General Theological Seminary to award 7 honorary degrees

General Theological Seminary
Posted Apr 16, 2018

The General Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the next recipients of its Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, to be conferred at three different ceremonies through May 2019. The recipients include the following:

  • The Rt. Rev. Kevin Brown, Bishop of Delaware
  • The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop
  • The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin, Bishop of Western New York
  • The Very Rev. Lang Lowrey, III, Immediate Past President, General Theological Seminary
  • The Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, Bishop of Spokane
  • The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism & Reconciliation
  • The Most Rev. and Rt. Honourable Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury

The first conferral will take place at the 196th Commencement ceremonies on Wednesday May 16, 2018 and will include Franklin and Lowrey. For information about Franklin and Lowrey, please visit www.gts.edu/honorarydoctorates

The second conferral will take place on Monday February 11, 2019 for Curry and Williams in conjunction with the Paddock Lectures, for which Williams will be the keynote speaker. Curry will preach. The third conferral, in conjunction with the 197th Commencement ceremonies will take place on Wednesday May 15, 2019 for Brown, Rehberg, and Spellers.

The Very Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle, Dean and President remarked, “The honorary doctorates embody our values and are actively engaged in diverse, meaningful ministry. They are individuals who have committed to a lifelong engagement of education and formation, each in their own way inviting the church and the world to Love’s redeeming work through the Jesus Movement.”


Located in the heart of New York City, General Seminary was founded in 1817. The mission of The General Theological Seminary—to educate and form leaders for the church in a changing world—has been a central focus throughout its long history. General Seminary conferred its first honorary degree in 1885.
For more information, please visit gts.edu


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