Visit www.gcts.edu/pivot to stay up to date on the Pivot.

Awakened by finances, Gordon-Conwell’s pivot toward the future has become an awakening to the nature of our institution’s soul and the mission of our calling. Partnership has become our oxygen. Unity has become our prayer. Humility has become our holy desire. What does this mean, and why the focus on partnership, unity, and humility? One of the great dysfunctions of an institution is the growing rift between Board of Trustees and administration or between faculty and administration. We are very fortunate at Gordon-Conwell to have a Board that understands its responsibilities and works closely with the president and the Cabinet. The Big Pivot which we are entering into has come about through collaboration in research, strategy, and planning. In addition, the Board has covenanted to fast and pray every Monday for our pivot and strategic plan. Recently, Chairman of the Board and fellow alumnus Bishop Claude Alexander and I sat down to talk in front of a camera about the pivot we are entering. Our twenty-five-minute conversation has been edited into six short videos on various subjects. As I watched the videos, I was reminded of how thankful I am to work with this Board. Bishop Claude and I keep in close communication and have a common understanding of the calling of Gordon-Conwell. Here are the topics discussed in the videos:

1. Mission and Modality: Framing Thoughts for a Fourth Beginning
2. Stewardship: Leveraging Property for People
3. Unchanging Commitments: Our Fundamental Mission is not Changing
4. Church and City Partnerships: In the Community and for the Community
5. Financial Sustainability and Spiritual: Attending to this Deeply Spiritual Moment
6. Our Present and Future Need: The Present and Future World Needs Gordon-Conwell More than Ever

Thus, our future is built around the strong backbone of partnerships, unity, and humility. But even as we pray, fast, and work toward this hopeful and exciting future, we mourn and remember the past. It is a deep time as we enter our fourth beginning. Next week we will talk about sacred remembering and holy lament.

“Attentiveness” is a blog by Scott W. Sunquist, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He welcomes comments, responses, and good ideas.