New Leadership Education at School of Theology

Trinity Wall Street Leadership Grant

 The School of Theology has received a grant of $25,000 from Trinity Wall Street to develop new courses on the practice of ministry as part of both the Master of Divinity program and the Advanced Degrees Program (S.T.M. and D.Min. degrees) Courses will focus on leadership, outreach, fundraising, and enabling the ministry of pastoral leaders. 

 The grant will also help Sewanee establish greater continuing education for lay and ordained leaders to equip a new generation of ordained leaders for the changes and challenges of ministry in the 2020s, with particular emphasis on developing leadership capacity, fundraising ability, and the skills of analysis and team-building that make it possible for the Church to faithfully serve the people of God. Sewanee will assist pastoral leaders in their efforts to reimagine the practice of ministry in this new day, and will be a place of both renewal and “retooling” so that they earn not only an advanced degree, but also a greater capacity to guide, equip, and enable the ministry of the laity. 

As much as possible the new coursework will be designed with hybrid pedagogy in mind. 

 “The School of Theology is committed to developing and disseminating new models of ministry for this challenging season in the life of the Church,” says the Rev. Dr. William Brosend, director of the Trinity grant. “I am grateful to the Trinity Grants Program for supporting this important work. I look forward to working with the Trinity Leadership Initiative as we develop new programs for the future of the Church.”

 Pathways to Tomorrow Grant

In April, the School of Theology received a $49,500 grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. as part of the Endowment’s $87.5 million “Pathways for Tomorrow” initiative. The Phase One grant is designed to assist the School of Theology in preparing proposals for the Phase II and Phase III competitions, in which the Endowment will award $1 million and $5 million grants to accredited seminaries in the United States and Canada that submit compelling and creative proposals. 

The initiative seeks to help seminaries plan for the many changes facing theological education, to find creative ways to better serve under-represented students, and to foster partnerships and collaborations between seminaries and other institutions.  The Rev. Dr. William Brosend is guiding the School of Theology proposal process. He is using the funds from the Phase I grant for a grant consultant and a team of sociologists to help with surveys, focus groups, and telephone interviews with the full range of School’s stakeholders—from regents to alumni to diocesan bishops, parish priests, and lay leaders. Conversations have already been held with the deans and presidents of other Episcopal seminaries and with The Episcopal Church Office of Latino Ministries.