The definitive introduction to the Seminary Formation Assessment (SFA)—a 50-item suite of assessments measuring spiritual dwelling, seeking, struggle, and emotion regulation in seminarians.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; assessment instrument; Colloquy article; emotion regulation; psychometrics; Relational Spirituality Model (RSM); Seminary Formation Assessment (SFA); seminary students; sense of community; spiritual dwelling; spiritual formation; spiritual seeking; theological education; training resources; virtues

A 2026 ATS Colloquy research spotlight that offers the most comprehensive overview to date of the ways that seminaries, theology departments, and divinity schools assess student formation.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; assessment practices; Colloquy article; institutional mission; personal and spiritual formation; student formation; theological education; seminary; spirituality

Person-centered analysis using the Relational Spirituality Model (RSM) identifies four seminary student subgroups, with "regulated seekers" showing mature alterity, flourishing, and stable balanced spirituality over time.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; flourishing; mature alterity; mixture modeling; relational spirituality; spiritual formation

Empirical study of 452 emerging religious leaders documents gender disparities: women report higher character strengths and social justice values but lower mental health than men.

KEYWORDS: character; gender differences; mental health; religious leaders; social values; spirituality

The SEM Study is the first major longitudinal study examining divinity school education, aiming to identify promising, data-informed policies that promote clergy well-being.

KEYWORDS: empirical research; formation; longitudinal; mixed-methods research; seminary; theological education

Initial findings from the North American Study of Theological School Student Health and Health Behavior (n = 430 respondents).

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; ATS Student Data and Resources Consultation (2025); health behaviors; health needs; mental health; quantitative research; slide deck; student health; theological education; wellness

Deborah H. C. Gin, ATS Director of Research, traces a decade-long trajectory informing her vision for ATS Research, which bridges theological schools and rigorous data.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; qualitative research; ATS Student Data and Resources Consultation (2025); presentation (transcribed); ATS Research and Data; theological education as field of study; institutional reporting; industry trends; quantitative research; mixed-methods research; student formation

Research report of the NSRL offering a nationally representative portrait of U.S. congregational leaders' demographics, health, beliefs, practices, and challenges.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; Black Protestant; Catholic priests; clergy demographics; congregational challenges; Evangelical Protestant; Mainline Protestant; mental health of clergy; National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL); quantitative research; research report

This (U.S.) federal report is based on an August 2023 expert panel concerning faith leader training, mental health, self-care, community partnership, and theological education.

KEYWORDS: open access / free access; clergy burnout; conference proceedings; faith leaders; mental health; resource compendium; self-care; seminary training; theological education; well-being