The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) is pleased to announce that Heather Campain Hartung (formerly Vacek) and Emanuel D. Naydenov have been named as directors of accreditation, serving the Commission on Accrediting of ATS. Read more. Listen here.

ATS Standards of Accreditation, related resources can prove vital to Pathways grantees

In a recent webinar sponsored by the In Trust Center for Theological Schools, the ATS Commission on Accrediting staff offered an introduction to accreditation for directors of projects funded by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. Read more. Listen here.

The new ATS Annual Report Form (ARF) is now ready for deployment, with a print version available for reference on the ATS website. The ARF had not been comprehensively revised in more than two decades and required an overhaul to meet the needs of a new generation of schools and a new set of accreditation standards. Read more. Listen here.

The ATS Global Awareness and Engagement Initiative collaborated on two recent opportunities for learning and research in the context of a trans-Asian conversation on theological education as ministry—the Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia (ATESEA) Doctoral Colloquium held June 26–28 at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, and the ATESEA 2023 Asian Christian Spirituality Conference held July 25–28 at the YWCA Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Read more. Listen here.

In this Q&A, Kate Davis and Andrea Sielaff—both of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology—highlight research from their white paper, Effective Small Groups for Pastors and Christian Leaders: Building Resilience Through Narrative Processing Circles, as a resource for theological educators doing formational work in degree programs and continued education offerings. Read more. Listen here.

Peer reviewers know the right use of gifts. Prompted by the opportunity to give back and responding in gratitude for what they have received from others, approximately 150 individuals serve as peer reviewers on evaluation visits to ATS member schools each year. Read more. Listen here.

August 1, 2023 marked the launch of the ATS Student Questionnaires (the Qs) in multiple languages: English, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese (simplified and traditional). This exciting new feature aims to expand Qs usage and to support the Association’s value of diversity. The newly revised Administrator’s Manual is now available to walk you through the administration of the Qs.

Now is the time to order your 2023-24 ATS Student Questionnaires! Please note that, regardless of your past ordering/administering of the Qs, you will not have access to the QMI system this year unless you complete the order form. Thank you to those who have already ordered—there is no need to do so again until the 2024-25 academic year. New user? Learn more or email qmail@ats.edu for assistance.

In Trust magazine feature: "Tides of Change"

One Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative project aims to help a group of standalone ATS member schools bundle their administrative services. Read more about the project as covered by Mark L. Kelly in the summer 2023 issue of In Trust magazine by the In Trust Center for Theological Schools.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) invites ATS member schools to apply for a Climate Science in Theological Education initiative grant. For the first cohort, the AAAS DoSER program will select up to 14 schools to receive a $15,000 grant over the next 18 months. Grant funds can be used to start or expand discussions on the intersection of climate science and theological education, or to fund ministry-focused activities aimed to prepare current and future pastors to engage with climate science into their ministry contexts. The deadline to apply is September 17, 2023. Learn more.

October 19-20