The In Trust Center is committed to sharing learnings with its members. Through the In Trust Center’s current initiatives and over three decades of governance work, a collection of videos has been compiled to share with the greater membership.

Theological Education Between The Times

Ted Smith leads a discussion on theological education as part of the Wise Stewards Initiative's Governance Between the Times Seminar.

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Board Governance Between the Times

Rebekah Basinger leads a discussion on board governance as part of the Wise Stewards Initiative's Governance Between the Times Seminar.

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Yolande Petty - Interdenominational Theological Center

Yolande Petty describes how she came to attend the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) and encourages other students and prospective students not to give up.

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James Mumford - Shaw University Divinity School

James Mumford, a student at Shaw University Divinity School, was already a leader in his small community, but he knew he needed more preparation. He chose to attend Shaw University so that he would have the education to make an even greater difference.

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Micah Gaines - Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Divinity, Virginia Union University

Micah Gaines, a student at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia University, describes the gift of Black theological education.

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Catrinka Johnson - Payne Theological Seminary

Catrinka Johnson describes how God led her to Payne Theological Seminary and what Black theological education means to her.

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Eric Jones - Howard University School of Divinity

Eric Jones, who graduated from Howard University School of Divinity in 2018, tells why he chose Howard and how he hopes to make a difference in the world.

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Antoinette Joiner - Hood Theological Seminary

Antoinette Joiner, a new graduate of Hood Theological Seminary, describes the gift of Black theological education.

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Dr. Frank Thomas - "The Gift of Black Preaching"

On April 11 and 12, 2018, The Gift of Black Theological Education Symposium was held in Philadelphia. The second keynote speaker of the symposium was Dr. Frank A. Thomas.

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"The Impact of the Gift"

On April 11-12 2018, The Gift of Black Theological Education Symposium was held in Philadelphia. Students from Historically Black Theological Schools spoke on their experiences and the impact of Black theological education.

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Dr. John Kinney - "The Gift of Black Theological Education"

On April 11-12 2018, The Gift of Black Theological Education Symposium was held in Philadelphia. The first keynote speaker of the symposium was Dr. John Kinney.

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Workshop on Social Media and Institutional Conflict by Jay Blossom

A workshop by Jay Blossom on Social Media and Institutional Conflict for presidents of theological schools, but relevant to leaders of many institutions of higher learning, as well as other organizations.

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Governance Minute: Fundraising: The Board's Role

Rebekah Burch Basinger explains that there are two ways to understand the role of the board of trustees in fundraising.

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Governance Minute: Strategic Planning: A Road Map to the Future

Randy Thomann explains how strategic planning charts an institution's journey into the future and establishes markers along the way.

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Governance Minute: Benefits of Strategic Planning

Robert S. Landrebe says that a strategic plan is like a road map. Just as you can take various paths from Point A to Point B on a map, a strategic plan declares that of all the possible ways to get to a desired future, the school is going in a certain direction.

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Governance Minute: Five Steps to Shared Governance Success

Delores Brisbon says that for shared governance to succeed, an institution needs to follow five key steps.

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Governance Minute: Shared Governance: Myths and Tips

William R. Myers shares several myths and tips regarding shared governance.

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Governance Minute: Pitfalls of Planning

Randy Thomann says that while strategic planning is important, but there are pitfalls to avoid.

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Governance Minute: Considering Partnership? Do Your Homework

Delores Brisbon outlines the questions seminary and theological school boards should ask as they consider forming a partnership or merger with another school.

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Governance Minute: Board Orientation: An Ongoing Process

Rebekah Burch Basinger says that board member orientation is a critical piece to ensure the long-term success of a board member, but it's an area that is often glossed over. We tend to think of board orientation as a once-and-done activity, but in fact, orienting new members is an ongoing process. We're always being oriented.

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Governance Minute: Essentials of Board Orientation

Rebekah Burch Basinger says that board orientation should focus on the essential pieces of information that a board member needs, and the temptation to dump everything on the new member should be resisted. 

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Governance Minute: Welcome to the Boardroom

William R. Myers says that if your seminary or theological school wants to give new board members a running start, you should try these five strategies.

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Governance Minute: Why Strategic Planning?

Robert S. Landrebe says that the primary benefit of strategic planning is the gathering of new insights. Strategic planning is all about looking at alternatives and identifying those that are going to make the greatest impact for your future as a school.

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Governance Minute: Overseeing Finances: Every Trustee's Responsibility

Randy Thomann explains that for board members who feel inadequate about tackling finances, there is good news and bad news.

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Governance Minute: Understanding Financial Health

Robert S. Landrebe says that it's important for a board to understand their school's financial health so that their strategic planning is well informed.

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Governance Minute: The Dashboard: A Solution to Information Overload

William R. Myers explains what a dashboard or strategic indicator status report is, how it's used by a board, and how it can help a seminary or theological school board.

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Governance Minute: What's Your Elevator Speech?

Rebekah Burch Basinger says that to be effective ambassadors, board members should be able to tell the story of their connection with the institution -- their elevator speech.

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Governance Minute: Essential Elements of Presidential Assessment

Paul Dovre explains the essential elements of presidential assessment.

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Governance Minute: Characteristics of Effective Board Chairs

Paul Dovre discusses the three characteristics of an effective board chair.

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Governance Minute: The Benefits of a Good Board Mentor

Rebekah Burch Basinger says that a "board buddy" or mentor can help a new board member get up to speed quickly. The buddy or mentor can help the new member at meetings, but the buddy can also contact the new member between meetings to answer questions.

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Governance Minute: Essential Elements of Presidential Assessment

Paul Dovre explains the essential elements of presidential assessment.

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Governance Minute: Essentials of Good Board Governance

Rebekah Burch Basinger says that theological schools face significant challenges, and when you accept a seat on a school's governing board, those challenges become yours -- you are a steward of the school's core mission.

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Governance Minute: An Effective President-Board Chair Relationship

Rebekah Burch Basinger describes the key to an effective president-board chair relationship: Believe that your school is no stronger than its board.

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Governance Minute: Effective Board Evaluation

William R. Myers describes how seminary and theological school boards can govern without meddling, how they can share responsibilities without relinquishing responsibilities, and how to meet the legal requirements of board services without losing a focus on faith.

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Governance Minute: What Is a Dashboard?

Rebekah Burch Basinger discusses dashboards, a visual indicator of specific aspects of the institution's performance at a particular point in time -- a snapshot of how the school is doing.

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Governance Minute: Presidential Evaluation: Why Invite a Third Party?

Paul Dovre explains why third-party evaluation is essential to presidential assessment.

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