For Such a Time as This
The addresses featured in this issue are a microcosm of the growing diversity in theological education. They provide a window into the rich conversation the featured presidents and chief executives are privileged to have as part of La Colectiva—the Hispanic-Latine affinity group of executive leaders of ATS schools in which we participate. Founded in 2015, our group gathers regularly for mutual support and resourcing, collective advocacy for our communities, and coordination of efforts to advance the broader work of theological education. We are brought together under the solidarity of a community whose identity is as dynamic as the diversity of its members. Like many of my colleagues whose inaugural addresses are featured in this issue, I have checked a different box in each of the four US Census in which I have participated. The options provided in each of the four censuses have changed as the identity of the Hispanic-Latine community has evolved and resisted categorization. It is precisely this complexity, hybridity, and fluidity that makes the reflections from this group of leaders so valuable for a time in theological education that is also complex, hybrid, and fluid.
Still, because of a shared Hispanic-Latine identity, we come together across a broader spectrum of theological perspectives than has historically been the case for many of our peers in predominantly White communities. We come from the three “families” in ATS schools as Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals. For some of us the path to leadership has been through traditional academic journeys while for others it has been through less traditional professional pathways. Many of us are first generation college graduates, immigrants, and non-native English speakers. Our diversity is also reflected in the divergent styles selected by each of the authors to address our communities as we began our work as executive leaders—from sermons to strategic discourses. While many of us—or our families—come from various Latin American countries, two thirds of the authors have Puerto Rican roots. This is a testament to the importance placed on education by Puerto Rican faith communities, colonial histories, and the impact of immigration status on educational attainment and career opportunities.
Within the broad diversity of perspectives and approaches, several patterns can be discerned. We all recognize that we are coming into leadership at a time of great disruption in higher education and within religious life in the United States. Michelle K. Ryan and Alexander Haslam in their article, “The Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Over-Represented in Precarious Leadership Positions,” name the fact that women often come into executive leadership at a point when corporations are in deep crisis.[1] That is certainly the case for many of us who are coming to leadership at this moment, certainly within smaller, more fragile institutions, but even within those that are stronger and more resourced. The added complication is that other than our colleague Doris Garcia who served at the Seminario Evangélico in Puerto Rico, Latina women have not yet been tapped to serve in executive leadership at ATS seminaries. Yet we each draw on Scriptures, tradition, and the legacies of our institutions to articulate our sense of call to lead for “such a time as this.”
Most of the speeches do not narrowly focus on our Hispanic-Latine identity or communities, but rather choose to speak broadly to our commitment for the need to reimagine theological education to create more access for historically marginalized communities. Many of us see this as part of a larger commitment to theological education as a matter of justice. We bring a deep love for the life of the church. Given that most of us whose addresses make up this volume have been shaped within emerging—often immigrant—congregations and church experiences, we bring a more hopeful view of the church than what many of those we are called to lead in theological education at this time. Similarly, the fact that many of us come from less resourced backgrounds means that we are able to see our institutions both with clarity about the limits and challenges they face, but also with a sense of abundance for the legacy and resources we are called to steward.
Most of the addresses recognize the broad range of stakeholders that make up theological education, including the promise of its approach to leadership formation for the church as well as for broader social movements. We also speak with intention to the importance of pairing academic preparation with spiritual formation and practical training so that leaders can be resilient, imaginative, and effective.
When I was in college, I majored in Computer Science even though I knew that my calling was to become a pastor. The reason was that I—like my college roommate who was also an immigrant—needed to make sure that I took seriously the financial implications of my education for myself and my family. This pragmatic approach is evident in a number of the speeches that call on the faculty, staff, and boards of the various schools to seriously consider the financial implications of the education they provide and explore new models and approaches.
The tapestry of traditions, perspectives, and journeys that are captured in this collection of speeches provide not only a significant snapshot into a historical moment in theological education, but also a vision of its promise for the future. We hope that as you read these various speeches, sermons, and addresses you may hear the urgency with which we speak about the challenges we are facing, but also with joy and hope about the possibilities of what God is calling us to in this critical moment for the church, higher education, and the world.