A Message from Michael Fincher, M.Div., '06

To Gary Hall, Ruth Meyers, and Elizabeth Butler,

When I first heard about the recent events at Seabury, I was stunned and felt somewhat numb about the whole thing. Admittedly, the news was not completely unexpected, given the indications and financial condition while I was at Seabury. Nonetheless, I was very sad to hear the news. After all, Seabury was my home for three years, and was a very important part of my life. It provided me with some wonderful formation, a very good education, and allowed me to meet some wonderful people who will be dear friends and cherished colleagues for the rest of my life. A great part of who I am today I owe to Seabury. And to think that it may soon be no more (at least in the form that I once knew) is almost unthinkable. I hate the fact that future students may not have the same wonderful experience of a three-year residential MDiv that I enjoyed and continue to cherish.

Many of the communiqués from you all have been comforting. Although, I have to admit that some of the things I have read made me mad. I was particularly furious with the comment of one person quoted in the February 22 dispatch from the seminary. It reads “WOW!!! This is incredibly shocking yet brimming over with resurrection hope!” I couldn’t help but think, “How naïve! How Pollyanna! The place may be going down in flames and this person thinks the whole thing is brimming over with hope? Did the disciples, upon witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion think ‘Wow! Now there hope for resurrection’? No, they were in pain. They were suffering loss. And so are we! So stop trying to make it sound like life is all rosy!!! It’s too early to tell what’s going to happen!”

Such were my initial reactions. But then I remembered something that I learned at Seabury – from Bonnie Perry’s Advanced Studies in Congregational Leadership class. She was talking about her experience of being sent to All Saints to close the place down. As part of that process, she had to get the few remaining parishioners to realize that All Saints was dying, if not actually dead. Once they realized that they were indeed dying, things changed, and new life began to happen. Resurrection happened. And look at how successful All Saints has become in the past 15 years! The lesson Bonnie taught me was that at times like this, institutions need to be willing to acknowledge death in order to make way for resurrection. And that’s what Seabury has done. You have acknowledged that life as we have known it for 150 years is no longer possible. It is time to die so that Seabury may be resurrected into something new and exciting.

As I have further reflected on the subject, it occurred to me that what is happening with Seabury is nothing particularly new in the 150-year history of the institution. In fact, something of a similar nature happened 75 years ago, when Seabury Divinity School and Western Theological Seminary merged because of “complimentary concerns and common interests” (whatever that means). It sounds to me as if they discerned they needed to move in a different direction if they were going to meet the needs of the ever-changing Episcopal Church. The resulting institution, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, reflected the characteristics of both its founding parts, being both evangelical and catholic, giving it the character and strengths that would carry it and be its hallmarks for the next 75 years.

Now, I would venture to guess that in 1933 when the merger occurred, there were a number of Seabury alums and Western alums who probably felt sad, angry, betrayed, stunned, shocked, whatever, that such an unthinkable think could happen to their seminaries. But the resulting institution would ultimately become greater than the sum of its parts. Hopefully, when the dust settled, most of them were able to see that the death of their former seminary and the resurrection that occurred was indeed glorious.

In hindsight, the merger was actually a very Anglican move. Seabury was evangelical. Western was catholic. In merging, they were able to appeal to and serve a broader base than either institution would or could individually. Just as the Episcopal Church is going through a little upheaval and is attempting to discern and clarify its identity, and just as the Anglican Communion is trying to figure out what it means to be Anglican, so too, I suppose it is only natural that our institutions of theological formation, the institutions that help form the identity of our leaders, must also go through some soul-searching so as to discern how best to meet the needs of a changing church in an ever-changing world.

I am still sad, but have a slightly clearer perspective now. In time, I trust that clarity will increase. I know that you and the Board of Trustees have all done the best you could with maintaining Seabury. There is no one to blame. It’s just one of those unfortunate things that happen. I do hope and pray that some way can be found to preserve Seabury, that it may continue to be a valuable institution of formation for our church leadership. I think Seabury has a unique perspective that the church needs as it moves forward through the turbulent times ahead. After all, that is one of the reasons I chose Seabury for my seminary education.

I thank you all for the formation, education, and friendship you provided me during my three years there. And I thank you for all the difficult work you are now having to do to hold Seabury together and to discern its future. I know the institution is in good hands. And, God willing, under your loving care, it will be transformed and resurrected into something more glorious than we can currently image, and continue to serve the Episcopal Church for another 150 years. That is my fervent hope and prayer.

Blessings,

Michael+