Asbury Theological Seminary is the leading seminary in the Wesleyan world. With three campuses (Wilmore, Kentucky; Orlando, Florida; and a Virtual Campus), it has grown dramatically over the past 15 years and currently trains over 1600 students, who become some of the leading pastors, educators, missionaries, evangelists, youth ministers, and counselors in the country, as well as theological leaders around the world.
Asbury Theological Seminary is looking for an outstanding leader who has a strong track record of effective leadership in theologically related organizations. This person will work with the Asbury community in building on its great history, while also shaping a future that is bold, visionary and consistent with the Wesleyan credo: “The world is my parish.”
The seminary, with the assistance of Bruce Dingman of The Dingman Company, is casting a wide net in search for its next president. We invite you to submit names (with address, phone number, email) of any and all possible candidates to bruce@dingman.com.
ASBURY SEMINARY
Asbury Seminary was founded in 1923 “to prepare and send forth a well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic ministry” to spread scriptural holiness around the world. For more than 80 years it has upheld this missional goal and provided holistic ministerial preparation as an interdenominational institution.
Committed to a vital evangelical Christian faith, Asbury Seminary is rooted in the Wesleyan-Arminian theological tradition. While maintaining its strong convictions, Asbury Seminary seeks to be cooperative with and create theological training alliances with the United Methodist, Wesleyan and Free Methodist denominations and over 80 other denominations and independent churches including the Vineyard churches near Cincinnati, and the Church of God churches in Florida.
The Kentucky campus is primarily an in-residence campus (approx. 1000 students), the Florida campus is largely a commuting campus (200+ students), and the Virtual campus (400+ students) provides online classes for students around the world. The Kentucky campus has a large number of international students and the Florida campus has a high percentage of Hispanic persons and other nationalities.
Asbury Seminary faculty affirms: Scripture, reason, experience and tradition. While Asbury Seminary stands within the Wesleyan tradition and holds to a clearly defined statement of faith, the faculty commits to academic freedom. Central to all academic work are two commitments: the first to Jesus Christ as Sovereign Lord and the second to the pursuit of truth as a corporate and personal vocation.
Asbury Seminary takes the position that God calls to His ministry men and women renewed by faith in Christ and set apart for Christian service by a divine call. Asbury Seminary is committed to preparing its students for this vocation through:
- Providing an environment of spiritual education that results in personal spiritual formation
- Encouraging a holistic approach to ministry and ministerial preparation
- Providing a theological education of academic excellence and professional preparation
Total current enrollment exceeds 1,600 students, representing over 90 denominations and 42 countries. Alumni of the Seminary serve around the world in 66 foreign countries, in more than 137 denominations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and in almost every time zone.
The annual budget of Asbury Seminary is presently $22 million, of which annual fund raising efforts produce around $4.5 million, and its endowment is over $130 million. Naturally, every effort possible is made to keep tuition affordable for students, so fund raising is an ongoing emphasis for the President, Board and the Advancement Department.
On its Wilmore campus, Asbury offers a variety of degrees, including the Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Missiology, Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies, Evangelization and Biblical Studies. Located on the Kentucky campus are the Beeson School of Biblical Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, and the Beeson international leaders, an “in-ministry” program.
The Florida campus is accredited to offer the Master of Divinity and the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Counseling and Pastoral Counseling degrees. Also located on the Florida campus is the Latino/Latina Studies Program (LLSP), a three-year curriculum designed to provide theological education in Spanish and from a Hispanic perspective; areas of specialization include theology, pastoral studies, missions and evangelism, leadership and worship.
The Virtual campus allows students to earn one-half of the Master of Arts or two-thirds of the Master of Divinity degree on-line.
Distinctives of Asbury Seminary
Sound Scriptural Scholarship
The Great Commandment tells us to love God with all our being, including our intellect. At Asbury Seminary, head and heart go hand in hand. Central to all academic endeavors at Asbury are two commitments: first to Jesus Christ as sovereign Lord and second to the pursuit of Truth. Courses in the classical and practical disciplines set the stage for lifelong learning and ministry. Asburians are trained to evaluate the complexities of life from a biblically grounded and theologically informed perspective. In addition to an accomplished faculty, the learning experience is enhanced through on-campus lectures by leading scholars from around the world. In their fervent quest for academic excellence and true spirituality, they echo John Wesley's prayer, “Let us unite these two, so long divided, knowledge and vital piety. Amen.”
Rich Wesleyan Heritage
Asbury Seminary has its roots firmly planted in rich Methodist soil. Its heritage can be traced back to May 24, 1738, when a young Anglican priest and Oxford don felt his heart "strangely warmed" during a prayer meeting in northern London. At that moment, John Wesley's life was forever changed and Methodism was born. A spirit of revival swept through England and across the Atlantic to America. Thousands came to know Christ through the ministry of Methodist circuit riders like Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke. A century after Asbury's final open-air sermon, Asbury Seminary was formed to carry on the passionate ministry of its Methodist forefathers.
Vibrant Spiritual Life
“Amazing love! How can it be, that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” These powerful and eloquent words from Charles Wesley's classic hymn “And Can It Be” are often passionately sung during Asbury's lively chapel services. It is here that you will find the heart of the Asbury Seminary experience. During chapel, the community unites to worship through song, prayer and the dynamic preaching of God's Word. These times of praise are anticipated and cherished. In addition to corporate worship, small group interaction and personal spiritual development are encouraged. Classes in spiritual formation are offered to nurture the student in his or her devotional life and to prepare the student for spiritual leadership. First and foremost, Asbury Seminary is a spiritually vibrant community seeking to know God and to make Him known.
Practical Ministry Preparation
Jesus had a revolutionary view of leadership. He said things like, “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31), and “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26b). Service is the essence of ministry, and true leadership is impossible without a sacrificial heart. Asbury Seminary prepares ministers to respond to God and the needs of humanity in a broken world. This means: leading the way decisively, shepherding the flock faithfully, preaching the Word clearly, sharing the gospel boldly, counseling the troubled compassionately, assisting the poor persistently. The majority of the students serve the local church as pastors. Others seek training for the mission field, teaching, counseling, youth or music ministry. But the desire to serve unites the diverse student body. Spiritual leaders are not born, they are called. Asbury Seminary exists to help men and women fulfill God's calling for their lives.
THE POSITION
The President is the chief executive officer of Asbury Theological Seminary and reports to the Board of Trustees.
The President will provide the leadership and guidance to the seminary in order to fulfill its mission. Also, the President will represent the Seminary to the national organizations of the Wesleyan tradition, as well as networking and creating alliances with a much broader range of evangelical organizations. Having existing good relationships with such people and organizations is an imperative.
Reporting to the President are the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs & Provost, Advancement, Finance & Administration, Community Life and Florida Campus and Assistant Provost (at the Florida Campus).
PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS
What is desired in the next president is an impossible combination, so realistic expectations require those be broken down into required characteristics and desired characteristics. These items are not ranked by priority.
The requirements for the position include:
- An appropriate academic degree.
- A clear understanding of and commitment to the classic orthodox teaching of the Christian Faith as well as the distinctive theological and spiritual tradition that Asbury represents; a well informed grasp of Wesleyan thought, an “incarnational” conviction of its truth, and a passionate desire to embody and model a sanctified life.
- A well formed understanding of the academic world and the unique and indispensable role that theological education plays in the mission of the church.
- A sense of “call” to this position.
- An unqualified commitment to the Seminary’s vision of leading the way in shaping and developing church leaders for the Church and Academy who are equipped with innovative leadership skills and well-grounded in Wesleyan tradition, yet continuing to shape that vision over time for increasing effectiveness and relevancy for a world-wide influence.
- A love and commitment to students and for the ministry of local churches.
- An unquestioned integrity and uncompromising courage.
- A proven track record as an effective organizational CEO.
- A willingness to take on tough tasks or to make decisions that may not be well received; willing to challenge the status quo, encouraging creativity and innovation.
- A strategic thinker and a visionary; seeing where Christian education, the Church and society are going in the 21st century.
- A faith that “spills over” to others in the Wesleyan faith, and beyond to the broader evangelical and Christian worlds.
- A passion for people to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; knowing that a strong prayer life is foundational to one’s spiritual walk, and is an example and sponsor of such.
- A Christian character that models family relationships.
- An effective fund-raiser (“friend”-raiser), readily sharing the vision and opportunities for investing in the seminary’s programs through networking and relationships.
- A willingness to make a long term commitment to the Seminary (10+ years, subject to satisfactory performance and at the discretion of the Seminary).
- An openness to travel quite a bit (perhaps 20%).
The desired qualifications for the position include:
- Some academic administrative and/or graduate teaching experience.
- A bridge builder, one that creates an atmosphere of trust; willingly facing conflict when needed and adept at finding win-win solutions.
- An ability to develop warm, winsome relations with board members, faculty, staff, students, et al.
- An understanding of organizational structure that effectively functions relationally and operationally, while having the acumen for running the organization.
- A balance of both theological education and ministry, easily conveying the values of both to faculty and ministers.
- A high value of all three campuses: the traditional in-residence campus in Kentucky, the Florida campus, which is more international, has non-resident students and serves a broader range of students (including the emerging generation and seeker churches), and those involved with the Virtual (on-line) campus. Through the President’s leadership Asbury Seminary’s people should all feel they are one community although functioning on three campuses.
- A sensitivity and understanding of what others are feeling and experiencing, giving leadership and empathy into those situations, i.e., what students and their families feel during transition to, during and from seminary, how organizational, budget or program changes are felt by those effected, etc.
- An intuition to put the right person in the right position and ability to deal sensitively without delay in moving someone out of an ineffective position.
- A high level of confidence, being both humble and strong.
- A collaborative leadership style working with others-seen as the chief among equals.
- A transparency in living an exemplary life, knowing when to keep a confidence; meeting the qualifications for being an elder in the church.
- A command of the budgeting process and how it is best used in an academic institution to provide resources, control costs, properly motivate and yet hold people accountable.
- A personal charisma; when casting the vision or an idea, it should have an effect of “contagious enthusiasm.”
- An evangelist, one who is a “soul winner,” or at least the President must be ready to “share the hope that is within” as opportunity arises.
- A respect of cross-cultural and ethnic differences and a personal understanding of cross-cultural ministry; holding a world perspective.
- A familiarity with graduate programs and the accreditation process.
- A good philosophy on education, being comfortable in the learning environment and understanding that the emphasis needs to move from education to learning (from the teacher’s perspective to that of the students’). A comprehension of where education is today and where it’s going, how that effects what the seminary should be doing.
- A high value of scholarship, balancing the academic and practical, the innovative and the culturally relevant.
- An effective educator…educating the board, faculty, administrators, staff, students, donors and networks.
- A compelling and interesting communicator in large and small groups and with individuals.
- A “world” Christian (understanding missions, culture and politics in other parts of the world).
- A commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in faculty, students and staff.
- Effective people leadership skills (developing esprit de corps; being a good team leader, open, and transparent).
- The ability to multi-task and handle a multi-campus leadership role.
- A progressive and learning nature, embracing the potential of technology.
- A strong work ethic, balanced with the needs of a spiritual walk, family, and personal relaxation.
- A good steward, giving at least a tithe to the Lord.
- An entrepreneur; knowing how to develop something then make it work.
- A commitment to accountability, for self and others.
- A gracious spirit, comfortable in all settings, and given to hospitality.
While it might seem we seek someone who “walks on water,” this document is a guide and includes input from various constituencies and stakeholders. The Search Committee will remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as prospects are revealed and considered.
THE SEARCH AND SELECTION PROCESS
The Search Committee made up of representatives from the Board of Trustees, Faculty, Staff and Students will lead the selection process which will include interviews by the Search Committee and with a Theological Examining Committee, and final interviews with the Board of Trustees.
Assisting in the search is Bruce Dingman, President of The Dingman Company, Inc., (www.dingman.com), an executive search firm which has a successful track record of numerous similar searches.
Hopefully this process will be completed by late April or early May 2008. The new President is expected to assume the position July 1, 2008, and the official inauguration will occur in the fall of 2008. |
