Join us for classes in 2024-25

Whether you are on an ordination track, lay leadership track, or you simply wish to take classes for personal enrichment, we invite you   to experience all that the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry has to offer.

In addition to face-to-face instruction during the focus weekend, the BKSM community worships, prays, eats and socializes together.

Beyond the focus weekend, students on a ordination track meet on Zoom twice a month. First, students gather together for praxis from 7:00-8:30pm on the Tuesday following our face-to-face focus weekends. During praxis sessions, we hear from guest speakers who focus on an aspect of ministry or a current issue not directly addresses in our programs of study.

Second, students meet with their cohort on Zoom for colloquium once a month, usually on the second Tuesday following the focus weekend.
Important Information
New Dean Announced
  • Dr. Lynne Bahr has been announced as BKSM's third dean. She will begin on July 1, 2025. Read the complete announcement here.

Why Consider the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry?

  • Find a program of study that is right for you, whether you are on the path to ordained ministry, seeking education for a licensed lay ministry, taking a class or two for personal enrichment, or needing coursework for continuing education
  • Benefit from courses designed to prepare you for mission and ministry.
  • Balance your work, family and personal life with classes that meet face-to-face in Topeka and on Zoom one weekend a month.
  • Be enriched and strengthened by a faithful community of students, faculty and staff, dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world.
  • Form lasting relationships with students who live in the region, providing you the opportunity for a lifelong network of peers in ministry.
  • Get to know the Episcopal Church better. You will study, worship and socialize alongside students living in six dioceses across four states, who come from a wide variety of parish ministry environments – large and small, urban and rural, “high church” and low.
  • Get to know the broader church better.  BKSM welcomes students from a variety of other Christian denominations, which adds richness and diversity to our student body.
  •  Learn from remarkable faculty who live and work in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, many of whom have PhD’s or equivalent in their field of study and all of whom are deeply committed to the life of the church.
  • Benefit from taking classes with students who bring a wealth of professional and personal experiences to classes and to their ministries.
  • Put ideas into practice as you go. Because this is a weekend-in-residence program, you can put new ideas, skills and training into place right away as you continue to serve in your local church.

What is the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry?

The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry (BKSM), located in Topeka, Kansas, is a unique collaborative venture of the Episcopal Dioceses of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, West Missouri and Western Kansas. 

BKSM was founded in 2013 in order to pool financial and human resources to best support leadership formation within four original dioceses, now expanded to six, and to strengthen bonds of community and mutual mission.

The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry uniquely forms priests, deacons, and lay ministers together, fostering shared team ministry that honors and values the gifts and callings of all.

Learn More

We invite you to explore the website to learn more about the programs of study, how classes are structured, cost information and more. If you have any questions, feel free to complete the contact form online or contact the Very Rev. Dr. Don Compier, BKSM dean, at [email protected] or (816) 217-4053.