The faith that Anglican missionaries brought to the New World in the sixteenth century was both “catholic” and “reformed.” It was catholicb ecause it was the universal faith of the Bible, of the Apostles, of the Church Fathers, and of the early undivided Church, required of all men for salvation. It was reformedb ecause it embodied the living experience of the Christian Church’s entire life from the beginning, scrutinized by godly men in the light of the scriptures during the English Reformation.

The Church the Anglican missionaries planted here in America, within the limits of her changeless faith, was comprehensive, in the sense that a variety of expressions was permitted as wholly legitimate as long as the faith was kept whole and entire. The “glue” that held this dynamic Church together was the manifold blessings of God: the unfeigned love of Christ, Christian charity, the English Scriptures, and the Book of Common Prayer. And a marvelous national Church that could trace her ancestry back though the ages to Roman Britain and the Church in Jerusalem was born.

It is no secret that the faith taught by the Holy Scriptures and held by the undivided Church has come under attack repeatedly, especially in our own times. Nor is it any secret that the Anglican vision of a Church catholic, reformed, and evangelical has been maligned by both the unfaithful and uncharitable. But we know that such a faith and such a Church are possible because they are not a “theory” or a devout “wish”. They are the reality that God has given us for the sake of our own souls’ health and for the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ to our fellow man.

This faith then must be perpetuated and passed on from generation to generation and it is toward this end that the external study program at Cummins Theological Seminary exists. The design of this program is clear: a reformed school of theology returning to the roots of historical Christianity, built on the requirements for ordination in the Anglican tradition. The external studies program seeks to ground the student in the teaching of the Holy Scripture, as that teaching has been interpreted by the early Church Fathers and the English Reformers, and as that teaching has been given flesh within the liturgical tradition of the historic Church. For those men who are not able to attend a residence program of theological instruction, this program is an alternative. It will not be an easy program. It will require commitment and dedication and long hours of reading and writing. The staff of the external studies department stands ready to assist you in making this a successful program of study.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Royal U. Grote, Jr.
Missionary Bishop

A Message from our Dean

It is our desire to provide students participating in the external studies program with a quality theological education based upon the word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit and recorded in the Bible. We are committed to maintaining this position despite the trend of many institutions to do otherwise.

As Dean of the External Studies Program, I want to assure our students that we will make every effort to support them and provide advice and direction as needed. I invite the students of this program to feel free to contact me for any assistance I may be able to provide.

May God bless you as you study His word to further prepare you to be a minister, “thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Rev. Dr. Douglas B. Mills, Dean