Seminary Dean, Dr. Michael King, opens the EMS fall semester with his convocation address, “Grandparents Dreaming, Grandchildren Seeing: Christian Formation in an Age of Nones.”

“The fastest growing denomination in America, according to one survey, is the “Nones”-the 45 million or so Americans who report none of the above when asked which church, denomination, religion they belong to. It’s probably no coincidence that in turn the Auburn Center for the Study of Theological Education says enrollment across 205 seminaries in North American peaked in 2004 and has been declining since. Finding our way through this world is the adventure those of us at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, along with many of you, are navigating.”

Drawing on Rachel Held Evans and one of his own dreams, Dr. King invites us to explore with EMS “how churches, seminaries, universities, Christians, adherents of other faiths, or the Nones in many of our families and communities will find our way.”