Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) today announced the launch of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice, a new initiative to train Christian leaders for transformative engagement in the public square. The Center builds on the Seminary’s institutional commitment to justice, including its Reparations Program and longstanding work across the Anglican Communion.
The Center will work with VTS students to build their skills for social and political engagement to enable them to be effective advocates for justice in the way of Jesus. Alongside practical training, it will offer formation opportunities, pilgrimages to significant sites in historic struggles for justice, and curricular programs, including a week-long advocacy intensive called the Justice Praxis Seminar.
Drawing on its proximity to Washington, D.C., the Center will host events with local leaders, and encourage students to participate in national and international campaigns. It will also collaborate with local community partners, such as Virginians Organized for Interfaith and Community Engagement (VOICE) and Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, to advocate for justice at a local, state and national level. In addition, students can apply for mini grants to support their own work in leadership and advocacy.
The Center was publicly launched on September 30, 2025, at an event attended by nearly 100 students, faculty, trustees and community partners. The launch centered on the Center’s mission to support the formation of Christian leaders as faithful and effective advocates for justice in the way of Jesus.
One prominent early offering from the Center is the Have Mercy Initiative. Following the lead of VTS graduate the Rt. Rev. Marian E. Budde, Bishop of Washington, “Have Mercy” is a series of essays that explore the power of the Gospel for the current political moment. It is being followed by webinars, a forthcoming book, and a lecture in February 2026 that will be delivered by Bishop Budde.
The Center is inspired by the work of Saint Nicholas, the fourth century Bishop of Myra. While Nicholas is remembered most for his generosity, he was also a fierce advocate for justice and a defender of truth. His witness connects the Center to the great cloud of witnesses who have struggled for justice, from the Hebrew prophets, to the early Christian martyrs, to modern saints such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Jonathan Myrick Daniels and Archbishop Oscar Romero.
The Center has been made possible by a generous gift from the David and Carol Myers Foundation.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary, said: “The link with St. Nicholas reminds us that the call to faith and justice is not a passing trend, but a truth woven deeply into the witness of Scripture and the living traditions of the Church. In this moment, more than ever, such a witness is urgently needed. With great hope, we look to the work of the Center and to the countless moments of formation it will offer, shaping and inspiring future leaders here at Virginia Theological Seminary.”
Kyle Lambelet, Ph.D., Director of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice, said: “The need for Christian leaders who are spiritually rooted, skilled in the arts of politics, and centered on justice in the way of Jesus could not be more urgent. Faithful Christians don’t have to choose between white Christian nationalism and the evacuation of the public square. With the launch of the Center, VTS deepens its role as an educational hub for Gospel witness.”
Learn more about the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice here: https://vts.edu/justice/