News & Insights

The Newsletter for Chairs of Theological School Boards
Vol. 2 No. 6

In leadership, everyone knows we're supposed to build trust. The difficulty is doing that. Trust is something that can take a long time to build but can be lost in a moment, and often, we don't even recognize where we've lost trust.

Cory Scheer, Ed.D., is an expert on trust. He is also a former pastor and university administrator whose doctoral work focused on trust in organizations. What he found in his research is that there is a pandemic in terms of a lack of trust across organizations.  

His work now has been in training organizations on how to build and restore trust. There is a process for building trust, and Cory can walk you through that. Last year, we engaged Cory to do a staff retreat and training with the In Trust Center team, and his insights were incredibly helpful for us to see blind spots and understand what we can do to build trust. You'll have the opportunity to learn from Cory next month as he will lead a webinar for our members. It will be at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5.  You can register here. 

One of the things I appreciate about Cory is that, given his background, he understands theological education and the challenges the field faces, and he can speak to those directly. I'd encourage you to register today and pass this email on to those in your organization who will benefit.

Coming soon: I want to give you a heads-up about our new Governance Initiative. I'm going to send more information in the coming weeks, but this is an exciting program in which we're going to survey the field to understand current board demographics, structures, and wise practices of high-functioning boards. I'm going to ask for your help: Next month, we'll send out a survey, and I'm going to ask if you'd help us by responding. We're really excited about this initiative because it will give you new insights and tools into governing better. The In Trust Center will share more in the coming months.

With gratitude for all you do in theological education,
Amy Kardash
President

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Upcoming Events

The In Trust Center hosts learning community spaces throughout the year. Check out our upcoming events below.

Who's Next? Succession Planning for Boards

ON DEMAND

Planning for board officer vacancies should start well in advance with an intentional, smooth, and carefully designed transition plan.

Seminaries are people too: Mindsets that make or break institutional change

ON DEMAND

Theological schools are launching innovative projects to reshape education, but many struggle to achieve transformational change despite strong grant funding. Human nature, organizational culture, and governance practices often hinder progress. In this webinar, Drs. Aaron Einfeld and David Rowe provide tools to identify/overcome hidden barriers to change, offer practical steps for institutional leadership to move their institutions forward

I See That Hand

ON DEMAND

Board members are typically recruited for their leadership, business acumen, and networks. Dr. Rebekah Basinger, project director of the In Trust Center’s Wise Stewards Initiative, will discuss how strategic questioning and interrogation skills are essential for effective board stewardship.

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In Trust Center provides Resource Consulting to our members at no charge. Contact us today and let us guide you to the most helpful resources for your situation.

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