Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
reimagining the future

March 10, 2023

Dear Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Community,

On February 17, the Board of Trinity International University voted to discontinue residential and in-person undergraduate education at the end of the Spring 2023 semester and reposition the College to fully online courses and programs intended for global audiences. As hard as such decisions may be, these moves are necessary for providing the university a strong foundation as it moves forward as an institution. By redirecting some of our resources toward the work of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), our programs will be more missional, more accessible, and more transformational than ever.

As a part of the TEDS community, you may wonder what this means for the divinity school. This decision will not have any negative impact on TEDS: No programs have been cut or faculty and staff laid off; all residential spaces will also be retained (for both domestic and international students) on the campus of TEDS. In fact, TEDS will not simply remain a residential program, University resources will now be redirected toward satisfying its debt, adding to our endowment, while also supporting and sustaining growth for the divinity school. Our faculty are committed to investing in our students, and we are grateful for the new resources that will further enhance students’ experience here at TEDS.

I would like to share some updates of recent investments and grants from which TEDS is already benefiting:

• $1 million grant last year for pedagogy and spiritual formation
• $1.25 million grant for Mosaic Ministries
• $1 million for the Hiebert Center’s Thriving Immigrant Congregations Initiative
• New grant focused on children’s ministry (public announcement pending)
• Four new TEDS faculty hired in the last quarter of 2022
• Four additional TEDS faculty in the second quarter of 2023

We continue to seek new ways to provide programs and opportunities for “educating men and women to engage in God’s redemptive work in the world.” To that end, we are rolling out seven certificate programs and a new MA program this fall. In a few weeks, we will be begin offering our first course for chaplains and Christian counselors in Ukraine.

As you can see, TEDS is not only thriving, but also continuing to invest in providing the highest quality theological education for our students. We are thankful for your presence here at TEDS. If you have any questions, or would like to talk more about what is happening at TEDS, please contact the Dean’s Office at [email protected].

Blessings,