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Who do you think you are? Episcopalians often face that question, posed either as a rebuke or as an honest inquiry into our faith.

When referring to the Episcopal Church, it's safe to say, You're not who you used to be. With a membership of less than one percent of adults in the United States, the denomination's position has changed since its heyday of power, prestige and privilege.

"The Episcopal Church saw itself for many years as the church of the establishment," Zscheile says, "but we are now living in an era when the church is rapidly losing its privilege in American society."

What is the most difficult and divisive issue facing congregations today? No, the answer is not sex and sexual orientation. Ineffective leadership is the most pressing problem, and although it is not sexy, all church leaders, ordained and lay alike, need to take heed.

"Ineffective leadership is probably the bedrock issue we are facing today," said Chabraja Fellow Bill Sachs, who in January 2012 will teach a five-day, intensive course that examines events and leadership styles that have shaped the Episcopal Church. "Leadership is consensus on who we are, where we are going, and how we are going to get there. When a conflict arises in a congregation, a question of leadership is usually at its core."

When something horrific happens, how do we explain it? Does our faith give us the words to articulate our understanding of justice and mercy? The ability to express who God is and how we understand humanity?

Using 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2010 Haitian earthquake as her focus, the Rev. Dr. Renée Hill is offering a hybrid (online and in-person) course at Seabury this fall that examines disasters from a theological perspective. 

If you enjoy taking copious notes, regurgitating lectures and watching rather than doing, you probably should stay away from John Dally's Anglican Ethos class, which he has titled, By Gradual Scale Sublimed: The Genesis and Genius of Anglicanism (more about the title later).

But, if you're ready to experience fully the history of the church through reenactments, music, texts, images and the creativity of John Addison Dally, this is the course for you.

Nurya Parish of Grand Rapids, Michigan had been a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Association before becoming an Episcopalian. Although she had a master's degree in divinity from Harvard University, when she entered the ordination process, she was told that she would need to spend a year at an Episcopal seminary. Parish thought this requirement would put an end to her hopes, but then she discovered Seabury.