The Board of the Disciples Divinity House (DDH) at Vanderbilt invites applications for a full-time position of Dean. The Dean will serve as both Shepherd and Storyteller for our ministry of creating excellent ministers for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and for God’s mission in the world.
The Dean will fulfill these roles by focusing time and attention to the following areas of DDH:
Visionary Leadership
- Provides strategic leadership to discern God’s continuing call of the DDH as a formative community and incubator for preparation for ministry.
- Maintains the relationship with Vanderbilt Divinity School and explores possibilities for growth, while also maintaining a personal connection to theological education.
- Cultivates relationships with local communities, innovative ministries and new ways of being church, and other area and denominational ministries, making DDH a hub for ministry in the 21st century.
- Explores other avenues of collaboration and relationship with other regional ministries or theological schools.
Advancement
- Designs and implements plans for the financial support and advancement of the DDH.
- Builds relationships with alumni and potential donors to extend the mission of the house.
- Fosters communication with DDH alums, friends, and broader community (through various means, including social media).
- Maintains and cultivates relationships with denominational bodies through relationships, serving on the board of the Christian Church in Tennessee, and events (like General and Regional Assemblies, the Black Ministers Conference, etc.).
Spiritual Formation
- Develops programming, small groups, and informal spaces to foster an ethos of spiritual growth and mutual support for the DDH community and all VDS Disciples Students.
- Provides individual support, mentoring, and vocational guidance for all residents and Disciples students.
- Arranges programs for students to learn more about the practices of ministry and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
- Promotes a collaborative and equitable environment that honors the diverse needs and backgrounds of the population.
- Mediates significant conflict and adjudicates disciplinary issues to maintain a safe and healthy living environment.
- Recruits new student residents to Disciples Divinity House in consultation with VDS.
Administration
- Provides executive leadership for the DDH as a non-profit organization.
- Works with, supervises, and evaluates DDH administrator on property, rent, house logistics, finance and other administrative tasks.
- Executes required reports to the Internal Revenue Service, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and financial grant benefactors.
- Provides reporting and communicates with the Executive Committee of DDH Board of Trustees, and assists in development and preparation of the Board.
Location of Position: Disciples Divinity House at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN.
Start Date: On or before November 2020.
Qualifications: Successful candidates will demonstrate visionary leadership and experience in institutional advancement. The candidate will possess gifts for spiritual formation, a commitment to ministries of anti-racism and justice, and solid administrative skills. The candidate will have knowledge of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), as well as working knowledge and demonstrated support of theological education. Preference will be given to ordained ministers of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The candidate will have a Master of Divinity, equivalent, or higher. The candidate will successfully pass a background check.
How to apply: Letter of interest and CV may be submitted to [email protected]. Review of applications will begin on July 6, 2020.
For questions or clarification please contact Rev. Dr. Wilson Dickinson [email protected].
The selection process will include review of potential candidates, interview process with the search committee, recommendation of selected candidate to the DDH Board of Trustees for the Board’s approval.