President Search

 

November 21st, 2022

Greetings Friends of Union Presbyterian Seminary,

We are pleased to provide an update on the search for the next President of Union Presbyterian Seminary. First, we give thanks for your continued interest and prayerful support as our committee moves deeper into the process of discernment. Change is afoot and leadership matters. Union equips leaders for the Church in the World, and yet both the Church and the realm of theological education are expanding and changing rapidly.

What an exciting and hopeful time for Union Presbyterian Seminary!  The seminary is thriving on both campuses. Our committed faculty and staff continue to demonstrate both expertise and innovation. Together with you, we are beginning to celebrate the profound impact of Brian Blount’s embodied leadership and presence among us. We are focused, we are healthy, we are growing.

Over the last few months, our team has received almost 80 nominations. From that group, we have had conversations with a subset of nominees who chose to become active candidates. These discussions, with an array of dynamic Presbyterian leaders, pastors, and scholars, show that the Church is thriving. We have nearly completed our first round of interviews and soon we will move into a period of more focused discernment with a smaller group of candidates. Based on the quality and character of those we have met along the way, not only are we excited about the future of theological education, but we are confident the next President of Union Presbyterian Seminary is among them.

As we approach Advent, we are drawn into a season of preparation, reflection, and prayer. We will not have another update until 2023 is well underway. While our work is extremely confidential, it is not private. We invite you to pray with us, not only for Union Presbyterian Seminary, but in gratitude for every nominee and candidate with whom we have engaged. It takes courage and humility to listen for God’s vocational call. Each conversation has been received as a gift, as they inform and guide our steps. The connectional Church is meant to be expansive and generative. In our case, it has been.

With Advent Hope,

Union Presbyterian Seminary Presidential Search Committee

Co-Chairs

Dr. Steve Allred, Trustee, Co-Chair; Academic Affairs Committee, University of Richmond Professor of Law, Emeritus;  sallred@richmond.edu

Rev. Lori Archer Raible (’06), Co-Chair; Trustee, Academic Affairs; Pastor, Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC; loriaraible@gmail.com

Other Members

  • Ryan G. Atkinson, Charlotte student; Interim Student Pastor, Quail Hollow Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC
  • Elizabeth McNair Ayscue (’89), Trustee, Community Life; Retired Pastor
  • Shell K. Berry, Trustee, Business and Finance; Elder, Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church, Augusta, GA
  • Rebecca L. Davis (’90, ’91, ’07), Charlotte Faculty–Christian Education
  • Frances Taylor Gench (’82), Richmond Faculty–Bible
  • Matthew A. Rich (’00), Trustee, Advancement; Pastor, Unity Presbyterian Church, Fort Mill, SC
  • Rodney S. Sadler Jr., Charlotte Faculty–Bible
  • Richard W. Voelz, Richmond Faculty–Practical Theology
  • Michelle Walker, Staff–Dean of Students/Director of Financial Aid
  • Peter M. Wherry, Trustee, Academic Affairs; Pastor, Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC