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InDepth – Reimagining Theological Education

Creativity Precedes Innovation: Leading in a Time of Impermanence

I was recently invited to serve as a guest on the podcast for Coach Approach Ministries (CAM), hosted by Brian Miller, Executive Director of CAM and Winebrenner graduate. During our time we explored various biblical and leadership qualities needed for leading in our current moment. While we don’t explicitly talk about creativity and its relation...
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Creativity Precedes Innovation

In the coming weeks InDepth will be providing some updates on our efforts to continue to be creative in how we approach theological education and discipleship. As an organization dedicated to following Jesus in a thoughtful manner, we remain open to various ways to engage in our mission. Stay tuned as we move forward together!...
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The Big Picture: Summary & Next Steps

The “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is a common saying suggesting that we can accomplish more when working together than working individually, even if we’re working toward a common purpose. However, this is only true for an organization when the various aspects are fully integrated with one another. Over the past...
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The Big Picture: Organizational Culture, Part 2

I was recently invited to write an article for the Global Advocate, a publication of the Churches of God, General Conference. In that article I explore various aspects of Winebrenner’s organizational culture: You can access the full issue of the Global Advocate by clicking here.
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The Big Picture: The Rhythm of Life & Ministry

The relationship between a faculty member and student is a vital component of the discipleship journey at Winebrenner; in fact, I’ve previously written about this as a “core interaction” of the overall student experience. The previous post in this series explored some of the challenges for a faculty member; today’s post takes a closer look...
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Meet Adam…again – Winebrenner’s Coordinator of New Student Engagement

You previously met Adam in August, as our new Coordinator of Development. He is currently moving into a new role as the Coordinator of New Student Engagement. In addition to his work at Winebrenner, Adam brings with him a diverse background in non-profit, ministry, education, and mental health experience. He is from Findlay and attended...
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The Big Picture: Shifting Self-Understanding

Prior to serving as the President of Winebrenner Seminary, I was a tenured faculty member at a school in northwest Pennsylvania. I loved the rhythm of teaching, service, and scholarship and remain connected to colleagues and students from the years I spent at that university. We would take short trips with our young family but...
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The Big Picture: Strategic Priorities (2018-2023 & Beyond)

In previous eras, organizations would spend significant time developing a “strategic plan” that would establish the main areas of focus for the next five to ten years. That approach seemed to work much better when there was a bit more predictability in terms of organization life. While it’s worth considering if life was ever as...
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The Big Picture: Organizational Culture

Last week we kicked off this series with a fresh introduction to Winebrenner’s mission (you can read that post by clicking here). Even the most well-written mission statement doesn’t fulfill itself. In other words, activities that align with the mission will only emerge when an organization is intentional about doing what is necessary to carry...
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The Big Picture: Mission

Like many organizations, Winebrenner Seminary is constantly organizing and re-organizing around mission and strategy. I was speaking with a colleague recently when she used the phrase “form follows function” as another way to illustrate this concept – the form of our organizations should be decided upon after we determine its function. Winebrenner Seminary exists to...
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The Big Picture: Bringing it all Together

If you read InDepth regularly, you’ll frequently encounter words like mission, vision, strategy, values, and culture. Each of these words represents an important area of conversation that contributes to our work at Winebrenner. In the coming weeks (and likely months) we will be exploring how these various parts fit together as we carry out Winebrenner’s...
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Discipleship: Developing a Holy Urgency

A very simple way to define discipleship is to become more like Jesus in every aspect of our lives (Dallas Willard’s work provides a great resource for working through a definition like this). Over the past few weeks on InDepth we’ve explored how discipleship benefits most from: a rhythm of invitation and challenge a deeper...
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Discipleship: More Conversations, Fewer Policies

Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring various aspects of discipleship. You can read more about some foundational concepts by clicking on the following links: Organizational Culture: Discipleship Discipleship: The Rhythm of Invitation and Challenge Discipleship: Activating our Gifts We live in a digital age in which conversations about outsourcing and automation are a...
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Discipleship: Activating our Gifts

As noted previously, discipleship is a cornerstone of Kingdom culture. Last week we explored the rhythm of invitation and challenge found in healthy organizations focused on discipleship. This week we are exploring another aspect of discipleship – activation of the gifts given to us by Jesus. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13 “So Christ himself gave the...
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Discipleship: The Rhythm of Invitation and Challenge

Some of the last recorded words of Jesus are found in the book of Matthew 28 when he says in verse 19, “…go and make disciples of all nations…” This is part of a larger passage of scripture often called the “Great Commission” and is considered a key teaching of Jesus. Since we’ve identified discipleship...
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Organizational Culture: Discipleship

Healthy organizational practices emerge from healthy organizational cultures. This idea was introduced on InDepth in a previous post titled Shifting Focus: From Operational to Cultural Priorities. The first cornerstone of kingdom culture that was explored was Winebrenner’s deep commitment to stewardship (you can read the first post in that series by clicking here). As we...
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2022 Year in Review – Partner Stories

One of the ways in which we think about our work at Winebrenner Seminary is to consider those for whom we are creating value. Previously on InDepth I’ve identified the three main groups we engage most frequently – students, collaborative partners, and givers (you can read that full post by clicking here). The number of...
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2022 Year in Review – Student Stories

Paul Steeger, 2022 Master of Arts in Practical Theology graduate, shares, “Without hesitation, I will say my experience at Winebrenner was enjoyable and life-altering. Friendships have been established that I would have thought would not be possible. The instructors were always helpful, relational, and eager to see our success! I now continue in my journey...
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Financial Policy Updates

Winebrenner Seminary continues to grow in awareness and understanding of the implications of shifting to a $300/month tuition. As we make preparations for our 2023-2028 strategic planning cycle, we are comprehensively revising our financial policies. Effective with the Fall 2023 trimester we are: Requiring that a student submit automatic payment/withdraw approval; Establishing $300/month as the...
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Stewardship: Scholarships & Alignment

Over the past weeks we’ve been reflecting upon various aspects of stewardship. Demonstrating that stewardship is a key component of Winebrenner’s culture requires some kind of evidence, so these posts have included several updates about changes to Winebrenner Seminary’s approach to financial policies. These changes reflect our deepening commitment to the belief that our core...
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Stewardship: Automating the Important

Have you ever stopped to wonder why Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November? (this is for those in the United States; our Canadian neighbors to the north celebrate on the second Monday of October). The obvious reason is that we follow our calendars! Others may know the history and refer to actions...
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Stewardship: A Kingdom Priority

Perhaps you’ve heard some variation of the phrase “God equips those he calls.” Since the mission of Winebrenner is to equip leaders for service in God’s kingdom, we should pay special attention to those who fit within either category – the called or the equipped! When seminary is part of a person’s call, every person...
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Highlighting Collaboration: Voice of the Gospel Ministry, Kenya

Winebrenner Seminary is privileged to work alongside multiple organizations focused on serving within God’s kingdom. Currently, Dr. Kathryn Helleman, Director of Winebrenner’s Doctor of Ministry program and Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries, is in Sagana, Kenya, and is teaching Theology I to just under a dozen students. Pastor Nancy Boyer is accompanying Dr. Helleman. I...
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Stewardship: Extreme Generosity

The invitation to approach theological education as discipleship is accompanied by the challenge to align our daily activities and decisions with those of Jesus. Of all his challenging words and stories, one that many find provocative is the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard recorded in Matthew 20:1-16. The opening line of the parable...
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Stewardship: A Cornerstone of Kingdom Culture

As Maria sings in “The Sound of Music,” let’s start at the very beginning: All things belong to God. Our task is to steward – or manage – what we have in a way that gives honor to God. These dual beliefs (all things belong to God and our task is to steward them well)...
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Shifting Focus: From Operational to Cultural Priorities

Since becoming President of Winebrenner Seminary in December 2015, much of my time has been spent on day to day items required for operating a seminary. All of these items are guided by our mission and strategy and serve the greater purposes of God’s kingdom. Focusing on operational items has made sense in light of...
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Appreciating our Pastors

I received a phone call last week from a pastor that I’ve known for over 35 years.  We first met when he arrived to serve as the pastor of the church I attended when I was 10 years old.  For five of my most formative years he was present in our church and community.  And,...
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Organizational Truth Telling

Any healthy organization will have a strong commitment to telling the truth. This includes both a commitment to being open handed with information as well as making sure the information that is shared is accurate. Many organizations share a “Dashboard” that summarizes key metrics and data points. A dashboard has the potential to: shift benchmarks...
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Back to School 2022: Student Story (Joshua Thilmony)

One way to think about the role Winebrenner Seminary plays is to ask What problem exists in the life of a student that Winebrenner solves? (you can read more about answering this question by clicking here). In many cases, Winebrenner adds value by contributing to ministry knowledge. As we wrap up this series on InDepth, it’s...
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Back to School 2022: “Cost to Educate” a Student

Over the past few weeks we’ve been sharing updates at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year. You can follow these links to learn more about finances and enrollment. Before moving on to a new topic next week, I want to provide one additional update for our current year related to how much it costs...
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Back to School 2022: Finances

The Book of Proverbs yields a wealth of wisdom. One verse, in particular, guides much of my belief surrounding Winebrenner Theological Seminary’s efforts to affordably offer an accessible and quality graduate education – Proverbs 22:7 (NIV) states, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Winebrenner’s offering of a...
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Back to School 2022: Enrollment

I continue to be humbled and amazed by the variety and number of students who are being led to continue their education at Winebrenner. Winebrenner exists to equip leaders for service in God’s Kingdom and as we move into another year of record enrollment I have been asked to reflect on this continual growth for...
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Back to School 2022

The fall trimester is under way at Winebrenner! In the coming weeks we’ll have updates about fall enrollment (spoiler alert…this is another fall of record enrollment!), our continued commitment to low fixed costs and financial stewardship, and the various ways in which we continue to serve a diversity of students. Check back next week to...
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Meet Adam – Winebrenner’s new Coordinator of Development

Winebrenner would like to welcome Adam Willford as our new Coordinator of Development. Adam brings with him a diverse background in non-profit, ministry, education, and mental health experience. He is from Findlay and attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee; it is there that he met his wife, Crystal. In October, they will be celebrating 14...
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Graduation 2022: Student Story (Madeline Baker)

This week we are continuing with an update about a recent graduate. Winebrenner Theological Seminary exists to equip leaders for service in God’s kingdom. For the first 70 years of Winebrenner’s existence that meant that most students were either looking for education to further their development as a local church pastor or pursuing a degree...
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Graduation 2022: Student Story (Ross Wiley)

As Dr. Coats noted in last week’s post, Winebrenner’s graduation was a few weeks ago. Each Academic Year consists of three 12-week trimesters. At the conclusion of the third trimester – either in late July or early August – we have our annual graduation ceremony. This milestone provides a great opportunity to share some updates...
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Graduation 2022

On Saturday, July 30, 2022, Winebrenner Theological Seminary held its annual Commencement. This year, twenty students graduated, including six from the MA in Clinical Counseling, two with a Master of Divinity, and twelve with the MA in Practical Theology. One attender called the ceremony “warm and friendly.” Since it marked the first major group to...
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An Update from the Churches of God, General Conference Triennial

Last week I was a delegate at the triennial General Conference sessions of the Churches of God, General Conference (CGGC). The theme for the week was “Reimagine” and provided a great opportunity to connect with many students, partners, and givers. As a bit of a pre-conference, on Monday, July 25, we gathered in a room...
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Development & Faithful Activities: Believing in the Promises of God

The Old Testament character of Abraham is key to three major world religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Within Christianity, we see many places that Abraham is noted for his faith – specifically, Hebrews 11 shares many actions which Abraham completed “by faith.” Going further, Paul writes that he is a wonderful example of faithfulness...
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For Further Discussion

If you would like to talk further about any ideas shared through this InDepth blog, please email Winebrenner President, Dr. Brent C. Sleasman at brent.sleasman@winebrenner.edu.