June President’s Message

The heart of HELM’s work resides within the network of the whole Church, from the individual congregation which nurtures young people, to the region which connects them to a larger faith community, to the colleges, universities and theological schools that develop their skills in leadership.

HELM walks beside each of these expressions of the Church identifying emerging leaders during their undergraduate and graduate studies. Our great joy is providing support in the form of scholarship and leadership development. We do this in partnership with our general and ecumenical ministries as well as individuals like you.

Recently, a group of Leadership Fellows traveled to Israel-Palestine under the leadership of Dr. Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ. Our students witnessed the world in this sacred place – its profound hope and its lived pain. Leadership is the ability to engage and experience the world as it is with clear, critical, reflective and responsive presence.   

Leadership Fellows learn that clarity requires an opportunity to see, hear, smell, taste and touch the world in new and transforming ways. Critical thought requires in-depth study filtered with intellectual and emotional intelligence. Reflection requires personal experience and time. Responsive presence requires humility and courage.

HELM’s Leadership Fellows Global Awareness experiences and Emerging Clergy Leadership Conferences are designed to introduce students to the possibilities and challenges in leadership within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and in relationship with the world as it is today.

Similarly, HELM connects our institutions of higher learning in dialogue and support of our related presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty, andcampus ministries. Our mission is lifting and amplifying these talented voices as we celebrate institutional advancements and respond to challenges in church, society, and world. We do this work through our Council of Theological Education, Council of Colleges & Universities, and Council on Higher Education Ministries.

Beyond the classroom, HELM supports post-graduate dialogue and reflection through the Association of Disciples in Theological Discussion (ADTD). ADTD brings together outstanding theological minds from across our related institutions to consider the moment in meaningful reflection, theological leadership, and in published contribution addressing pressing issues of our time.

It is my privilege and honor to begin a season of service, together with HELM’s Board of Directors and partners, as we consider the possibilities before us. We will navigate our way forward, valuing the past, embracing the now and expanding directions and resources for the future.

Prayers for Hayden Skaggs

Please keep Hayden Skaggs, a Sophomore Leadership Fellow, and his family in your prayers after a serious car accident on May 10th. Hayden faces numerous surgeries and a lengthy recovery. He is responding well to treatments at this time, for which we are exceedingly grateful. Please join us in prayer also for Hayden’s care team and his recovery throughout the summer. Our love and support go to his family during this difficult time.

Seminarian Spotlight

Mark Dingler ’23 M.Div. is all about community-building. At Yale Divinity School, he’s gotten involved in student affairs and student government to rebuild the community lost to the isolation of the Covid pandemic. His goal after graduation in May is to become an associate pastor in a church where he can foster relationships. “Life is too hard to go through by yourself. You need people to walk on this journey.”

A desire for community is what led Mark, a native of Arlington, Texas, to pursue a degree in music education from Texas Christian University. He then discerned God was calling him to foster community in additional ways through the church. “I wanted to do relational community work, and the church has been that space for me.” The Disciples of Christ—his denomination then and now—stresses togetherness. “Our slogan is ‘a movement for fullness in a fragmented world.’ I love that idea of trying to find ways that we can work together to do the work that God has called us to do.”

He came to Yale in the fall of 2020, when classes and activities were online. “The first month I lived here I didn’t see anyone in person. I was really glad I had a dog.” As the pandemic subsided, Mark worked with others to bring people together. “We were trying to find ways to be Covid-safe while having events that helped foster community.” One was a gathering of his classmates in the M.Div. program for cookies and hot chocolate.

While at Yale, Mark has interned at Spring Glen Church, a UCC congregation of about 250 in nearby Hamden, and last year he filled in for a pastor who was away for seven weeks. “I led worship by myself, and they let me just jump in.” He also offered pastoral care and served on the Good Works Committee.

Mark is hoping to be ordained in June and is in conversation with several churches, looking to find one that will be a good fit for everyone. The Disciples of Christ congregations are mostly in the West and Midwest, and he’s willing to resettle anywhere. One of denomination’s appeals for Mark is that churches are led by local congregations and there is little hierarchy.

“We encourage diversity of thought and opinion. You can question and have your own thoughts and you can disagree with one another. We’re still in it together, we’re still loved children of God.”

Center for Faith & Justice Certificate Program Offering

Georgetown University’s Center on Faith + Justice invites you to its 2023 Certificate Program, designed to equip participants with a theo-ethical vision for substantive engagement in civic and public life, and effective advocacy at local, state, and federal levels.

Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago Uniquely Equips Students for Ministry, Scholarships, and Life

The 2023 Distinguished Alumna of the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago, Cynthia Gano Lindner, has taught and nurtured religious leaders for over twenty years in her role as Director of Ministry Studies at the Divinity School. Her book, Varieties of Gifts: Multiplicity and the Well-Lived Pastoral Life, urges emerging religious leaders to reclaim the multi-faceted nature of their own lives, an insight that is increasingly relevant for a rapidly changing landscape of higher education.

Nestled in the city’s south side, the University of Chicago’s Divinity School continues to grow in ways that reflect the historied, pluralistic environment of Chicago. Newly appointed Dean Jim Robinson shared with DDH recently about faculty searches in Global Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and Early Modernities, complementing the decade-long transformation of the M.Div. program into uniquely multi-faith cohorts under Cynthia’s shepherding.

DDH Chicago continues to embrace its own varieties of gifts by fostering the growth of religious leaders, theologians, academics, activists, and above all, human beings. It supports students through tuition payment, housing, stipends, and the broadening of their educational experiences. Scholarships have placed students as interns in Disciples congregations and offered ecumenical encounters by supporting travel to the World Council of Churches’ 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, among supporting a variety of other programs.

DDH Chicago offers programs that reflect the multiple lived realities of students and faculty. Final-year MDiv students often choose a Monday Night Dinner at DDH as the setting for their ministry thesis presentations, sharing what has been incubating during their academic career–and their lives–in profound acts of public theology. DDH Chicago also partners with community members, such as inviting local chaplains to reflect on spiritual care and space-making, and mining the rich field of the arts for theological inquiry at the Smart Museum of Art and the Court Theatre.

Ministry, academics, and life require much from us, including that we show up in complex and realized ways. Much like DDH’s distinguished alumna, the University of Chicago Divinity School and DDH seek to equip their students for religious leadership, scholarship, and navigating life in all their multiplicities.

Esports at Barton College

Interested in an esports program that also offers college scholarships? Barton College may be the perfect fit! Students can hone their digital prowess in esports as they pursue their choice among a wide variety of challenging academic majors offered on campus.

Among Barton’s newest co-curricular programs is the increasingly popular Esports program. Launched in 2019, Barton Esports offers varsity and club competition, playing against some of the largest schools in the nation. The Barton Esports Arena provides a state-of-the-art gaming environment that allows its teams to compete at the highest level of competition. This includes competition gaming computers, virtual reality space, and dedicated space for console games. And, the arena is equipped with a dedicated gig from Greenlight Community Broadband, which ensures that Barton has one of the fastest connections in the country.

The 8th founding member of NACE and one of the first collegiate esports teams in the country, Barton competes in a variety of games in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and other organizations. A full list of games, in addition to the Bold Board celebrating members’ notable successes, is available at esports.barton.edu.

Leading this impressive program is head esports coach, Dr. Paul Christianson. With a wealth of knowledge on the competitive esports industry, he also serves as an assistant professor of sport management and holds advanced coaching certifications from the American Sport Education Program, Australian Sports Commission, IMG Academy, and Titleist Performance Institute. He also leads the Barton Esports Academy that prepares future leaders in the esports industry.

Academy students are provided an opportunity to take a variety of courses to prepare for a career in the esports industry. A number of students choose to pursue a B.S. Sport Management degree with specialized coursework in Esports. Additionally, they have the opportunity to attain an advanced Coaching Certification from the American Sport Education Program and take a dedicated Esports Management course to help prepare for the career field. Student leadership positions within the College’s Esports program also include hands-on, real-world experience operating a collegiate esports team, preparing students for future leadership roles within the esports industry. For more details, visit barton.edu.

May Interim Iterations

When I think of institutions of higher education, I very often find myself thinking of young people– young people graduating from high school, young people going away to college, young people opening their wings and soaring into their futures. I am quite proud of our HELM Leadership Fellows, gifted young people going after their dreams, and I am also proud of our undergraduate and graduate educational institutions that give our students wings to fly. However, in this month’s column I want to pivot a bit and connect with all of you who, like me, are in the category of older individuals described as “senior citizens.”

Did you know that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, lying on his back on a scaffold, at almost 90 years old? Paderewski, at 79, was still playing the piano with gusto. At age 88, John Wesley preached every day. Tennyson, when 83, wrote Crossing the Bar. Booth Tarkington wrote 16 novels after the age of 60, some when he was almost completely blind. Benjamin Franklin went to France in service of his country when he was 78 and wrote his autobiography when past the age of 80.

Imagine what God might have in store for you– whether you’re running away from old age, starring it in the eyes, or feeling it is catching up with you. Surely there are accomplishments still waiting. Maybe there is unfinished business that needs finishing. Whatever your case may be, here are three gems to guide you in your senior years:

  • The one who dwells in the past grows old before his/her time.
  • The one who lives in the future remains young forever.
  • We justify our existence not by adding years to our lives, but by adding life to our years.

As Browning has written:

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life,

for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who

saith, ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God:

See all, nor be afraid!”

Browning’s words have always been some of my favorite, but my confidence in them was shaken when I learned in a literature class that he was only 28 years old when he wrote them. Then again, I thought, maybe some 28-year-olds have an expansive view of that ‘other half.’

Such literary and poetic gems stand on my bookshelf in one of my favorite reference works, Familiar Quotations by John Bartlett. This is an excellent work that I have praised to pastors across the country to add substance to their sermons, Bible studies, and presentations.

As Higher Education and Leadership Ministries moves into its future, I encourage you to give some consideration not only to those living in the first half of their lives, but to those living in the second half as well. Transforming institutions know how to reach out to both.

Second half-ly yours,

Ron

 

 

HELM Names New President

The Board of Directors of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is excited to share with the larger church the election of the Rev. Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg as the newly elected President of Higher Education and Leadership Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

The Rev. Dr. Rodenberg served as the 20th President of Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia (2016-2022). From 2011-2016, Dr. Rodenberg served as Vice President for Advancement at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, TX. Prior to Brite, Dr. Rodenberg served as a two-year intentional interim President at the Disciples Seminary Foundation in Claremont, CA (2009-2011).

In addition to her academic administrative work, Dr. Rodenberg is an ethicist, earning her PHD from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. She earned her Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary and was ordained by the Christian Church in Kentucky in 1992. Her call to be the President of HELM is historic, as she is the first woman to serve in this capacity.

The Rev. Dr. Rodenberg comes to HELM as an accomplished administrator, collaboration-builder, and gifted leader of our church. The HELM Board of Directors congratulates the Rev. Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg and welcomes her to the HELM family. We also honor her husband, the Rev. John Rodenberg, and two adult children, Heather and Matthew. Dr. Rodenberg will begin her ministry with HELM on May 1, 2023.

 

Jarvis Christian University Announces Process for the Consideration of Dr. Glenell Lee-Pruitt as Designated Candidate for President

Dr. Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt, current Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs for Jarvis Christian University, has been named as the Designated Candidate that will move forward to be considered for the position of President at Jarvis Christian University with a term that could begin on July 1, 2023, following Dr. Lester Newman’s retirement.

On February 17th, the Jarvis Board of Trustees approved the appointment of a Transition Committee to design a process to consider a Designated Candidate for the office of President of Jarvis Christian University following Dr. Lester Newman’s retirement. The Transition Committee began meeting and designed a process that was approved by the Board of Trustees on February 24th. Since that time, the Transition Committee completed the first two steps of the process, which were to: (1) gain the candidate’s consent to be considered, and (2) conduct interviews with key stakeholders of Jarvis about the readiness of the Designated Candidate for this post and the experiences they had with the Designated Candidate.

The Transition Committee is ready to move now into the third step of the Board-approved process, which is to announce the name of the Designated Candidate…Dr. Glenell Lee-Pruitt, hold a formal interview and provide some opportunities for interaction with faculty, staff, students, nearby alums and neighbors to Jarvis. As such the Transition Committee will conduct a formal interview of Dr. Lee-Pruitt and host a JARVIS DAY OF GATHERINGS on Wednesday, March 29th. This important day will begin with a faculty and staff gathering at 10:30 a.m., a 1:30 p.m. gathering with students, and a 4:00 p.m. reception for alumni and external constituents from the surrounding communities. At each of these meetings, Dr. Lee-Pruitt will share her vision for Jarvis Christian University, and there will be a brief Questions and Answers Session for those in attendance. The Transition Committee will hold these meetings on campus.

Dr. Glenell Lee-Pruitt has been a part of the Jarvis administration since August 2012, when she began her tenure as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Since that time, Jarvis has twice added the role of Interim Vice President for Student Services to her portfolio of responsibilities.

As part of the executive team, she helped develop an aggressive enrollment management plan that moved student enrollment from Spring 2012 enrollment of 266 students to Fall 2018 enrollment of 964. She has provided leadership for establishing the Renaissance Program for Adult Learners that operates both on the main campus and at the Dallas Teaching Site. In addition, she was part of the team that successfully worked to reaffirm the institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges without follow-up or recommendations in 2014, submitted three sub-change documents that resulted in the establishment of the Dallas Teaching Site; oversaw the creation of Jarvis Online (JOL), the current graduate programs, and the re-establishment of the Associate of Arts (AA) degree; increased the number faculty with terminal degrees; and participated in budgetary management which has resulted in the University receiving five years of unqualified audits.

In 2016, Dr. Newman and the Board of Trustees moved forward in succession planning for the institution which put in place specific training, continuing education, regular familiarity with the work of the office of President, as well as personal learning and exploration of the role and responsibilities of the office of President for several key executive leaders at Jarvis, of which Dr. Glenell Lee-Pruitt was one.

She has been an active executive leader on the campus as she has established international programs to enhance students’ experiences globally. With her support, Jarvis has received a Change Agent Award from UNCF for work with the Career Pathway Initiative; restructured Student Success Services to help with student retention, established a Community Service program to extend JCU’s reach into the community; instrumental in the start of the Early Start Summer Program (ESSP) which serves as a pipeline for student enrollment for the Fall Semester. Additionally, she has secured several grants that have netted over $4 million dollars in grant funding. There are many more programs, innovations, and experiences for both students and faculty that Dr. Lee-Pruitt has contributed to during the past 12 years. Once meetings from the third step have been completed, the Transition Committee will determine whether or not to move Dr. Lee-Pruitt’s name forward in the fourth step of the process: the recommendation to the Board of Trustees regarding the Designated Candidate, Dr. Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt, as Jarvis Christian University’s next President. The Board is scheduled to vote on Friday, April 14th.

Members of the Transition Committee include Rev. Chris Dorsey, Mr. Glenn Etienne, Mr. William Fisher, Ms. Deborah Mitchell, Mr. Shiervan Ursin, and Rev. Dani Cartwright, chair. Mr. Torry Edwards, Chairman of the Jarvis Christian University Board of Trustees, stated “I am fully confident in the Board appointed transition committee to produce a recommendation to the full Board of Trustees.”