11/12/2014

Trinity's Midweek Blast for November 12, 2014

"Resetting the Arc"

I ended last week's message by drawing attention to our Board of Directors' annual fall meeting scheduled for later that week. I mentioned three "big rocks" that would demand the board's attention. One of those "rocks" was the vision for Trinity. Another was the bold action on a GreenFaith initiative. Lastly, the board made a hugely courageous and selfless step to create a timeline to significantly reshape the Board to be more missionally focused, nimble, and far reaching in its framework. Look for more on this final action as time moves forward.

The focus for today is the vision for Trinity Lutheran Seminary. I believe that this vision, and the strategic moves necessary to achieve it, will reset the arc of Trinity for the next 50 years. The opening statement for the vision statement is as follows:

Trinity Lutheran Seminary forms leaders for Christ's Church at work in the world. Compelled by the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ and for the sake of the world, Trinity Lutheran Seminary is committed to a vision that sets Trinity apart as a premier seminary in the formation of authentic servant-leaders who are healthy, vibrant, maturing, transformative, resilient, and evangelical. This vision encompasses five pillars of excellence.

The first sentence is our mission statement. It is focused and clear that we are in service to the risen Christ, the church, and the world for which Christ gave everything. The gospel compels us towards this vision for the sake of the world. We must keep reminding ourselves that God's ultimate concern is the world. Penultimate concerns are the church and the seminary. We exist solely for the sake of the world. God does not desire that we forge a "great" seminary or a "great" church except for the purposes of forging a "great" world.

The vision unashamedly commits us to being a "premier seminary." I know in our egalitarian ethic that it is very un-Lutheran to explicitly state such a lofty idea, but why not? It was not that long ago that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching chose Trinity as one of 10 exemplary seminaries to visit in its landmark study of clergy education in the U.S. The premier-ness that we seek is not about having snazzy buildings, the highest enrollment, or the biggest endowment. It is specific to the formation of authentic servant-leaders. Why should we strive to be "premier?" Because God's mission and the gospel demand it.

The vision statement ends with six attributes essential to the authentic servant-leaders we seek, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to form. These attributes are critical to servant-leadership in the arena in which the church lives and in which leadership is exercised in today's world. Those attributes include:

Healthy. Let's face it folks, our church faces a chronic health crisis among our vocational and rostered leaders in the church. More than one report suggests that clergy are among the unhealthiest people in the country today. ELCA rostered leaders rank very high in terms of the absence of wellness. Living well encompasses many things. I am grateful to Portico and candidacy committees that make attention to the Wellness Wheel a priority.

Vibrant. Systems reflect the state of their leaders. Generally, systems led by leaders who are excited, growing, and thriving through the changes of life, find themselves reflected in the aliveness of their leaders. No congregation can outgrow its leader; thus, leaders must lead by their attending to always being alive.

Maturing. Originally, this word was "self-differentiated." Because that word is "insider" language in seminaries, we changed it to maturing. Maturing individuals know where they end and others begin. Maturing individuals are able to stand tall and remain calm in the midst of crises. They are not reactive or duplicitous. Maturing individuals are value-driven and do not need others' approval for affirmation. Maturing individuals take responsibility for themselves and want to be held accountable.

Transformative. We need servant-leaders who know how to bring about adaptive change in the systems they lead. We are not talking about change for the sake of change, but change that facilitates a different worldview and understanding of self and congregation that abandons previous scripts in order to be grasped by the script of the church's story. Forging adaptive leaders is already a particular strength of Trinity. This vision calls on us to be even stronger in this aspect.

Resilient. The gospel tells us that God does God's best work when things are at their worst. God raises the dead and makes all things possible. Persons who are formed by the efficacy of the empty tomb will be resilient. They will get up and stand up when challenges confront them and threaten to set them back.

Evangelical. Trinity exists because of Jesus and the good news of his death and resurrection. The servant-leadership Trinity seeks to forge in those it graduates and sends into the world is, finally, about Jesus. We want our students to be unashamedly in love with Jesus and enthusiastic as they share this love with others. To be evangelical means to deeply desire that all thrive and serve in the light of God's grace in Jesus the Christ.

I'll share more on the five pillars of our vision in a forthcoming blast.

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb,

Rick Barger, '89
President
Trinity Lutheran Seminary