I may have squealed out loud as I pulled the Winter issue from my mailbox and saw “For the love of lifelong learning.” As the article makes clear, lifelong learning initiatives across theological education in North America are growing in number, scale, engagement, structural innovation, and programmatic focus. This is good news for church leaders committed to research-based, theologically grounded continuous learning for faithful ministry in their diverse contexts. In our exuberance to celebrate the strengths of lifelong learning today, let us be careful not to conflate “lifelong learning” with “non-degree programs,” lest we risk reducing a robust interdisciplinary, international field to a business model. At its core, lifelong learning is an intrinsic capacity to grow for the sake of thriving. In a healthy and sustainable theological education ecology, faculty and senior administrative appointments will consistently feed – and be fed by – research, teaching, and program development in lifelong learning.
Lisa Kimball, Ph.D.
Vice President for Lifelong Learning, Virginia Theological Seminary
At Lake Institute, when it comes to the intersections of faith and giving, we often respond to the latest landscape analysis of religion in America with caution to avoid falling victim to hopeless anxiety that the sky is falling even while it is quite true that the ground is shifting beneath our feet. As Pew’s analysis (“Religion’s Influence,” Winter 2026) has consistently shown, some forms of religion may be on the decline, but that does not mean that faith and faith-inspired individuals, institutions, and communities are on the way out. If the majority of Americans do see religion playing a positive role in society, it is worth reflecting on what citizens see as religion’s positive attributes and in what ways religion contributes to the public good. Conceptions of faith, the public, and the good are all contested, and it seems to me that higher education (colleges, universities, and theological schools) is a prime place to lead the way in the discussion.
David P. King, Ph.D.
Karen Lake Buttrey Director, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Gregg Brekke’s survey of lifelong learning programs (“A Life Ahead to Learn,” Winter 2026) resonates deeply with our work at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. What strikes me most is the common thread: Lifelong learning is not a supplemental offering but a return to the essential mission of theological education. At Austin, we find ourselves shaped by a similar conviction. Our certificate programs aren’t simply practical additions to our curriculum. They embody what it means to be an institution that discerns the church’s present and future needs. Like the tribe of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32, we believe seminaries are called not merely to preserve tradition but to understand the times – and to prepare leaders accordingly. Helen Blier is right: Lifelong learning may well be the secret sauce. We’re grateful for institutions willing to say so publicly.
Sean Watkins
Associate Dean of Lifelong Learning, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
In Trust magazine welcomes your letters! Please email them to editors@intrust.org.
