School Community,
I am deeply honored and humbled to be called as the President and Dean of our beloved EDS. EDS has a long tradition of providing boundary-crossing, transformative theological education rooted in liberation and social justice.
EDS has never been afraid of adaptive changes or challenges. Our recent strategic decisions are positioning us to equip all orders of ministry to serve in diverse, complex settings and local communities. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to former dean Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, the staff of EDS, and to the board for stewarding EDS to this new chapter. Their leadership and vision have laid a strong foundation for our shared future.
As an alum, the formation and education I experienced at EDS prepared me in unique and powerful ways for a changing church and world. At EDS, we learned to question the limitations and boundaries of colonial imperialism, the sin of white supremacy, and the crippling impact of sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and all forms of oppression that have plagued Christianity for far too long.
I am hopeful for the Church that is emerging. I am even more hopeful for the role that EDS will continue to play in forming leaders for this Church. This is a movement we are being called into by the Holy Spirit. We are blessed with the resources we need to do the work God is calling us to do. The EDS staff and I are excited to join you in this new period of growth and transformation.
As some of you may know, over the past year, I have had the opportunity to partner with EDS, hosting listening sessions and gatherings with alums, former faculty and staff, and others in the EDS community. Here are some of the questions we have been asking that we are looking forward to addressing:
- What would a theological education institution look like that reflects the Gospel more than empire?
- How might we embrace collaborative leadership and continuous shared discernment?
- What opportunities exist for more partnerships and sharing of resources?
- How can we continue to participate in healing and reconciliation, especially in those areas where the Church has done harm?
Verna Dozier, a theologian whose teachings greatly inspire my ministry, believed “the church must be a place where everyone can come and live the ‘risk’ of faith.” The needs are plenty, yet the possibilities are immense. In the years to come, EDS will continue the important work of equipping leaders in all contexts and communities, large and small, rural and urban, multicultural, and global, for justice-centered ministry in the midst of a changing world.
I am excited to work with the deans and leaders of other Episcopal and ecumenical seminaries in reimagining theological education for the future. Together, we can explore new ways to address the pressing needs of our time and advance our shared mission.
I look forward to working together these coming years as we help one another live into God’s dream of love and reconciliation.
Let me end with the words Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett often used to begin her sermons, “In the name of the one who sustains, renews, and always pursues us.”
Lydia Kelsey Bucklin