ONE-MINUTE COMMENTARY
Several good friends of mine are in “bickering marriages.”
Sometimes I find myself amazed at how quickly a kiss and a
laugh turn sour, and the fight is on. It’s not comfortable to be a bystander.
But I have to admit that these arguments sometimes contribute to
healthy marriages. What's the difference between harmful and
healthful fighting? In the healthy marriages, the disagreement
helps the couple move forward. They address underlying problems,
state their cases, find compromises and progress to the next step.
And when the argument is over, the same issues don't resurface again and again.
Several of the news briefs in "Changing Scenes Now"
describe ugly conflicts at theological seminaries. It's tempting
to bemoan these fights and ask, "Can't we just all get along?"
Not fighting seems more Christian, somehow.
But that's not my position. I think conflicts are necessary
and even inevitable in living and growing institutions. How
seminaries move through conflict makes the difference between
those that thrive and those that wither. I won't predict what
will happen at any of the schools you can read about in this
issue of In Trust Now, but let's pray that their conflict is fruitful.
—Jay Blossom
Editor, In Trust Now
SPIRIT MATTERS
I've been surrounded by an uncommon amount of death this Easter season. Slow, media-intense death: Terri Schiavo and Pope John Paul II have not been out of the public consciousness for a moment. Quick and private death: A very stupid family of mice moved into my house, much to the delight of my cat.
CHANGING SCENES NOW
Seven News Items You May Have Missed
1. PRINCETON SEMINARY INAUGURATES NEW PRESIDENT
On March 11, Princeton Theological Seminary inaugurated and
installed the Rev. Dr. Iain Torrance as its sixth president.
2. U.S. SENATE CONSIDERS NEW NONPROFIT REGULATIONS
The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector has presented an Interim
Report to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee as Congress prepares
new legislation to regulate nonprofit organizations.
3. NEW BRUNSWICK SEMINARY APPOINTS INTERIM PRESIDENT
After 12 years at the helm of New Brunswick Theological Seminary,
the Rev. Norman J. Kansfield has stepped down. The trustees of the
seminary, which is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, decided not to renew his contract.
4. BANGOR SEMINARY PONDERS SELLING CAMPUS
With financial challenges and declining enrollment, Bangor Theological Seminary may sell its 10-acre campus.
5. SOUTHERN BAPTISTS TO VOTE ON “SOLE MEMBERSHIP” FOR NEW ORLEANS SEMINARY
Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual
meeting in June will be asked to approve the corporate
model known as sole membership for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
6. NEW LUCE FELLOWS NAMED
The Association of Theological Schools and the
Henry Luce Foundation have named seven scholars
from ATS schools as Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology for 2005-2006.
7. TRUSTEES RESIGN, ACCUSING ILIFF OF INSTITUTIONAL RACISM
In January, three board members at Iliff School of
Theology resigned after a year marked by the forced
retirement of the Colorado school’s first Latino president
and an investigation that found race problems at the United Methodist seminary.
FOCUS ON...
Governance Core Seminar
Revitalize your board at In Trust’s Governance Seminar
November 10-12, 2005
Louisville, Kentucky
In Trust’s Governance Core Seminar is a perfect way
to revitalize a seminary’s board of directors. Team members
learn to revision their work in five areas: authority structures,
enrollment management, resource development, educational systems,
and economic vitality. Seminar participants are introduced to a new
model for determining the economic vitality of a school, and each
school’s team develops an action plan to take home.
The reasonably priced Governance Seminar can make a real
change in your board. For more information, contact Christa R.
Klein, In Trust’s president, at 877-234-3895 or crklein@intrust.org.
FROM THE ARCHIVE...
The Life Cycle of a Successful Presidency
A four-part series perfect for new board members — or boards facing a presidential transition.
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