At Trinity, we form leaders for the church’s mission to the world, beginning with our own community of Ambridge, PA. This means that we develop hearts and minds within a community of prayer, worship, learning, and witness. We ensure that our students develop biblical and theological depth, learn to interpret the world truly, and bear witness to Christ faithfully. This formation cannot be achieved in the classroom alone, so we cultivate rich community life, embrace the rhythms of prayerbook spirituality, and offer service to the world in our urban context. We do not produce “church mice” but missionaries prepared for a world that needs to hear the gospel.
Trinity Formation is Catholic and Reformed
We embrace a vision of Anglicanism born in the 16th century English Reformation to reclaim the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith, which had been obscured by errors of doctrine and practice in the late medieval church. Trinity’s faculty is especially strong in the areas of biblical and patristic theology, as well as in the English Reformation as the retrieval of faithful, evangelical catholicity.
Trinity Formation is Practical and Ministry Focused
We are committed to “training leaders for mission,” in and through the church. Accordingly, while remaining academically robust, Trinity provides practical training for real Christian leadership, both lay and ordained. Our students are consistently engaged in study, service, the regular rhythms of Anglican spirituality, and hands-on training in the practices of ministry.
Corporate Prayer & Worship
All members of the Trinity community participate in the weekly rhythms of Anglican spirituality, as found in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. Each class day begins at 8:30 a.m. with Morning Prayer and ends with Evening Prayer at 4:30 p.m. Morning and Evening prayer are led by students in training. On Wednesdays, the whole community gathers for a celebration of Holy Eucharist at 8:30 a.m., which is followed by a time of fellowship. Faculty and distinguished visitors preach and preside at our Eucharistic services. In addition, faculty gather to pray for each other and for the community on Wednesday afternoons, twice monthly. Staff, faculty, and students are engaged in bible studies and a variety of other ministries on campus and in the local community. Trinity is a rich and vibrant Christian community with much to offer.
Trinity Formation is Distinctively and Classically Anglican
Formation at Trinity is closely attuned to the Anglican Church in North America’s formational standards. Specifically, the ACNA College of Bishops requires that those preparing for ordained ministry are equipped in the following areas: Holy Scripture, Church History, Anglican Church History, Doctrine, Liturgics, Moral Theology & Ethics, Ascetical Theology, Practical Theology, and the Missionary Work of the Church.
A Trinity education ensures that each of these areas is covered thoroughly for all students preparing for ordained ministry. In fact, our Learning outcomes and program requirements have been developed to specifically address the ACNA standards. Non-Anglican seminaries cannot match the Anglican immersion offered by Trinity’s community life and curriculum.
