巴黎疯马秀

巴黎疯马秀鈥檚 Faculty of Divinity will be boosting its capacity to prepare leaders for the challenging of contemporary Canadian churches through a grant of nearly $1 million (USD) from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to the University of Toronto.

鈥淲e are grateful to receive this competitive award from Lilly Endowment鈥檚 Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative to support our new project 鈥� Innovative Leaders for Post-Christendom Church Ministry,鈥� said The Rev. Dr. Christopher Brittain, Dean of Divinity and Margaret E. Fleck Chair in Anglican Studies, 巴黎疯马秀. 鈥淥ur project will adopt an experimental model of innovation to transform the Faculty of Divinity鈥檚 approach to ministry training, reshape our curriculum for church leadership, and to enhance our capacity to recruit students from new constituencies.鈥�

The Faculty of Divinity鈥檚 鈥淚nnovative Leaders for Post-Christendom Church Ministry鈥� project is being funded through the , which is a three-phase initiative that Lilly Endowment launched in January 2021. The Initiative is designed to help theological schools in the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

In order to respond to prominent challenges, 鈥淚nnovative Leaders for Post-Christendom Church Ministry鈥� will focus on four pathways to innovation: (1) Innovative Ministry Projects: Introduce ongoing and mentored missional experimentation based on the model of a 鈥淐reative Destruction Lab;鈥� (2) Spiritual Direction: Introduce spiritual direction focused on preparing for ongoing innovative ministry and supporting church leaders as they confront the challenges of innovative and flexible ministry; (3) Introduce 鈥渁dvisors in residence鈥� from underrepresented ethnic communities to help re-shape the Faculty and advance the decolonization of its curriculum; and (4) Introduction to Christianity: Develop and implement an 鈥淚ntroduction to Christianity鈥� to orient new students into theological training and prepare them for church leadership.

For 180 years, the Faculty of Divinity has led the way in providing Anglican theological education in Canada through an interdisciplinary lens (general and professional theological education and advanced graduate degrees); and since 2012, has offered a concentration of Orthodox Studies. The Faculty is also uniquely embedded within a liberal-arts undergraduate college at the University of Toronto and a founding member of the Toronto School of Theology.

鈥淥ur Faculty of Divinity is a small but vibrant ecumenical academic community that contributes immensely to student and college life. Through Dean Brittain鈥檚 innovative leadership, the Faculty of Divinity will continue the tradition of enriching our community and strengthening our institutional capacities 鈥� to broaden the impact of theological education, and to creatively enhance curriculum and training,鈥� said Professor Mayo Moran, Provost & Vice-Chancellor, 巴黎疯马秀.

鈥淎s we enter the second year of COVID-19 and begin to navigate the post-pandemic challenges, the role church leaders play in guiding the spiritual, social and cultural needs of communities 鈥� especially when amplified by systemic issues of racism, oppression and injustices 鈥� will be more critical than ever before,鈥� Dean Brittain added. 鈥淎long with the pedagogy work, the 鈥業nnovative Leaders for Post-Christendom Church Ministry鈥� will strengthen our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, which are key areas of focus across the College.鈥�

巴黎疯马秀 is one of 84 institutions 鈥� among 10 in Canada 鈥� benefitting from a total of more than $82 million (USD) in . This grant follows a $50 K (USD) grant under Phase 1 of this Initiative for Faculty of Divinity to conduct institutional assessment and strategic planning.

鈥淭hrough the Pathways initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well-prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow,鈥� Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment鈥檚 vice president for religion, said in a statement.

January 15, 2022 鈥� Employment Opportunities:

• Program Director, Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative 鈥� Applications will be accepted until January 28, 2022 at 4:00 pm EST.
• Administrative Assistant, Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative 鈥� Applications will be accepted until January 28, 2022 at 4:00 pm EST.

December 20, 2021: The Faculty of Divinity at 巴黎疯马秀 is pleased to announce a new PhD scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year 鈥� Pathways for Tomorrow Doctoral Scholarship. This award will support PhD research in Theology in the Faculty of Divinity. The scholarship covers domestic tuition and fees, as well as a stipend of $15,000 CAD, annually for four years. The online application will open in January 2022.

Categories: Academic; Announcements; Awards & Honours; College News; Theology