WELCOME
New program directors for In Trust Center
The In Trust Center is pleased to welcome two new members to its team: Thomas Lyons, Ph.D., and Rosalie (Lee) Mirenda DelleMonache, Ph.D. Both bring extensive experience in leadership, theological and faith-based education, and organizational development to their new roles at the Center.
Lyons provides strategic and operational leadership for the Center’s coordination work related to the Lilly Endowment-funded Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, while also supporting Resource Consulting and other organizational projects. He previously directed a Pathways for Tomorrow project at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. Read his full profile here.
DelleMonache joins the Center as director of organizational effectiveness, providing strategic and operational support to the Center’s leadership, Board of Directors, and organizational initiatives. She brings nearly three decades of leadership experience in educational, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations, most recently serving as director of religious education for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. Read her full profile here.
MAGAZINE
2026. Students have changed. Who’s in class?
Record enrollment is revealing a new, more diverse picture of who is pursuing theological education today.
The “typical” seminary student is a thing of the past. More than 81,000 people are pursuing graduate degrees or credit-bearing, non-degree theological education, with growth across ages, backgrounds, programs, and pathways to ministry. What’s driving them to the classroom, and what does their changing profile mean for theological schools? This In Trust feature explores the numbers, trends, and stories reshaping theological education. Read “2026. Students have changed. Who’s in class?” here.What do you think? Email us here with your thoughts.
Also, in the Summer 2026 issue of In Trust:
- Focusing on the Congregations. Leadership education at Duke Divinity is entering a new chapter with a new name and an expanded mission. Now known as the Forum for Congregational Life, the initiative will increase grant-making, strengthen networks across denominations and organizations, and help congregations thrive amid a changing religious landscape. With support from Lilly Endowment Inc., the Forum aims to deepen collaboration and build connections among the people and institutions serving faith communities. Read Focusing on the Congregations here.
- For the Cause of Justice. Months before signing the Declaration of Independence, Presbyterian minister and college president John Witherspoon stepped into the pulpit to make the case for America’s cause. In a stirring 1776 sermon, the Scottish-born leader drew on Scripture to argue for justice, liberty, public virtue, and faithfulness amid the hardships of war. Explore the words and legacy of the only clergy member and college president to sign the Declaration. Read For the Cause of Justice here.
Did you get your magazine? If you’ve moved or don’t receive In Trust magazine (a magazine subscription comes with your membership to the In Trust Center for Theological Schools), you can update your information or ask to be placed on the magazine list by emailing us.
Full issue: You can read the Summer 2026 issue of the magazine on the website here.
PODCAST
Ep. 112: New research, new thinking on advisory bodies
What makes an advisory body effective? New findings from the In Trust Center’s Governance Initiative are challenging some long-held assumptions.
In the latest Good Governance podcast, host Matt Hufman talks with Amy Kardash, president of the In Trust Center, and the Rev. David Rowe, Ph.D., Governance Initiative project director and, founder and president of Windermere Consulting, about what the research reveals for embedded theological schools. Drawing on data from 71% of ATS-accredited schools, they explore why clarity of purpose matters, the positive connection between a fundraising focus and institutional effectiveness, the value of fresh perspectives, and some surprising findings about the relationship between advisory bodies and university governing boards. Listen to Ep. 112: New research, new thinking on advisory bodies here.
Other recent episodes include:
- Ep. 111: Beyond earnings: Defining the value of theological education. The Rev. David Rowe, Ph.D., project director of the In Trust Center’s Governance Initiative, and Peter Lake, law professor, explore why the value of theological education must be measured by more than graduate earnings, including the flourishing of graduates and the communities they serve. Listen to Ep. 111: Beyond Earnings: Defining the value of theological education here.
- Ep. 110: Seeing the mountains: Preparing theological education for the future. The Rev. Tod Bolsinger, Ph.D., explores how adaptive leadership can help theological institutions navigate profound change while remaining grounded in their essential identity and mission. He argues that today’s leaders need more than ready-made solutions; they must be willing to acknowledge what they do not know, experiment, learn, and distinguish between what is truly essential and what is simply familiar. For governing boards, Bolsinger says this work begins with clarifying what an institution must preserve, what must change, and what may need to be left behind. Listen to Ep. 110: Seeing the mountains: Preparing theological education for the future here.
- Ep. 109: Beyond church decline: New research points to renewed vitality, future opportunities. What does the future hold for congregations and what might it mean for theological education? Scott Thumma, Ph.D., shares research that challenges familiar narratives of church decline. Drawing on the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s EPIC study, Thumma points to signs of renewed stability, stronger attendance and giving, and growing optimism among congregations. He also explores how seminaries can prepare leaders for a changing ministry landscape and the opportunities ahead. Listen to Ep. 109: Beyond church decline: New research points to renewed vitality, future opportunities here.
WEBINAR
The Thinkers: Reimagining the Board’s Role in Strategic Planning
October 13, 1 p.m. ET
Zoom Facilitator: Rebekah Burch Basinger, Ed.D.
Project Director, In Trust Center’s Wise Stewards initiative
For board members accustomed to doing, the idea that their most important contribution to institutional planning is strategic thinking, not plan development, can be difficult to embrace. Yet it may be the most consequential leadership gift they offer. While the responsibility for shaping and detailing a strategic plan rests primarily with the president and campus leadership, the board’s strategic thinking establishes the parameters within which that work unfolds, from initial framing through implementation. This webinar invites boards into a fresh reimagining of their role, discovering that as the thinkers, they offer a distinctive and essential contribution to institutional life.
RESOURCES
New Core Essential: Can AI help boards ask better questions?
In the Core Essentials for Good Governance series, Essential 6 explores “Implementation of Planning & Assessment,” which calls boards to model collaborative goal setting, continuous planning, and rigorous evaluation. In the latest resource, “AI, smarter questions, and wise stewardship,” discover how AI can help boards move beyond familiar thinking by generating mission-centered questions, challenging assumptions, and surfacing overlooked concerns. The goal isn’t to turn decision-making over to AI, but to use it as a tool to strengthen strategic conversation while keeping human discernment at the center. Read and download a printable version of this essential document here.
VIDEO SERIES
Practicing Collaboration Video Series
In this 10-part recorded series, leaders within theological education share practical insights drawn from their lived experiences of collaboration. Each conversation explores a different dimension of “practicing collaboration,” offering valuable lessons, fresh perspectives, and actionable ideas for those seeking to strengthen collaborative leadership and ministry.
- Video 7: A Collaborative Vision for Global Theological Education. Dr. Jo de-Blois, chief gobal engagement officer, and Dr. Adriaan Neele, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, discuss their work in helping create a global network of theological schools. They share how the collaboration is structured, how they partner with institutions in ways that foster agency, and why decentralization and relational trust are essential to sustaining global collaboration. Along the way, they also share how they view power in these global partnerships and advice for those considering collaboration. Watch this video here.
- Video 8: Unexpected Collaborators. Dr. Greg Henson interviews Dr. Marie Pitt-Payne, academic dean of Mundelein Seminary, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, and executive director of its Simulation Center, about the seminary’s innovative work in the areas of compassion and simulation labs. The discussion highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and the unexpected opportunities that can emerge when institutions engage partners beyond traditional theological circles. Watch this video here.
NEWS & INSIGHTS
New initiative supports congregations serving their communities
Lilly Endowment Inc. has launched the
Serving Neighbors Through Congregational Collaborations Initiative, a new grant opportunity designed to strengthen partnerships between Christian congregations and charitable organizations addressing needs in their local communities. Through the initiative, the Endowment anticipates awarding 60 implementation grants of up to $5 million each to support collaborative efforts ranging from assisting vulnerable families and expanding after-school programs to increasing access to the arts and improving parks and public spaces. Learn more here.
SPONSORED
Introducing the ACEO Health Plan
AdminWise Shared Services is pleased to introduce the Association of Church Educational Organizations (ACEO) Health Plan, an exclusive health insurance option for ATS seminaries and church-related colleges. This sustainable, cost-effective solution helps institutions address rising employee health insurance costs while continuing to offer competitive benefits. Participants benefit from greater flexibility, reduced regulatory burden, subsidies, enhanced bargaining power, and shared governance to ensure institutional needs are met. Learn more at www.adminwise.org or contact ron.ringenberg@adminwise.org | 574-370-0345.
