Colloquy: October 2026

October | 2026

COA and ATS submit public comment on proposed accreditor independence regulations which could affect COA/ATS relationship

A new proposal from the US Department of Education, if adopted, would require accrediting agencies and affiliated membership organizations to operate with greater structural and operational independence, including restrictions on shared administrative and support services. Such requirements would have significant implications for the longstanding relationship between COA and ATS.

It is important to emphasize that COA and ATS already operate with safeguards designed to protect accreditor independence. The organizations are incorporated separately and have separate boards, budgets, bylaws, and decision-making structures. Accreditation decisions remain independent from ATS membership and programmatic activities, and these governance safeguards have long supported the integrity of the accreditation process.

Because of this, COA and ATS recently submitted a joint public comment to the Department of Education regarding the proposed regulations. In the comment, we affirm the importance of accreditor independence and support the department's goals of accountability, transparency, and public trust. At the same time, we urged the department to consider several important factors.

Upcoming Events

ATS Technology in Theological Education Group Gathering

Oct 20–22 | Pittsburgh, PA

Interpretive Gathering on Changing Student Demographics in Theological Education

Oct 22–23 | Chicago, IL

Globalizing Conversations Webinar: Distinct Contexts, Shared Horizons

Oct 23 | Zoom

ATS Roundtable Seminar for Newly Appointed Faculty

Oct 28–30 | Nashville, TN

ATS School for New Deans

Nov 5–6 | Pittsburgh, PA

ATS Financial Officers' Conference

Nov 10–12 | New Orleans, LA

ATS Entering Student Questionnaire Webinar

Nov 18 | Zoom

ATS Executive Leadership Intensive
Dec 7–10 | New Orleans, LA

For more 2026–27 event listings, visit the ATS website.

Oct 6, 2026, 4–5:15 p.m. ET | Zoom

Designed for the broader ATS membership, this webinar will introduce the life course trajectory tool and how it can be used to enhance a school's theological formation needs. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with the tool relative to their own lives and how they may have been affected by trauma, as well as learn how the tool can be used at their respective institutions.

In connection with the Disrupting Trauma Conference, a collaboration between ATS and McCormick Theological Seminary, this webinar is the second in a larger series that is exploring the power and promise of theological formation.

Webinar questions can be directed to Layne Shaffer.

Research and Data

Formation for plural pathways: another story told by ATS alum/workforce data

For some ATS member school alums, work life spans multiple positions. In many cases, that pattern is already visible at graduation and appears again years later. If theological formation has often imagined a graduate moving toward one primary position, these data invite schools to broaden the vocational imagination animating that formational task.

Christopher The, ATS director of student data and research, notes that nearly 29 percent of employed alums reported holding more than one position when they completed the ATS Alum/Mapping the Workforce study in 2022–23. In this article, he looks ahead to the next fielding in spring 2027, noting that a retrospective of the most-recent study’s results offers a useful historical baseline for the survey.

What Graduating Student Questionnaire data can contribute to formation assessment

Graduation surveys usually help schools look back. A peer-reviewed study of the ATS Graduating Student Questionnaire (GSQ) suggests that familiar questions may also offer useful building blocks for thinking about formation assessment, while a later cohort provides a useful check that the same broad patterns appear again. Your school may already review graduates' answers about prayer, vocational clarity, social justice, and working across differences. The more difficult question is how those answers relate to one another.

This article by Christopher The, ATS director of student data and research, does not propose a universal measure of formation. It asks what schools might learn from research showing that existing GSQ responses can be read together and the possibilities it creates for assessment.

Leadership Development

Leading from logistics: reflections from our behind-the-scenes staff

What marks an ATS Leadership Development event as a success? In this article, ATS Associate Director of Leadership Development Chelsea Yarborough talks with ATS staff members who organize these events to hear how they see themselves, the ways in which they lead, and what they feel is most important to event attendees.

Member School Spotlight

Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Seminary, NAIITS partner on Pathways project: Indigenous Theological Circle

In a new video by the In Trust Center for Theological Schools, Julie Lytle, director of distributive and lifelong learning initiatives at Bexley Seabury Seminary, and Christopher Hoklotubbe, NAIITS director of graduate studies, introduce the Indigenous Theological Circle, a Pathways for Tomorrow collaborative initiative. The Indigenous Theological Circle is an ecumenical network of denominational and ministry partners committed to supporting the flourishing of Indigenous communities.

The speakers discuss the initiative’s vision, the challenges it seeks to address for Indigenous congregations across North America, and what is being learned as theological education becomes more contextual, relational, and community-grounded. The discussion emphasizes that effective collaboration is built on relationships, mutual respect, shared responsibility, and interdependence—not simply transactions or predetermined objectives—and that each contributor has an essential role.

Watch the Video

Updates & Invites

Free October 23 Globalizing Conversations webinar features ATESEA

Register today for the free ATS webinar, “Globalizing Conversations: Distinct Contexts, Shared Horizons—ATESEA and ATS in Partnership,” to be held Friday, October 23, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

The conversation will highlight the work of the Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia (ATESEA) and its vital contributions to theological education in Asia and beyond. It will explore ATESEA’s work in quality assurance and accreditation, institutional development, and leadership formation. The webinar will feature a presentation by ATESEA Executive Director Limuel Equina, followed by a Q&A and open discussion period.

The webinar is part of the Globalizing Conversations: Mission, Formation, Partnerships series of the ATS Global Awareness and Engagement Initiative. The series explores the intersections of theological education, intercultural formation, and global partnerships. It is designed for students, faculty, administrators, and ministry leaders from ATS member schools and its global partners.

Grants up to $5 million each available through new Lilly Endowment initiative

Lilly Endowment Inc. anticipates making a total of 60 grants of up to $5 million each through its new Serving Neighbors Through Congregational Collaborations Initiative. The grants are awarded to help Christian congregations collaborate with charitable organizations to identify and address needs and priorities that help improve quality of life in their neighborhoods, towns, and cities.

In addition to encouraging stronger collaborations among congregations and charitable organizations, the initiative aims to help deepen individual faith and congregation vitality by providing opportunities for Christians to practice their faith through acts of love and care for their neighbors. Collaborative efforts under the Serving Neighbors initiative will help address community needs such as providing resources to vulnerable families, expanding after-school programs, enhancing access to the arts, supporting local beautification efforts, and improving amenities at parks.

The application deadline is January 19, 2027.

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The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is a membership organization of graduate theological schools. ATS Programs and Services offers educational events and resources to assist member schools with best practices, development of peer networks, production of research, and exploration of data. The Commission on Accrediting of ATS accredits the schools and approves the degree programs.

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