Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning Updates

Many institutions of higher education traverse the significant challenges of delivering mission, accreditation and financial health by developing a meaningful strategic plan. Saint Paul School of Theology (SPST) honors the past development of the strategic plan and endeavors to link the revised plan to finance in meeting our academic mission.

Discussion for the Strategic Planning Committee, comprised of trustees, administration and faculty, evolved to consensus on our goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as they link to the budget and support the Saint Paul Mission. The committee goal is to develop ongoing and meaningful indicators that will meet short term needs with an eye on the future, positioning to deliver the institutional mission. Data informed decisions and continued analysis of KPIs will be transparent and reviewed at each Board meeting. The commitment of the Strategic Planning Committee is to create a living, breathing document that will position SPST for a healthy future.

Goals:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Relevant

T – Time Sensitive

I – Inspiring

SAINT PAUL SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
STRATEGIC PLAN: 2017 – 2025
Adopted by the Board of Trustees
October 23, 2018

The Identity of Saint Paul:

Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values

Saint Paul School of Theology is a United Methodist seminary, and as such has an active role in achieving the mission of the United Methodist Church. Paragraph 120 of the 2012 Discipline of The United Methodist Church reads, in its entirety, “The Mission: The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.” (NOTE: Paragraph 121 goes on to provide an expansive and helpful “Rationale for Our Mission,” which draws on Scripture, as well as the historical teachings of Methodism.)

PURPOSE of Saint Paul School of Theology

From its beginning, the purpose of Saint Paul School of Theology has been to form people for transformational ministry in congregations, faith communities, and the world in which we live, especially in the Heartland, so that they are equipped to carry out the mission of the Church: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Saint Paul’s unique role in preparing persons for that vital work is described in its institutional mission, vision, and values.

MISSION of Saint Paul School of Theology

Centered in Christ and rooted in the Wesleyan tradition, Saint Paul School of Theology is a seminary of intentional relationships committed to the formation of people for innovative, creative ministry through rigorous academic life, the exploration of Scripture, tradition, ministry and practices, and diverse, contextual experience.

VISION of Saint Paul School of Theology

Saint Paul School of Theology, a seminary in the Heartland, aspires to be a creative network of collaborative learning relationships where students, clergy, lay professionals, and laity are equipped to serve congregations, the church, the city street, the country road, the public square, and the academy, in an ever and rapidly changing world.

VALUES of Saint Paul School of Theology

Saint Paul School of Theology is:

Christ-centered, prophetic and evangelistic

From its beginning, Saint Paul School of Theology has been, and continues to be, committed to operations, decision-making, and curriculum that embody a Christ-centered, prophetic, and evangelistic approach to theological education. Saint Paul stresses engagement of traditional disciplines, such as scripture, church history, and theology, while placing students in settings such as prisons, mental health institutions, and monasteries, and building relationships with the marginalized. Study and contextual experiences that explore witness, proclamation of the gospel, and embodying the good news are guided by Saint Paul’s Christ-centered, prophetic and evangelistic commitment.

Formed in justice, integrity, and faithful experience

Saint Paul is committed to racial justice, to Christian stands in the feminist and womanist movements, to the struggle of families across our communities, to environmental justice and peace, and to abiding attention to the poor and the marginalized. Saint Paul is committed to integrity and holistic faithfulness, in its response to God’s righteousness and love.

Contextual, diverse, relevant, and multicultural

Saint Paul is committed to the contextual engagement of academic and concrete life. This commitment demands training in a diversity of settings in the search for faithful response to the claims made in different contexts upon an attentive and skilled ministry, a training committed to the excluded, the estranged, the oppressed, and the marginalized. Saint Paul is committed to engaging theological learning in the contextual ways that expand the learner’s experience with diversity and cultural sensitivity, and that are relevant to their ministry settings.

Committed to
- The integration of academic excellence and faithful practice
- The creation of community in the challenges of emergent contemporary contexts
- The promotion of peace and justice through theological dialogue
- The use of multiple platforms and approaches in academic life

These commitments drive decision-making around all aspects of academic and contextual learning at Saint Paul.

The Mission, Vision, and Values provide a mechanism through which to express the identity and purpose of Saint Paul. These brief statements cannot, in themselves, express the many dimensions of Saint Paul’s history, experience, and aspiration. Rather, they are intended to be a mirror and a window, both a reflection of Saint Paul’s purpose, and a portal through which to see the many ways in which Saint Paul moves in the Heartland and beyond.

As part of its commitment to the United Methodist Church, Saint Paul was formed by, and continues to be informed by, the teachings of John Wesley. Consequently, the Mission, Vision, and Values are grounded in what has come to be called the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” of Scripture-Tradition-Experience-Reason. Wesley’s commitment to the poor and marginalized, his belief that reason is a gift from God that we ignore at our peril, a passion for justice, and an undying energy for taking Jesus Christ into the corners of the world.

THE STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

Strengthening the Educational Enterprise: Preparing people for ministry within the changing faith dynamics of the 21^st Century

Creating a Community for Theological Learning, Training Dialogue, and Research in the Heartland: Bringing together the Church, the City Street, the Country Road, the Public Square, and the Academy

Advancing the Presence of Saint Paul: Promoting Saint Paul’s vision in compelling and productive ways

Shaping the Future of Saint Paul with a Strong Foundation: leadership, governance, and planning in support of theological education for the future

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND GOALS

The heart of this Plan is contained in the four (4) Strategic Directions and the eight (8) Goals associated with them:

Strategic Direction 1: Strengthening the Educational Enterprise

Goal 1: Saint Paul’s programming, centered in Christ and informed by its Wesleyan identity, will address and respond to the changing religious environment of the church and world.