Chaplain

Chaplain and Dean of Community Life

General believes that one of its top priorities is to build and strengthen Christian community, as well as to support and nurture the people who study, live, and work here. To further that commitment, we have a full-time Chaplain and Dean of Community Life who lives at General. Her primary ministry and focus is to act as pastor to all students and their families as they enter into serious study and formation and learn how to maintain a healthy and balanced personal life.

Retreats are organized for students in all courses of study; group and individual meetings with the Chaplain are regularly offered; and she is always available for individual discussions about concerns in which students or their families seek guidance. In addition to the pastoral counseling from the Chaplain, students are strongly encouraged to find a spiritual director and a therapist during their time in seminary, and are offered much assistance as they explore these two other important support systems. In a further commitment to family wellness, retreats are planned every year for the spouses and partners of General students.

Another of the Chaplain’s responsibilities is the facilitation of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) – usually undertaken by students in the summer following their first year. CPE sites around the country are available for students to explore; workshops are held to prepare students for this important experience; and actual CPE supervisors from the city are invited to General to familiarize students with all aspects of the CPE experience.

As students enter their last year at General and begin to seek new ministries following graduation, the Chaplain works with them in her role as Director of Deployment Ministry. As well as teaching resume workshops for the preparation of interviewing for positions, she facilitates the preparation of their CDO Profiles, and  encourages rectors from across the country to come to General as they seek full-time assistants/curates. As we support and facilitate  the process of helping students discern new calls, the goal of deployment ministry here at General is to celebrate new ministry, encourage students to network with each other and with their dioceses, and to hold their classmates in prayer throughout the process of seeking new ministries.

In the MDiv student’s final year the General Ordination Exams (GOEs) are administered here at General, and the Chaplain not only familiarizes students with the logistics of taking the exams, but also organizes individual faculty review sessions for students. It is a priority with General to create the most supportive environment possible for students taking these exams and to lessen the anxiety that typically accompanies this process. Examples of this community support are the annual effort by Juniors and Middlers to prepare breakfasts and lunches for students taking the GOEs, and the involvement of General Alumni as they donate funds every year to pay for these meals.

The Rev. Dr. Ellen M. Sloan
Chaplain and Dean of Community Life
Director of Deployment
The General Theological Seminary
175 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
phone: 212.243.5150 ext.296 fax: 212.242.4451
e-mail