Over the past few weeks InDepth has shared about recent gatherings related to gaining insights into the experiences of a Winebrenner student and some observations about our meeting of the Board of Trustees. For easy access, you can read more by clicking:
Discovering the Student Experience (Wednesday, September 17)
Stewarding the Student Experience: Governance at Work (Thursday, September 18)
The first day of the gathering focused on students, the second day focused on Board members, and the third day (Friday, September 19) focused on faculty and staff. The goal is to cultivate collaborative spaces that benefit from information-sharing and trust-building practices. Each day had participants from each group – students, Board, faculty, and staff – but each day had a slightly different area of focus. For those who like the lingo of higher education, you can think about spaces like these as contributing to “shared governance.”
Throughout 2025 faculty and staff have been working to create definitions of the three strategic priorities guiding this season of work at Winebrenner:
Stewardship: “Utilizing the resources provided by God of time, talent, treasures, and relationships to honor Him and model all He desires.”
Discipleship: “Modeling Christ’s likeness in shepherding one another through holistic formation, inviting conversations, and alignment with the Word.”
Collaboration: “Maximizing Kingdom impact by committing to community-building opportunities and creating meaningful, intentional partnerships.”
These definitions help guide conversations about the projects and activities that will receive the highest level of focus in the coming months. We have a working list of items that are reviewed on a weekly basis to make sure we are moving our mission forward. I worked with a colleague once who questioned the emphasis on alignment because of a concern that some voices may be silenced or overlooked in an effort to align with the agenda of only certain individuals in the organization. We seek to avoid that type of environment by creating spaces where faculty have direct interaction with students and Board members. Ideas are invited and shared, not silenced. While all ideas aren’t pursued, there is space to share a wide array of possible futures. In such an environment, the person who chooses not to join or participate creates a greater risk to the organization.
As a final activity for the day, we revisited the student profile and journey created on the first night of the gathering (follow the link above to read more about that experience). Great conversation took place and some opportunities for future growth was explored. Those present were invited to consider what Winebrenner should Start/Stop/Continue based upon the profile.
At the next gathering of all faculty and staff in January 2026, we will revisit the list generated at that gathering. In preparation we will do some additional research of the best ways of developing our understanding of “problems” and creating some space for further clarification and next steps.
Thank you to everyone who has read this far and who participated in the gatherings!
- Brent C. Sleasman, President