Former Fuller Theological Seminary president's rules for fundraising offer prudent and timeless advice.

What's an endowment and how do you use it? A financial expert who serves on the board of a theological school offers wisdom and insight on endowments.

How should a board and senior leaders consider the prospect of embedding? Rev. Dr. Byron Klaus, who has been through the experience and coached others, offers practical advice.

For many ministers, multivocational ministry is normal. Dr. Darryl Stephens, an expert on the subject, says it has been for the history of the North American church, and Lancaster Theological Seminary is forging new paths to train people for multivocational ministry.

After seeing an increase during fall 2020, enrollment at ATS-accredited schools has returned to pre-pandemic trends.

Brenda Bailey-Hainer led ATLA's staff from a big office in Chicago to a distributed workforce with people in several different states. She offers great insights and wisdom that can help any organization.

Click here for a few resources to help your institution work through the grant writing and sustainability process

As most institutional leaders have been dealing with immediate challenges — moving classes online and the complexities of transitioning staff, faculty, and students into new spaces — the focus has been on leading during a crisis. But how do you lead during a crisis and simultaneously lead out of one?A new post from the Harvard Business Review offers some guidelines and cautions.

Understanding enrollment and student retention is essential for any institution to thrive, but not knowing the basics of enrollment management is a common problem.

A recent issue of Trusteeship magazine features an article by Peter Smithtitled "How Should Boards Respond to Disruption." The article was written primarily for boards of universities and colleges, but itgoes right to the heart of what it will take to lead a seminary through the next 30 or 40 years.

When an issue of Trusteeship magazine has the theme of "Institutions in Crisis," you know you're in for some great articles on board governance. Handling crises — whether postponing them, mitigating their effects, or managing the fallout — is a big part of leading an institution. And there are all sorts of events and circumstances that may qualify as a crisis.

At some point every board member will hear arguments for and against tenure, the policy that has been called "the most sacred cow munching on the ivy that covers the towers of academia."

Presenter Donna Alexander, President & CEO of Advoxum Global Strategies, offers best practices for navigating conflict and crisis. She examines the crucial elements of defining conflict and crisis, identifying, and prioritizing affected stakeholders, utilizing effective communication strategies, and ultimately, executing a plan of action.

Dr. Rebekah Basinger addresses the opportunities and challenges that come with chairing the board of a theological school, which include how to design effective board meetings, enhance board member engagement, and develop the board for long-term effectiveness while giving attention to the board chair and president partnership and the critical importance of call in both roles.

The In Trust Center is pleased to announce a new webinar series focused on change management models. These webinars are presented by rpk GROUP, a national leader in helping institutions create sustainable business models that reflect both mission and market. This series includes two webinars. Webinar 1 provides a change management framework to include best practice for leading change initiatives and common pitfalls to avoid. This session will include a consideration of institutional readiness for change, especially around the use of a strategic finance lens.

This webinar series addresses the basics of change management and adaptive leadership needed to navigate change.

Join Josh Peskin from Millwork Strategies as he talks about strategic communications plans.

Dr. David Rowe, creator of TransformingCollege.com and former interim president of Lancaster Theological Seminary, will lead this series, helping participants turn mental models that explain how theological education is being disrupted into frameworks for overcoming that disruption.

Join faith-based fundraising expert, Dr. Lori Guenther Reesor, as she shows how to create bold, clear communications of a school's values and ministry goals.

Dr. David Rowe of AGB Consulting will introduce a new area of sustainability each week, leading discussions on strategic transformation and financial sustainability in theological schools.

In this dynamic webinar, Kristal Frazier will review the fundamentals of grant proposal writing.

Join keynote speaker, consultant, and founder of FundJoy, LLC, Kristal Frazier, as she provides proven strategies to help you connect with key prospects.

This webinar will address how seminaries can own their destiny by being responsible and "finishing well," rather than closing in crisis.

Join fundraising expert Carla Maxwell Ray, Senior Generosity Strategist at Generis, as she breaks down data from The Giving Institute at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy and provides insights into what the research shows.

After taking over as the president of Hartford Seminary, Joel Lohr, Ph.D., undertook a new strategic plan, which seemed routine. But after bringing in Rick Staisloff of rpk GROUP, he saw an opportunity and charted a course that ended with a revitalized mission and a new name: Hartford International University of Religion and Peace.

While serving as an interim president of Lancaster Theological Seminary, Dr. David Rowe was challenged with how to merge the school and preserve its mission. Rowe and Elizabeth Palmer Bennett, former CFO at Lancaster, discuss how the development of the merger came about, their observations, and the lessons they learned in the process.

There has been considerable concern about artificial intelligence (AI) and its use in theological higher education, particularly as it relates to cheating. But Greg Henson, president of Kairos University, and Ruth McGillivray, Executive vice president of Northwest Seminary and College, say there's more to it than that. In this episode, they discuss the opportunities for theological schools to explore with AI.

Helen Blier, Ph.D., director of continuing education at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and president of ALLLM, presents compelling reasons why theological schools should consider lifelong learning and continuing education programs as viable entry points into theological schools and essential bridges for ministers actively engaged in the field.

Is there a way to help theological schools cut overhead costs and free up resources to focus on mission? That’s the goal of the CHANGE (Configuring Higher Education Administration for Next Generation Excellence) Initiative, one of the projects funded in Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. In this episode of the podcast, Dr. David Boshart, president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Dr. Jeff Williams, the project director of the CHANGE Initiative, provide an overview of how a nonprofit organization could provide business offerings to schools, increasing quality of services while allowing schools the space to innovate. Dr. Jeff Williams can be reached here: jwilliams@ambs.edu

In this episode of the Good Governance podcast, Rev. Dr. Frank Yamada, the executive director of the Association of Theological Schools, discusses what it means for theological education and what skills boards and leaders need to navigate these times.

Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative is investing millions of dollars in theological education in North America. The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the In Trust Center are co-coordinating the initiative, and in this episode, the In Trust Center’s Amy Kardash and the Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Deasy of ATS discuss the emerging trends, interesting projects, and how coordination works.

Rev. Dr. Scott Sunquist, the seventh president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, joins the podcast to talk about the school’s “pivot”

Amy Kardash, Annie Glanden, and Matt Hufman finish a wide-ranging discussion on trends in the episode, “Trends, issues, and the essentials for 2023, part 2.”

In this episode, Dr. Allen talks about some of the principles that led to the change as outlined in his new book Turnaround: The Remarkable Story of an Institutional Transformation and the 10 Essential Principles and Practices that Made it Happen. 

Join us today as we connect with Dr. Brent Sleasman, president of Winebrenner Theological Seminary.

Dr. David Rowe answers questions about why the educational model needs change and offers practical advice for theological school leaders.