Thursday, September 13, 2012 Theological Schools and the Church Friday, September 14, 2012 A Perspective from the Lilly Endowment What have we learned from the Flourishing in Ministry Project? Theological Education and Preparation in the 21st Century Saturday, September 15, 2012 Panel discussion/conversation Council on Theological Education Council on Theological Education The Role of Theological Schools in Sustaining Pastoral Ministry Indianapolis Sept. 13 15, 2012 Brite Divinity School Christian Theological Seminary Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago Disciples Seminary Foundation Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt Lexington Theological Seminary Phillips Theological Seminary
Welcome! On behalf of the Council on Theological Education of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and its president, Gary Peluso-Verdend welcome to the symposium, The Role of Theological Schools in Sustaining Pastoral Ministry. In its March 2012 meeting, the Council agreed to convene a conversation on the role theological schools can play in the identification, recruitment and nurture of students for sustainable ministry. Our purpose is to begin a substantive dialogue within the Council on what changes, if any, are needed in seminary education to prepare students for effective leadership and ministry in a 21st century church context. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Dr. Daniel O. Aleshire, Executive Director of The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS); Dr. Christopher Coble, Religion Program Director for The Lilly Endowment Inc.; and Dr. Matthew Bloom, Associate Professor of Management, in the Mendoza School of Business, University of Norte Dame. Most important are the conversations to emerge among faculty, deans and presidents during our time together. We express appreciation and gratitude to the Pension Fund of the Christian Church and Mr. James Hamlett, President, for sponsorship of this event and his leadership. A word of gratitude to Mr. Dennis Landon for his work as president of Higher Education Leadership Ministries and his support of this gathering is also in order. Overview of the Council on Theological Education Disciples theological institutions relate to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM) as the Council on Theological Education (CTE). CTE meets annually and works both to foster cooperation among the theological institutions and to maintain communications between those institutions and the church regarding, ministry, ministerial education and certification, allocation of Disciples Mission Fund income among the institutions, denominational policies and procedures, and other matters of common concern. Council membership includes (1) the chief executive officer and chief academic officer of the four degree-granting institutions (Phillips Theological Seminary, Lexington Theological Seminary, Christian Theological Seminary, and Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University), (2) the chief executive officer of the three foundation houses (Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago, Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and the Disciples Seminary Foundation, (3) the chief executive officer of the associate institutional members of the council (Yale Divinity School, the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto / Rico, and the Atlanta United Divinity Center). The chief executive officer of Eden Theological Seminary currently sits with CTE as an observer. Select Council Representation Dr. Gary Peluso-Verdend, President of Phillips Theological Seminary is the current chair of the council and serves ex officio as a member of the board of directors of HELM. Dr. Matt Boulton, President of Christian Theological Seminary, represents CTE on the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), beginning in 2013. Dr. Newell Williams, President of Brite Divinity School, currently represents CTE on the church s General Commission on Ministry. Reverend Richard Spleth, Regional Minister of the Christian Church in Indiana and represents the College of Regional Ministers to the council. Reverend Dennis Landon, President of Higher Education Leadership Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), serves as staff to the council. The Council will meet February 27-March 1, 2013 in Indianapolis.
4 The Role of Theological Schools 2 p.m. Keynote and Q&A by Matthew Bloom 5 in Sustaining Pastoral Ministry Thursday, September 13, 2012 3:15 p.m. Conversation Groups (Presidents, Deans, Faculty) Theological Schools and the Church 6 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Gathering 6:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Dinner 7:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Opening Panel (CTE and The Pension Fund) Friday, September 14, 2012 A Perspective from the Lilly Endowment 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Breakfast 9 a.m. Keynote by Chris Coble followed by Q&A 10:15 a.m. Conversation Groups (Presidents, Deans, Faculty) 11:30 a.m. Large Group Discussion 12:30 p.m. Lunch What have we learned from the Flourishing in Ministry Project? 4:30 p.m. Large Group Discussion 5:30 p.m. Break 6:15 p.m. Gather for Dinner 6:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Dinner and Conversation Theological Education and Preparation in the 21st Century 7:15 p.m. Keynote and Q &A by Dan Aleshire Saturday, September 15, 2012 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. Breakfast 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Panel Discussion (Aleshire, Bloom and Coble) 10:15 a.m. Q &A 10:30 a.m. Conversation Groups Next Steps 11:30 a.m. Closing Remarks 12:00 p.m. Lunch and leave taking
6 7 Keynote speakers DANIEL O. ALESHIRE, executive director of The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), has devoted more than thirty years of his career to theological education. He joined the ATS staff in 1990 as associate director for accreditation and was elected executive director in 1998. Aleshire holds an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Daniel Aleshire Seminary, where he taught from 1978 to 1990, and a Ph.D. in psychology from George Peabody College for Teachers (now Peabody College of Vanderbilt University). A frequent speaker, he has also written extensively on issues of ministry and theological education. He served as a co-author of Being There: Culture and Formation in Two Theological Seminaries, which received the 1998 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and his most recent work, Earthen Vessels: Hopeful Reflections on the Work and Future of Theological Schools, was released in 2008. Associate Management Professor MATTHEW BLOOM conducts research in the area of the improvement of the human condition at work, with a focus on intrinsic motivation, happiness and meaning, and innovation. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Baker University, an M.A. in Organizational and Personnel Psychology from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive courses in innovation and workforce related topics. Matthew researches well-being at work and is interested in what makes work a meaningful, positive life-enriching experience that fosters the highest levels of human excellence. He is the recipient of a major grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., to study the well-being of clergy and clergy families. Recent teaching awards include the 2010 Joyce Matthew Bloom Award for Undergraduate Teaching Award, the 2011 Master of Nonprofit Administration Outstanding Teaching Award, and the 2011 MBA Outstanding Teaching Award. Bloom serves on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Review and the Journal of Organizational Behavior. He also is an ad hoc reviewer for numerous research journals. CHRISTOPHER COBLE has served as a program director in the Religion Division of the Lilly Endowment Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana since 1997. Working with the Endowment s board and staff, he is part of a team that seeks to support efforts to strengthen Christian congregations in the United States. He has taken a leading role in Lilly Endowment s grant-making to identify and prepare a new Christopher Coble generation of gifted pastors for Christian congregations and parishes and to help new pastors get off to excellent starts. He also oversees most of the Religion Division s grants that support research projects to understand more deeply the shape and
8 9 character of American religion. Coble is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has served congregations in Indiana, North Carolina, Iowa, and Massachusetts. He holds degrees from Wabash College (A.B.), Duke Divinity School (M.Div.), and Harvard University (Th.D.). Trained as an historian of American religion, his research interests focus on issues of religious formation and the transmission of faith in Christian churches. Data for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was gathered in partnership with the Pension Fund of the Christian Church, and the Ministry Life Choices Initiative at Lexington Theological Seminary and the Christian Church in Indiana. About the Pension Fund The Flourishing In Ministry Project This project focuses on well-being among clergy and their families. We set out to find what makes pastors and priests tick and what ticks them off in an attempt to bring joy to the people who work so hard to bring it to others. Core questions: What are the signature characteristics of pastoral wellbeing and what roles do they play in a well-lived pastoral life? The Pension Fund serves the church by supporting ministers, missionaries and lay employees of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and related Campbell-Stone traditions. For over 100 years, first as the Board of Ministerial Relief and then as the administrator of the Pension Plan, it has sought to support the church and its ministry. Change and growth of the Pension Fund have continually broadened and deepened its ministry. Through both contractual and gift programs, the Pension Fund seeks to serve the total church and its ministry. What constitutes pastoral well-being over a life span? How does life in ministry affect the well-being of clergy families? What are the conditions that stimulate, nourish, and support high levels of pastoral well-being and what conditions are detrimental to it? The FIM project has collected data from several denominations including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church, and the United Methodist Church. Dr. Matthew Bloom is a tenured faculty member in the Mendoza College of Business and the project s primary researcher. CONFERENCE PLANNING TEAM Janet Ehrmantraut, Lexington Theological Seminary T. Eugene Fisher, Pension Fund Charisse Gillett,* Lexington Theological Seminary James Hamlett, Pension Fund of the Christian Church Dennis Landon, HELM Richard Spleth,* College of Regional Ministers *conference coordinators
10 11 Notes Notes