ATS Executive Director Frank Yamada discusses the upcoming ATS/COA Biennial Meeting being held June 19-20 at the Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, shares the meeting theme, and extends the invitation to the wider ATS membership.

Read more. Listen here.

The Association of Theological Schools is seeking an associate director of leadership programming. The start date for this position is April 1, 2024, or earlier. Read more. Listen here.

The Association of Theological Schools has received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish its Theologies for Pastoral Ministry project, which aims to create a book series on practical theological wisdom. Read more. Listen here.

Similar to a member school’s comprehensive evaluation self-study process, the Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools must complete a process for renewal of recognition by the US Department of Education. Read more. Listen here.

In August 2023, 22 ATS schools joined in two cohorts to explore the concept of sustainability for the work of their Pathways for Tomorrow grants. The schools sent teams of three and four people to Chicago, where they were guided through a process intended to consider their project goals, ideals, and learnings, and to explore how each would be sustained well after the grant has concluded. Read more. Listen here.

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab looked at the "supply side" ("...institutions and organizations that have been training and hiring chaplains since the beginning of the modern profession") and the "demand side" of chaplaincy (those who receive the work of chaplains), and identified six significant gaps that negatively impact the profession of chaplaincy. Read more. Listen here.

Lilly Endowment Inc. seeks proposals for Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative

Lilly Endowment Inc. has announced its new Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. Through this national and competitive initiative, the Endowment is inviting eligible charitable organizations to apply for grants of up to $1.25 million that may be used for up to a five-year period to establish new and/or enhance existing programs that support congregations as they design intergenerational corporate worship services and prayer practices that more intentionally engage children and nurture their faith.

Has your school ordered access to the GSQ for spring? As a member benefit, the GSQ in spring 2024 is still covered by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. (ATS Organizational and Educational Models initiative) and now features translated language options for your students. ATS provides resources and support, including sample questionnaires and reports, documentation on using the Qs in educational and institutional evaluation, and custom reporting. Visit the ATS website for more details. For questions, please contact qmail@ats.edu.

ATS is arranging an opportunity to share research-related, data-informed insights. In collaboration with the Religious Research Association (RRA), ATS will coordinate a series of panels for the 2024 RRA Annual Meeting on October 18-20 in Pittsburgh. Co-hosted with the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), the overall conference theme is Religion: Past, Present, and Future. ATS will coordinate at least one panel under a modified theme: Theological Education: Past, Present, and Future (additional panels may be formed). Please email Deborah H. C. Gin, ATS director of research and faculty development, a brief letter of interest by Friday, March 1.

The Wabash Center is offering grants of up to $10,000 to support the development of small groups of peers whose interactions enrich and strengthen teaching and the teaching life. The grants serve full-time BIPOC faculty who teach religion or theology at colleges, universities, and theological schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Applications are now being accepted until Wednesday, March 20.

The University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Behavioral Health Research & Services is conducting a North American research study to learn more about the health, behaviors, and health-related needs of students attending theological schools. ATS school faculty members and administrators are asked to share the survey with their students. To be eligible for participation, students must be 18 years or older and be a current student at an ATS member school. The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete and students can enter into an Amazon gift card drawing. This study was approved by the University of Alaska Anchorage Institutional Review Board and will be open until Friday, May 31. For more information, contact Nathan West or Ben Webb.

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February 15

February 20-22

February 26-27

February 28-29

March 1-3

March 12-14

March 22

April 10

June 19-20