Austin Seminary

09/04/2026

…And just like that, another New Student Orientation in the books and another great group of students ready to start classes and kick off the Fall semester next week!

It’s been a long, but nourishing and wholesome week for our new students, and we can’t see what the semester ahead holds for them as the seminary journey gets started.

Stay tuned for more content about our newest Masters students who have joined the Austin Seminary community and start this semester, comprising one of our largest recent incoming classes!

Here’s to the Class of 2026, we can’t wait to see all that they will accomplish and the gifts they will share with this community, the Church, and world, while at Austin Seminary!

09/02/2026

Let’s give a warm Austin Seminary welcome to the Entering Residential Masters Class of Fall 2026!

09/01/2026

Our new students haven’t been the only ones enjoying a retreat in the Texas Hill Country!

The inaugural Bridge to Ministry cohorts gathered this past week at Mo Ranch enjoying sunshine on the Guadalupe, rain blessing the earth, and friendships old and new growing deeper in worship and conversation!

Twenty-two new ministers, each in their first three years of service, now begin a three-year cohort journey guided by a mentor-facilitator. They’ll meet virtually each month for prayer, support, and formation, and return to the Guadalupe next fall for another in-person retreat.

The retreat was full of laughter, deep conversation, worship, and rest.

If you know a new minister who might be a good fit for a future cohort, learn more at www.bridgetoministry.org, applications for the 2027 cohort are now open!
 
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About Bridge to Ministry Cohorts
As part of a grant received by Austin Seminary from the Lilly Endowment Inc., Bridge to Ministry is designed to support new clergy as they move from theological education into their first call, helping them grow into confident, grounded, and faithful pastoral leaders. The program cultivates a community of collegial support where early-career ministers can share wisdom, ask honest questions without fear, and build relationships that sustain them in the daily realities of congregational ministry.

Learn more at www.bridgetoministry.org!

08/31/2026

New Student Orientation Day 1 is a WRAP!

From meeting the President, staff, and student leaders of Austin Seminary to learning their way around the library as well as getting in-depth sessions on campus technology, communications, and student success practices - among other things - our new students have had a FULL opening day of orientation week to say the least!

Tomorrow they get to experience the beautiful Hill Country of Central Texas, as they spend the day at John Knox for a second full day of orientation activities!

Please join us in welcoming the entering class of Fall 2026! We’re so glad to have their smiling faces and presence on campus and officially a part of the Austin Seminary community!

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See yourself here as well! Learn more about how you can pursue your purpose and embrace your calling at Austin Seminary by visiting www.austinseminary.edu!

08/30/2026

ICYMI: Austin Seminary Professor Cynthia Rigby Bobblehead inducted to the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame!

Earlier this summer at the 227th General Assembly in Milwaukee, Alumna Ann Ditty (CIM’15) along with 12 others representing Austin Seminary presented the Cynthia Rigby bobblehead to Milwaukee’s National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. According to Kathryn Lord, director of the museum, the collection includes more than 10,000 bobbleheads, and now Professor Cynthia Rigby’s bobblehead will be the only theologian in the museum’s collection!

While indeed a lighthearted honor, it is certainly fitting for a professor who has shaped generations of theological thinkers, and one whom the Dallas Morning News has called “one of the great theologians of our time.”

Congratulations on your induction, Dr. Rigby!

Photo credits: Presbyterian Outlook

08/28/2026

The calm before the literal and the orientation storm…

Rain or shine, we’re so excited to welcome the newest members of the Austin Seminary community next Monday for New Student Orientation!

Share any words of advice, wisdom, or favorite orientation memories you might have for our new students!

08/27/2026

to earlier this month when members and leaders of the Children in Worship Cohort gathered in-person for a celebratory dinner following the conclusion of a 6-month online cohort!

The Children in Worship Cohort is facilitated by the Children's Sermons by Children grant, a part of the Sharing Faith Initiative. Member congregations of this first cohort were Westminster Presbyterian Church, Austin; University Presbyterian Church, Austin; St. Philip's United Methodist Church, Round Rock; First United Methodist Church, Belton; and Covenant Lutheran Church, Temple.

Over the six months together, the group received short presentations from experts in children's ministries and development, and group members presented their own ministry successes and challenges to one another, all with the goal of increased participation of children as co-proclaimers of the Gospel in worship services. Participants in the group reflected that this time "gave me more confidence in speaking during worship with kids," and, "I have definitely felt encouraged to try more ways of including the children in various parts of the worship service. I'm excited to think outside of the box in how the kids can be fully engaged in worship."

Sharing Faith Initiative Associate Director Amanda Herridge reflects that "this was an amazing first cohort. We are so grateful for the speakers who joined us and the churches who jumped in with full participation. We can't wait to continue building up their ministries and connecting with new groups in our future cohorts!"
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Children's Sermons by Children is holding Listening Tours at churches this fall and will launch another Children in Worship Cohort in January 2027 - applications are now open! Learn more about this program at www.sharingfaithinitiative.com/csbc.

To learn more about the Sharing Faith Initiative at Austin Seminary, please visit www.sharingfaith.austinseminary.edu today!

08/26/2026

All smiles at this year’s Employee Development Day!

As we get ready to welcome another great group of students to campus next week for New Student Orientation, Austin Seminary’s faculty and staff had a little gathering and orienting (and re-orienting) of their own for Employee Development Day.

Apart from meeting the newest staff and faculty on campus and being introduced to the Fall 2026 entering class of students, employees also celebrated colleagues who were recognized for exemplary service, while also getting to hear about all the amazing things and work our faculty had been doing during the summer around the world (literally)!

Lastly, employees were also able to do a little team building throughout the program, learning about group dynamics and emotional intelligence through fun, interactive group activities, all of which helped to ground them for what is sure to be another great semester and academic year ahead!

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Austin Seminary is Hiring!

See yourself amongst this welcoming community too! Austin Seminary is currently hiring for several positions, and if you feel called to create a welcoming community, foster curiosity and collaboration, and to prepare Christian leaders and bridge builders for the church and the world, this may be the place for you.

Learn more at www.austinseminary.edu/careers today!

08/25/2026

Catch Austin Seminary on YouTube!

If you don’t already, be sure to stay connected with Austin Seminary on YouTube, where you’ll regularly find new content added, such as amazing community members sharing their reflections on how Austin Seminary has helped them in their ministries, workshops from insightful guest speakers, webinars from our renowned faculty, and so much more!

Check out the latest video added to our channel, recapping the recent Borderlands Immersion to El Paso & Ciudad Juárez here: https://youtu.be/vwmwN13J7-Y

Learn more and subscribe today at www.youtube.com/ !

ICYMI: Highlights from Austin Seminary’s Borderland Immersion this ...

08/24/2026

I spy Dr. Gregory Cuéllar! Austin Seminary represent!