General Theological Seminary\u2019s campus in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan is everything you\u2019d want in an urban seminary. Handsome buildings, a chapel at the center, quiet walkways in a noisy city, calm places to read and pray. All serving a wonderfully diverse student body eager to minister in a changing world.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s like the best of historic church properties: harking back to a day of noble architecture and tradition and yet looking outward to a frenetic city and changing religious environment.<\/p>\n Why, then, is GTS on the verge of financial collapse and, now, paralyzing internal conflict? Its dean is under attack, 80 percent of its full-time faculty were dismissed, its board is floundering \u2014 all in the glare of press and blogosphere.<\/p>\n Why? For the same reason that historic churches and denominations are trapped in \u201ctrain wrecks.\u201d Their time has passed.<\/p>\n As other major denominations are finding, the days of the residential three-year seminary are ending. Fewer prospective ordinands can afford the cost and dislocation of attending a residential seminary.<\/p>\n Fewer church bodies are willing to subsidize such an education, because they, too, face budget shortfalls. Fewer congregations have jobs for inexperienced clergy wanting full-time compensation.<\/p>\n Episcopal dioceses have been seeking other ways, such as diocesan training centers, nearby schools run by other denominations, and online learning. They\u2019re seeking professional skills training, not academic prowess.<\/p>\n