• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Oikonomia Network

Theology that Works

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Student Outcome Goals
    • Partner Schools
    • Leadership
    • Other Partners
  • Karam Forum
  • Newsletter
  • Resources
    • Economic Wisdom Project
    • Curricular Integration
    • Retreat Speakers
  • Contact
Seminary Spotlight

Seminary Spotlight

December 18, 2013 by Oikonomia Network

Seminary Spotlight: Trinity

Donald Guthrie, professor of Educational Ministries

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is in the midst of its second year of Oikonomia Network (ON) activities. From the beginning of this partnership, it was apparent that no single faculty member, or even one department, could successfully relate the Network’s goals to the school’s mission. Therefore, institutional leaders convened a steering committee that represented the diverse elements of both TEDS and Trinity International University, including seminary faculty, college faculty, deans, and administrators. With 12 people on the committee, Trinity has been able to foster representation, participation, and gradual buy-in from a broad swath of the institution.

In the first year of our ON Initiative, Trinity launched this webpage from which to communicate ongoing ON activities, as well as a new degree program, a Master of Arts in Leadership. This degree has ON’s eight student outcome goals embedded in the core of the program, as well as disbursed broadly throughout the coursework.

Trinity has engaged its host denomination, the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), from the beginning. Our next major step will be to host a summit of 25 key EFCA pastoral leaders, who, in turn, will invite marketplace leaders from their congregations to partner with them during the summit. The gathering, to be held in May 2014 in Minneapolis, will be facilitated by Tom Nelson, pastor and author of “Work Matters;” Steve Garber, principal of the Washington Institute; and Dave Kiersznowski, CEO of the DEMDACO Corporation. The goal of the event is to develop strategies to equip local church leaders to engage their congregations around faith, work, and economic themes in light of Kingdom values. Nelson and Garber spent three days on Trinity’s campus in the fall of 2012, engaging students on Oikonomia topics in a variety of forums, including chapel services.

Trinity’s Henry Center for Theological Understanding is sponsoring multiple faculty groups that are reading and discussing ON objectives through the writings of Stephen Long, Robert Sirico, and Jordan Ballor. In the spring of 2014, Ballor is expected to come to Trinity’s campus to personally interact with faculty on the subject of his writings. In 2013, the Henry Center hosted an April debate between Jay Richards and Jim Wallis, addressing the question of Christian social engagement and the common good. In September, Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute spoke to faculty and students about “Being Responsible: The Church, Human Energies, and Global Poverty” during Trinity’s Global Christian week.

In February 2013, the entire university faculty met for a retreat at the Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis., for two and a half days exclusively devoted to engaging ON topics. Speakers included Darrell Cosden (Judson College), Scott Rae (Biola/Talbot), and Robert Lupton (author of “Toxic Charity”). Faculty also had small group time to process the material and discover ways to integrate ON themes into their teaching disciplines. In February 2014, Trinity faculty will meet for a second retreat to learn more about faith, work, and economics from David Miller (Princeton’s Faith and Work Initiative) and P.J. Hill (professor emeritus of economics, Wheaton College).

Trinity has also hosted student retreats for Kern Scholars and students in our five-year degree program, with the specific goal of addressing ON outcomes. Cosden spoke at our 2012-13 student retreats; our 2013-14 year speakers will be Vincent Bacote (Wheaton College) and Anielka Munkel (Acton’s Poverty Cure program).

We kicked off the 2013 school year with a student affairs professional retreat, which provided 38 staff with an opportunity to prepare prior to interacting with students. Laurie Matthias led the professional retreat based on the theme “Created to Work” (Psalm 90:17). This retreat laid the foundation for an Oikonomia student leadership retreat in Green Lake, Wis., with 176 student leaders and staff, which will be led by Nelson as plenary speaker.

Trinity’s ON Initiative includes funds for faculty to: develop new curriculum that specifically address ON goals; redesign existing coursework to include significant components of ON goals; and implement ON objectives through experiential activities for students, such as view the Grohmann Museum’s collection of art depicting work.

Additional ON projects at Trinity include surveys of Trinity alumni and EFCA pastors; the creation of an alumni office director position that serves the needs of Trinity’s pastoral leadership alumni in utilizing ON resources in their local parishes and communities; and Kern Pastoral Fellowships that allow graduate students to serve alongside faculty in ministry, teaching, and researching. Trinity’s long-term vision for combining Network goals with its institutional mission for service throughout the evangelical church includes the creation of a pastoral ministry center to facilitate all ON projects. Future projects include activities with local churches that empower them to fully integrate a holistic understanding of faith, work, and economics into the lives of their communities.

Follow Us

Archives

  • March 2021 (6)
  • February 2021 (6)
  • January 2021 (6)
  • November 2020 (12)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (6)
  • August 2020 (6)
  • July 2020 (6)
  • June 2020 (6)
  • May 2020 (6)
  • April 2020 (6)
  • March 2020 (6)
  • February 2020 (6)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (6)
  • November 2019 (6)
  • October 2019 (6)
  • September 2019 (6)
  • August 2019 (6)
  • July 2019 (6)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (6)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (6)
  • January 2019 (6)
  • December 2018 (6)
  • November 2018 (6)
  • October 2018 (6)
  • September 2018 (6)
  • August 2018 (6)
  • July 2018 (6)
  • May 2018 (6)
  • April 2018 (6)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • February 2018 (6)
  • January 2018 (6)
  • December 2017 (6)
  • November 2017 (6)
  • October 2017 (6)
  • September 2017 (6)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (6)
  • June 2017 (6)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • April 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (6)
  • January 2017 (6)
  • December 2016 (6)
  • November 2016 (6)
  • October 2016 (6)
  • September 2016 (6)
  • July 2016 (6)
  • May 2016 (6)
  • April 2016 (6)
  • March 2016 (6)
  • February 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (6)
  • November 2015 (6)
  • October 2015 (5)
  • September 2015 (6)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (6)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (7)
  • December 2014 (5)
  • November 2014 (6)
  • October 2014 (5)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (6)
  • May 2014 (6)
  • April 2014 (6)
  • March 2014 (6)
  • February 2014 (7)
  • December 2013 (5)
  • November 2013 (6)
  • October 2013 (7)
  • September 2013 (6)
  • June 2013 (6)
  • May 2013 (5)
  • April 2013 (6)
  • March 2013 (6)

Copyright © 2021, The Oikonomia Network · Site by Mere Agency.