When Tradition Meets Innovation: The Hybrid Experience at GTS

By The Very Rev. Michael W. DeLashmutt

General Theological Seminary alumni may vividly remember days spent immersed in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, absorbing the rhythms of the Prayer Book and being formed by a tradition that feels both ancient and ever-new. For today’s seminarians, these enduring rhythms continue—though the form and setting have evolved. This fusion of tradition and innovation is vividly illustrated in the experience of Spencer Cantrell (’18), Priest-in-Charge of St. George’s Church in Astoria, and Jordan Wesley (’27), a seminarian from the Diocese of New York.

Spencer, who attended GTS when it was fully residential, now serves as a Contextual Ministry (CXM) supervisor to Jordan. He sees the hybrid program not as a departure from GTS’s identity, but rather as a new expression deeply rooted in the seminary’s historical ethos. “It’s been a really strong priority of the student body itself to maintain a sense of continuity with General’s legacy,” Spencer notes. “When they gather for intensives, they continue longstanding traditions, from the simple sung blessing at meals to the liturgical ethos of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.”

Jordan echoes this sentiment, describing her first experience at GTS’s Matriculation Evensong as profoundly impactful, even overwhelming. Yet, signing “that big old book” and experiencing monastic rhythms during intensives has profoundly shaped her formation: “It feels like a second home.” She emphasizes how the rhythm of retreat and return uniquely prepares seminarians for ministry today: “Every time I leave an intensive at The Close, I feel nourished—sent back into my daily life with spiritual grounding.”

Spencer sees his role in mentoring hybrid students like Jordan as an extension of the chapel itself—helping seminarians internalize and carry forward those sacred rhythms. “General gave me the rhythms of the Prayer Book and our hymnody in my bones,” Spencer explains. “I see contextual education as part of the chapel experience, a space to help seminarians embody those rhythms in ministry.”

St. George’s, Astoria, provides Jordan with precisely this formative space. The parish, steeped in Anglo-Catholic piety yet accessible and welcoming, encapsulates Spencer’s description of being “prayerbook catholic.” This combination of traditional beauty with warmth and generosity has drawn many newcomers. For Jordan, coming from a much different liturgical background—an informal parish on Manhattan’s Upper West Side—the shift was initially jarring. “I felt stiff and stressed each Sunday,” she recalls, highlighting the traditional organ, grand architecture, and liturgical practices. Yet, seven months in, she finds herself profoundly drawn to the depth and meaning of these liturgical practices: “I participate in genuflections in ways more spiritually meaningful than I ever imagined.”

Both Spencer and Jordan emphasize the critical role of the Mentor Team—a collaborative group composed of an academic supervisor, the CXM supervisor, and a peer mentor—in Jordan’s formation. Spencer appreciates how the group “offers a well-rounded platform for Jordan to reflect on her education and formation,” providing diverse perspectives that enrich his own approach. Jordan herself values the unique support this structure provides: “It’s incredible how much relational support I have as I navigate this massive life transition.”

Jordan’s vocational path has been anything but linear. Initially called to ministry as a young woman in a tradition with limited space for female leadership, she pursued a rewarding career in social work and found her way to The Episcopal Church. When first introduced to GTS’s hybrid program, Jordan recalls crying “tears of joy and relief.” The program resonated deeply with her experience of living “in between worlds,” balancing her established career, family, and new calling. “I really knew there was a place for me here,” Jordan says.

Spencer, supervising Jordan, has also experienced his own formation enriched by their mentoring relationship. “The high quality of students in the hybrid program continues to impress me,” he reflects. Conversations about the challenges and opportunities of residential versus hybrid learning have been “generative and encouraging,” deepening Spencer’s appreciation for how GTS adapts its traditions for contemporary ministry contexts.

Jordan’s CXM experience under Spencer’s supervision includes diverse opportunities—leading adult forums, officiating Morning Prayer, Eucharistic visits, neighborhood ministry, and retreats at Holy Cross Monastery. Spencer’s mentoring style has provided Jordan room to “contribute meaningfully, focus on spiritual formation, and discern my future in the priesthood.”

One particularly poignant insight from Jordan encapsulates the power of the hybrid experience at GTS: “In an era of disconnection and loneliness, the hybrid experience at GTS models how faith communities can be at the forefront of connection and belonging, even amidst rapid technological and societal change.”

Spencer emphasizes that the hybrid modality uniquely equips seminarians for contemporary church leadership by requiring them to build intentional communities creatively. “The hybrid program makes seminarians think critically about shaping Christian community in today’s world,” Spencer observes. This ability, grounded in GTS’ cherished tradition, is vital for leadership.

For Jordan, the most powerful aspect of her formation is the recognition that her identity and ministry are being shaped uniquely—neither fully traditional nor entirely new, but profoundly integrated: “Working with Spencer helps me see how I can show up authentically in the priesthood. I may always feel a little out of my skin in certain traditions, but a hybrid version of my piety and vocation is emerging.”

Spencer and Jordan’s shared experience highlights a powerful truth for GTS alumni: the seminary’s historic identity and ethos flourish when traditions meet innovation, when familiar rhythms adapt to new forms, and when communities are intentionally built across old and new modes of gathering. Jordan sums it up beautifully: “The Close reverberates throughout my daily life.”

Indeed, for Jordan, Spencer, and so many alumni, past and present, GTS continues to be a sacred space of tradition and transformation, continuity and creativity—a place ever-evolving, yet always home.