What's going on at Northern seminary?

Good things

Gentle reader,

Since my friend and colleague Scot McKnight resigned from Northern Seminary last week, I’ve been getting lots of questions about what’s going on, especially because the seminary weathered a rough set of circumstances last year.

I’m sad to see Scot go, and I can’t speak for him. We all experience situations differently. But I can speak for myself, and I thought I’d address the “what’s going on?” question today by republishing some thoughts I shared shortly after I began working at Northern.

I feel good about the way the seminary has come through the circumstances of the last year, and I remain glad to serve at Northern. I trust my colleagues, and I trust our new leadership. So, from 2022, reasons I’m still glad to serve at Northern Seminary [with some 2024 comments in brackets]:

reason #5 - nimbleness for the gospel

Northern is committed to being nimble for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the church, for the sake of our mission in training leaders for ministry. I’m delighted by a sense of openness and expectation at Northern, a sense that God is on the move, and we too, need to be ready to move with the leading of the Spirit.

[Even as we’ve gone through an institutional challenge, I’ve been impressed by how mission focused the seminary remains, moving for mission and not being cowed by fear.]

The seminary has given me the freedom to launch a new doctoral program born of my own sense of calling. The DMin. in Theology may not sound like a sensible initiative. (Theology? Really? It's not a very sexy word). But Northern is bold enough to let me risk something non-flashy but kingdom focused. I’m praying that God will use the program to strengthen the church. (If you're a pastor-theologian or other ministry professional with the conviction that the church needs theology, please get in touch with me so we can talk about how your gifts and calling might be strengthened by pursuing this doctorate!)

reason #4 - support for faculty

This one may sound selfish. It’s no big surprise that a professor would want institutional support. But the idea that such is just selfishness is both theologically and practically wrong.

Theologically, human beings are precious image bearers, sons and daughters of the King, and as such, human workplaces are in sync with the kingdom when they care for their employees. All people deserve to thrive at work, to have the resources they need to do their work well. Asking people to make bricks without straw is Pharaoh’s move, and Christian institutions ought not emulate Pharaoh.

But support for faculty is also important for mission for institutions of higher education. When faculty have the resources they need to do their jobs well, students benefit.

So, I'm grateful that Northern makes a commitment to support faculty with reasonable teaching loads. But why would someone who cares about teaching want to teach less? The answer is this: it gives the teacher more time and attention to devote to her students. When faculty are weighed down with unworkable numbers of courses and students, the students and the quality of education they receive suffer. Less teaching also means more time for writing, and I can absolutely testify that having space for writing makes me a better teacher, even as I hope it also lets me be more faithful to my calling by serving a wider audience.

[The work of the last year has also revealed ways in which staff needed more support, and I’m glad to see the seminary responding to that need.]

reason #3 - colleagues

At Northern, I have amazing colleagues. The faculty at Northern are an extraordinary team of teacher/scholars, people who are committed to theological education for the sake of the church of Jesus Christ. When my colleagues tell me about the books they’re working on, the churches they’re ministering in, and the teaching strategies they’re using in their classrooms, I am interested and inspired.

2023 faculty retreat, preparing for the new academic year.

reason #2 - students

The sense of call that led me to seek a seminary position was about teaching seminary students, and my first terms at Northern have brought joy in that call. I’ve found my students at Northern serious about the church, ministry, and Jesus. They are devoted to their work in theological education because of that seriousness. But they’re also lots of fun. I see students in my classroom building one another up. As a teacher, I can introduce and explain theological concepts, but the real magic happens when students relate that to their experiences in church and as disciples, when they encourage each other to embrace the Spirit’s power in their lives.

[My delight in Northern students has only grown.]

reason #1 - mission

Finally, I'm glad to be at Northern because the mission is my mission.

Northern Seminary educates Christian leaders to be spiritually mature, biblically grounded, theologically competent, pastoral, evangelistic, and prophetic. We deliver a multi-denominational educational experience that is international, interracial, and intercultural to prepare women and men called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to advance and nurture the ministries of the Church. We teach the gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the authority of Scripture.

Northern occupies a unique space in the seminary landscape, one that is solidly committed to classic, orthodox Christian faith and fully committed to justice, diversity, and the flourishing of women in ministry and in the church. I want to be in a space like that, a space that refuses the lie that justice is separable from the gospel or that theology and practice are somehow in competition with one another. Many institutions talk about helping women thrive in ministry, but there is a difference between lip service and the real thing, and at Northern, the commitment is a real thing. Check out this tidbit from Northern's website:

"Did you know that the first student to enroll at Northern Seminary was a woman? Amy Lee Stockton enrolled in 1913, graduated, and went on to become one of the nation’s leading evangelists–reaching thousands for Christ. Today, that tradition continues in the hundreds of women that have attended and graduated from Northern, and lead ministries in growing and vibrant churches."

I'm grateful to serve at Northern Seminary. If you're considering seminary, be sure to check out what God is doing at Northern.

I’m hopeful about good things for the future at Northern. When things went wrong, the seminary didn’t leave it that way. Steps were taken and are still being taken to create a culture that honors Jesus. Look out for some exciting announcements from the seminary in the coming weeks and months.

Grace & peace,

BFJ