Conference leaders meet with Perkins
seminary students, talk about concerns

By Rachel L. Toalson
Managing Editor
Members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and the cabinet traveled to Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas April 8 and 9 to visit with seminary students about the Southwest Texas Conference.
Leaders met with students to listen to concerns, learn what is happening at the school and scope out future pastoral interns.
“One of the things that we need to be aware of is that all the conferences are interested in younger clergy (members),” said the Rev. Virgilio Vasquez-Garza, San Antonio District Superintendent who made the trip. “There is recruiting going on at seminaries.
“We need to keep close to our seminary and our young seminarians. If not, they may be going to other conferences—because they’re more interested in (students) than we are.”
Vasquez-Garza said many of the students expressed that they felt “isolated” from the conference. Leaders vowed to stay in better touch with them.
Current Southwest Texas student enrollment at Perkins is 23—one student who is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry, one who is pursuing a Master of Theological Studies, 20 who are pursuing Masters of Divinity and one pursuing a non-degree.
Vasquez-Garza said leaders also learned that it takes about $15,000 a year for a student to go to seminary, so they talked about looking into expanding scholarship offerings.
The effort “addresses the conference initiative of calling forth younger clergy,” said the Rev. Austin Frederick Jr.
“It was encouraging to see that we have a lot more younger folks attending seminary than we used to have,” Vasquez-Garza said. “And that really begins at the local church, where pastors and leaders need to encourage folks to consider ministry as something that perhaps God is calling them to do.”
Perkins students are invited to attend the Perkins dinner June 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Bayview Foyer of the American Bank Center in Corpus.