In Trust Center

Send us Fan Mail Assessment and evaluation are about more than counting students, tracking enrollment, or measuring financial performance. Done well, they help theological schools understand whether their programs are making a meaningful difference. In this episode of the Good Governance Podcast, Kay Edwards, CEO of Outsight Network, and Mary Reinders, senior research strategist, discuss how schoo...

Send us Fan Mail What makes an advisory body effective? Some of the conventional wisdom about advisory bodies has changed, thanks to new research.  In this episode of the Good Governance podcast, In Trust Center President Amy Kardash and the Rev. David Rowe, Ph. D., the Governance Initiative project director and president of  Windermere Consulting, explore new findings from the Center’s research i...

Send us Fan Mail Higher education is entering a period of significant regulatory change, with new federal proposals potentially reshaping accreditation, student loans, institutional accountability, and how the value of graduate education is measured. For theological schools, those changes raise distinctive questions about religious mission, educational outcomes, and the economic realities facing g...

Send us Fan Mail Theological education is built on centuries of tradition, but leadership expert the Rev. Tod Bolsinger, Ph. D., says the models that served institutions well in the past may not be enough for the world ahead. In this episode of the Good Governance Podcast , Bolsinger explores what adaptive leadership means for theological schools, churches, senior leaders, and governing boards nav...

Send us Fan Mail Scott Thumma, Ph. D., has spent decades studying congregations, megachurches, and religious trends in America. In this episode, he discusses what the latest research reveals about the state of congregational life after the pandemic—and why theological education should pay attention. Drawing on the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s extensive research project called EPIC, E...

Send us Fan Mail When the board of Luther Seminary in Minnesota voted unanimously to sell its 120-year-old campus, it came after years of deep listening, careful research, and a healthy culture of shared governance. In this episode, President Robin Steinke explains how the institution was prepared to make a significant decision through years of preparation. The seminary focused on its mission, gat...

Send us Fan Mail The future of theological education will require more than small adjustments – it will require leadership willing to rethink long-held assumptions. In this episode, higher education strategist Rick Staisloff reflects on decades of experience helping colleges and seminaries navigate financial, demographic, and cultural change. The conversation explores why many institutions face gr...

Send us Fan Mail What actually makes a governing board effective, especially in times of institutional uncertainty, leadership turnover, and rapid change? In Trust Center President Amy Kardash and David Rowe, project director of the Center’s Governance Initiative, discuss of the initiative’s study – the most extensive governance study of ATS-accredited schools. Drawing from research involving more...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to finish well? The Rev. Dr. Colleen Derr reflects on one of leadership’s most difficult responsibilities: knowing when, and how, to finish well. A former seminary president, Derr draws on her experience leading Eastern Nazarene College through its final chapter and offers a candid and hopeful perspective on institutional closure. She shares the realities of fina...

Send us Fan Mail As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes daily life, theological leaders face deeper questions than efficiency or innovation alone. In this episode, Dr. Meghan Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame explores how AI is already transforming human experience and why this moment demands ethical and theological engagement. Drawing on new work funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., Sulliv...

Send us Fan Mail Theological education is experiencing significant pressure, but the root challenge may be deeper than enrollment declines or financial strain. In this episode, Aaron Einfeld, Ph. D., discusses how institutions may often misread the moment by interpreting new realities through long-standing assumptions about how formation should occur. Many prospective leaders still desire rigorous...

Send us Fan Mail As federal policies reshape higher education, leaders of theological schools face unprecedented pressure to adapt while staying true to their mission. In this insightful conversation, governance expert David Rowe and higher education law scholar Peter Lake examine what rapid regulatory change, funding realities, and cultural debates mean for boards and presidents today. They explo...

Send us Fan Mail What does faithful leadership look like for theological schools in 2026? In this forward-looking conversation, Frank Yamada,  executive director of the Association of Theological Schools, and Amy Kardash, the president of the In Trust Center, reflect on a season marked by both turbulence and possibility. In conversation with host Matt Hufman, they examine how creativity is emergin...

Send us Fan Mail What are the trends in governance – the new ways to make things work? First, look to the past. Governance expert Rebekah Basinger, Ed. D., reflects on what theological schools can learn by revisiting enduring principles of board leadership. Drawing on decades of experience, the conversation explores why good governance wisdom remains remarkably consistent – even as pressures from...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the Rev. Dr. David Rowe reflects on the sweeping changes affecting higher education and how these pressures are reshaping theological schools. Demographic decline, reduced church demand, and shrinking revenue streams have created intense competition among an oversupply of institutions. Rowe argues that schools must clarify their value proposition by understanding...

Send us Fan Mail How do you create a community online, particularly among the shifting landscape of theological education? Pacific School of Religion has been working to answer that with Kwaray, an online learning platform that creates a virtual “neighborhood.” PSR President David Vasquez-Levy and Vice President Byron Chung discuss the distributed learning network, created with funding through Lil...

Send us Fan Mail Catholic Theological Union in Chicago is shaping a vibrant approach to theological education to help shape the Catholic Church. Dr. Karen Ross discusses how the Pathways for Tomorrow initiative has helped create a living-learning community that empowers young adults—especially from marginalized backgrounds—to co-create the Church of tomorrow. Through scholarships, housing, and lea...

Send us Fan Mail Federal policy shifts are reshaping higher education, and as details are still being understood, Peter Lake and David Rowe discuss what they mean for theological schools and how leaders can prepare. They explore new regulatory pressures, financial strains, and cultural changes affecting governance and mission. They offer leaders practical insight and encouragement to stay rooted i...

Send us Fan Mail Competency-based theological education (CBTE) is reshaping how future church leaders are formed – and it’s more than just skills training. In this episode, Dr. Susan Reese of Kairos University and Dr. Nathan Hitchcock, CBTE consultant, discuss how this approach emphasizes character, spiritual formation, and lived practice alongside academics. From mentoring and integration with lo...

Send us Fan Mail As the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative reaches its midpoint, theological schools are navigating both promising innovations and growing tensions. In this episode, Matt Hufman speaks with Jo Ann Deasy of ATS and Amy Kardash of the In Trust Center about how schools are reassessing mission, sustainability, and alignment. With new programs, nontraditional students, and expanded collab...

Send us Fan Mail As the world of artificial intelligence advances in theological education, leaders can stay ahead and find ways forward. In this episode, the Rev. Tay Moss, who has been a leading voice on AI in the Church and theological education, considers how leaders and institutions can engage AI wisely – balancing innovation, ethics, and integrity. This episode considers what it means to be...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when federal education policy changes, roiling higher education, without specifically mentioning theological education? The Rev. Dr. David Rowe and Law Professor Peter Lake unpack the ripple effects of new regulations, executive orders, and court cases on theological schools. From accreditation challenges to spiritual care for students and the risk of mission drift, t...

Send us Fan Mail What if collaboration wasn’t a tactic, but a way of being? In this episode, Greg Henson and Tony Blair of Kairos University discuss their recent article “Coworkers in the Vineyard: A Renewed Spirit of Collaboration Within Theological Education” about collaboration in theological education and challenge assumptions about competition, mission, and governance. Drawing on research and...

Send us Fan Mail Could theological schools be missing a vital piece of ministry formation? Dr. Darryl Stephens joins the podcast to explore diaconal studies — a growing movement that prepares deacons for ministry beyond the pulpit and into the community. With insights from global models and a new open-access volume featuring 21 authors, Stephens invites schools to broaden their mission, extend the...

Send us Fan Mail In a time of political shifts and regulatory uncertainty, the Good Governance podcast dives into how theological school leaders can respond with clarity and authenticity. Governance expert the Rev. Dr. David Rowe and law professor Peter Lake, a higher education policy expert, discuss navigating potential changes to federal education policy, including impacts on Title IV, Title IX,...