On behalf of the In Trust Center for Theological Schools and our colleagues at the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, welcome to the 2024 Wise Stewards Seminar. We are excited to be with you and have conversations around the table with colleagues and friends – something we have learned never to take for granted.

Although the oft-repeated lament that “business cannot continue as usual for theological schools” may feel cliché, there’s no denying its truth. Even before the pandemic, nearly everything we had always assumed about theological education felt up for grabs. Today, the calls for change that transforms have grown louder, as have reminders that times such as these require the best that leaders in theological education – including governing boards – have to offer.

The themes of change, innovation, and the future flow through the seminar program, with topics and discussions intended to push every aspect of board work toward new possibilities and relevance. In the months following the seminar, you’ll work with your coach in imagining and planning for the “next future” in your board’s work on behalf of your organization.

It is our desire that as a result of participation in this seminar, your team should be better able to:

• Align the stories we tell ourselves about our institutions, the students we serve, and the constituencies to which we relate with the challenges faced by institutions of graduate theological education in North America.
• Develop understanding and skills that allow trustees to live into the six essentials of exemplary board governance.
• Identify and access resources in support of adaptive, innovative, and faithful board leadership.
• Agree on and implement a learning plan for strengthening the board’s aptitude for change in a time of institutional and sector disruption.
• Cultivate and lean into peer relationships in support of ongoing board development and institutional vitality.

Thank you for joining us as we learn, encourage, and imagine a bright future for theological education in North America and the missions we serve.