Local Formation Certificate Programs

Our video-based curriculum supports customized local formation certificate programs that prepare people for ministry as priests, deacons, and lay leaders. With over 450 hours of graduate-level instruction available in our online catalog, we help dioceses design three-, two-, and one-year courses of study that combine sensitivity to context with careful attention to canonical requirements and best practices in theological and adult education. 

Great content deserves great teaching, so we offer asynchronous and synchronous pedagogical training for Iona deans and instructors. We also offer free access to Google classroom, and tech support to help your diocese customize our Google Classroom models. Finally, our clergy certificate programs are supported by skills-based assessment matrices that enable local deans and instructors to plan high-quality class days that translate academic content into practical skills for ministry, with tools for assessing individual student progress and overall program effectiveness.    

Certificate Program in Theological Studies

Duration: 3 Years

Suitable for preparing postulants to the priesthood for canonical exams or GOEs, this program is centered on an academic core of theology, ethics, church history, and Bible, with praxis-based coursework in homiletics, liturgy and music, spiritual practices, pastoral ministry, and congregational life and leadership. Our assessment matrix is keyed to TEAC ministry competencies for priests and transitional deacons.

Certificate Program in Diaconal Studies

Duration: 2 Years

Suitable for preparing postulants for the diaconate, this program includes instruction on an academic core of theology, ethics, church history, and Bible, with additional coursework in diakonia, homiletics, liturgy and music, spiritual practices, pastoral ministry and congregational life and leadership. Our assessment matrix is keyed to the competencies endorsed by the Association of Episcopal Deacons and to the TEAC ministry grid for vocational deacons.

Lay Certificate Program

Duration: 1 Year

Our curriculum currently supports a variety of custom lay certificate programs. We work with each diocese to design a course of study that addresses their ministry needs. With the support of a $500,000 grant from Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, we are currently building a lay ministry assessment matrix and expanding our video collection to better support both local and zoom-based lay ministry formation.   

---

Electronic Resources

Certificate program instructors, students, and alumni enjoy unlimited access to the Iona Collaborative video catalog and to many of the seminary’s electronic resources, including:  

• Seeker: Seminary of the Southwest Booher Library’s EBSCO Discovery Service, a one-stop search box that provides access to all available resources in the Booher Library, including print books, journals, and audio-visual materials, but also all our available electronic journals, ebooks, and databases.
• Publication Finder: a comprehensive listing of every online journal title available through our subscription Databases and the cataloged print journals available in the Booher Library.
• Libguides: librarian generated reading and research guides to topics of wide interest 

The Iona Collaborative Community

Iona Collaborative Deans join a nationwide network of theological educators doing innovative formation in a wide variety of ministry contexts. Join our monthly Zoom-based deans’ meetings for facilitated conversations that allow diocesan leaders to learn new skills, share resources, generate new ideas, and establish consensus on best practices. Throughout the year, we offer Zoom trainings and plenaries that build our community and our knowledge base. Our annual in-person gathering is typically held in the summer.

The Episcopal Church Map of Iona Collaborative Member Dioceses

Join Us!

Membership in the Iona Collaborative is through annual diocesan subscription. A graduated fee structure enables dioceses to participate in our community at a variety of levels with no charge to individuals or congregations.

Please contact Nandra Perry, Director of the Iona Collaborative to find out more.

---

Iona Collaborative Staff