The Rev. Roger Ferlo will conclude his term as president of Bexley Seabury next fall, and the school has begun its search for his successor. Ferlo has served in ordained ministry for 32 years.
Since Ferlo joined Bexley Seabury in March 2012, the seminary has introduced a series of operational and curriculum changes toward fulfilling its vision to be “a 21st-century seminary beyond walls — open to all who seek to deepen their Christian formation in a generous spiritual and intellectual tradition.”
Changes under Ferlo’s leadership include:
- a more diverse faculty and student body
- consolidated operations in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park/Woodlawn district
- a new low-residency Master of Divinity program that incorporates a new model for spiritual formation through internships in students’ local communities that are designed and supervised in collaboration with dioceses
- increased enrollment, now at 76 degree and diploma students
“President Ferlo has led Bexley Seabury with equal measures of imagination and pragmatism,” said the Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, Bishop of West Virginia and chairman of Bexley Seabury’s board. “I believe the Ferlo era at Bexley Seabury will be remembered as a period of innovation and restoration that laid a firm foundation for the seminary’s next phase of service to the church.”
A native of Rome, New York, Ferlo came to Bexley Seabury from Virginia Theological Seminary, where he was associate dean and director of the Institute of Christian Formation and Leadership and served as professor of religion and culture.
Earlier, he spent 19 years in parish ministry, in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York City. He has more than 17 years of teaching experience at the university and seminary levels, including as professor of biblical interpretation and the practice of ministry at Bexley Seabury.
“My time at Bexley Seabury has enriched every aspect of my life,” Ferlo said. “I look forward to contributing all I can in my remaining time, and to celebrating with this exceptionally gifted community.”
