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By the Rev. Alex Holloway
As a native San Antonian, I am, of course, a Spurs fan. The Spurs, as I am sure you will know, are currently the winningest (yes, that is a word) team in the NBA. That means that between 2005 and 2025, they won more games than any other team, not to mention five championships. Yet every so often, you’ll hear the Spurs say that they are in a “rebuilding year.” This means they are taking a step back to regroup and refocus on their mission so that they can come back stronger than ever. This year, our Diocese of West Texas Iona School for Ministry is in a rebuilding year.
For the last eight years, the Iona School in West Texas has prepared bivocational priests for ministry in our Diocese. You may be wondering what that word “bivocational” means. For some smaller churches, especially in rural areas, it is not feasible to support a full-time priest. Likewise, there are some people who are called to ordained ministry but who for one reason or another are not able to attend a three-year residential program at a traditional seminary. In each of these cases, bivocational ministry is a brilliant solution. A bivocational priest can keep their day job and serve a local congregation, and small congregations are able to benefit from the care of a priest in a way that is sustainable over the long term. The Iona School provides academic formation for these bivocational priests. Students participate in distance learning, following an outstanding curriculum produced by the Seminary of the Southwest, and they meet in-person for one weekend per month for three years.
This year, thanks to a grant from the nation-wide organization the Iona Collaborative, our West Texas Iona School is expanding to include formation tracks not only for bivocational priests, but also for deacons and lay leaders. This means that we will have even more opportunities to raise up well-trained leaders for our Diocese, across all orders of ministry. The deacon’s track is a two year program, and the lay leadership track is a one year program, but all students will learn together in a one-room schoolhouse model. Many diocesan Iona schools throughout the country have already successfully implemented this three-track program. The Iona Collaborative, based at Seminary of the Southwest, will be an excellent guide and resource as we grow.
But that’s not all! As a part of our rebuilding efforts, the expanded Iona School will now serve as a hub for our small churches, where leaders can gather to learn, reflect, and innovate together. Because many bivocational priests are called to serve small congregations, there is a natural relationship between the Iona School and small church ministry. The Rev. Leyla King, Canon for Mission in Small Congregations, will convene leaders to participate in a laboratory for innovation, where small churches can test, refine, and develop new approaches to ministry.
The Iona School is one way that the Diocese of West Texas continues to be creative and flexible in a rapidly changing landscape. This year, Bishop Read asked us to focus on the words of Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me.” The Iona School equips people like you to say “yes” to God’s call. I can’t wait to see what the Holy Spirit will do in this exciting new chapter in the life of the Iona School for Ministry. If you have questions or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. This is a diocesan-wide ministry, and we need your support in order to rebuild and come back stronger than ever. Go Iona Go!
