Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary invites applications for the position of an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology for a two-year appointment, beginning September 1, 2019, with a possibility of renewal, depending on the results of an annual review.  

Founded in 1948, Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is an undergraduate- and graduate-level institution of higher education under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), committed to continuation of the theological and spiritual legacy of the Russian Orthodox Church and to the training of future pastors and lay leaders to serve the Russian Church Abroad in North America and Europe.  

The successful candidate will be expected to teach to teach three of the four 3-credit Pastoral Theology courses (Priestly Vocation, Homiletics, and Parish Leadership—including Administration, Religious Education, Evangelism, and Humanitarian Service) and all four of the 1-credit Field Education Practica in the new HTOS Master of Divinity degree program, as well as the two-course sequence in Pastoral Theology and the two 1-credit Homiletics courses in the Bachelor of Theology degree program.  The expected teaching load will be equivalent to 3 or 3 1/2 courses per semester. The appointed professor is expected to possess conceptual knowledge of and practical ministry in the various pastoral theology sub-disciplines listed above. Proficiency in Pastoral Counseling is not required for the position but would enhance an applicant’s candidacy. A completed Ph.D., Th.D., or Dr. Theol. degree in Pastoral Theology or one of the sub-disciplines is required. A candidate with a completed D.Min. degree in Pastoral Theology may be considered for the position, depending on the academic rigor of that graduate program.

The unique character of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary as a pastoral academic institution requires deep familiarity with the Orthodox Christian tradition, and therefore the candidates for this position must be communicants in a canonical Orthodox Church and must support the mission of the Seminary.

Please direct all applications to:  The Very Rev. Fr. Alexander F. C. Webster, Ph.D., Dean, Chairman of the Search Committee, by email address careers@hts.edu or by the mailing address P.O. Box 36, Jordanville, NY 13361.   Please submit your CV, statement of intent, graduate school transcripts, and three reference letters.   

The review of applications will proceed as the applications are received.  Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is accredited by the Commissioner of Education and the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York with the Absolute Charter granted in 1962.

In a meeting of the Episcopal Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which took place June 14/27, 2019, heard: a short report of Archbishop Gabriel about the current situation in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville and in the seminary situated there.

It was decided:

1) To confirm as dean of the main theological school of the Russian Church Abroad N. G. Schidlovsky, elected by the Council of Trustees of the Holy Trinity Spiritual Seminary.

2) To call upon the parish priests of the parishes of the North American dioceses to buy candles from the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, pointing out the difficult financial situation of this monastery.

After two whirlwind years as Dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Archpriest Alexander F. C. Webster, PhD, has retired and returned to his home and family in Virginia. During the annual Commencement exercises on June 2, the Seminary’s Faculty Council bestowed upon Fr. Alexander the title of Dean and Professor of Moral Theology Emeritus effective August 15, 2019.

Nicolas Schidlovsky, PhD, began his tenure as the new Dean of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary on August 15, succeeding Archpriest Alexander F.C. Webster, PhD, who has retired as Dean and Professor of Moral Theology (See his profile in a previous posting.)