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There are now over 250 theological seminaries in the United States and Canada. Leading these diverse institutions is a challenging task that combines elements of executive management, academic prowess, master storytelling, and spiritual discipline. Apart from informal mentoring relationships, however there has been no resource specifically designed to impart collected presidential wisdom. Douglass Lewis and Lovett Weems and the dozens of contributors to this volume — a project of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada — represent hundreds of years of experience in institutional leadership. They pass along sage advice on everything from boards and enrollment to facilities and institutional advancement, with special discussions of women in leadership, Canadian schools, and the challenges of university-based programs.
Any person in administration at a seminary recognizes that leadership in theological education presents a unique set of challenges. A Handbook for Seminary Presidents aims to make this task easier and more fulfilling not only for the presidents themselves but also for deans, faculty, support staff, and all who seek to effectively prepare the next generation of Christian leaders.
From the Back Cover
Barbara G. Wheeler
President, Auburn Theological Seminary
“A compendium of helpful hints, good advice, and true wisdom for chief executives of theological schools. New and experienced presidents and their senior colleagues and board members as well can learn a great deal about seminary leadership from this book.”
David Warren
President, National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities
“A Handbook for Seminary Presidents fills a unique place on the bookshelf of higher education. This volume explores issues largely unanticipated in the daily challenges faced by a seminary leader: the personal implications of vocation and well-being; the practical necessities of fiscal management and strategic planning; and the powerful roles of symbol and culture-forming in a presidency. The success of a seminary presidency hinges significantly on the grasp and mastery of these matters. This book will preach to those who preside over the preparation of preachers.”
About the Author
G. Douglass Lewis is president emeritus of Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, he is also the author of Meeting the Moment: Leadership and Well-Being in Ministry.
Lovett H. Weems Jr. was president of St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri, for eighteen years. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Church Leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary.
