Dear Asbury Family,
I am going to be out of the country for several days, but I wanted to share my heart with you as we navigate through these troubled waters together.
I am grateful for the many members of our Asbury community who have an appreciation for the complexities of our current situation, and for the challenging role that the Board of Trustees is called upon to fill. You seem, indeed, to realize that, as the group charged by our by-laws with the chief fiduciary responsibility for the seminary, we have an awesome responsibility. Most of you also seem to appreciate the reality that in times like these, when personnel matters are concerned, persons in authority are not permitted to share all the information they have related to the situation. That is precisely where we, the Board of Trustees, find ourselves. There are a number of things that we would like to share with you, but that really is not possible, or advisable. If we could, we believe that much of the confusion and misunderstanding and speculation would dissipate, but again, we are not at liberty to do so. Please be assured that, to the best of our ability and our knowledge, we have shared with you the information we are free to share at the current time. Thanks for your understanding.
I am grateful that, during this time, our wonderful Asbury community has, for the most part, lived well into our Wesleyan heritage of "going on to perfection," in the realms of study, love, spiritual nurture and relationships. I am deeply grateful that students cherish the unique Asbury educational and formative experience so much so that they are giving their energies primarily to the preparation for ministry that God has for them. Asbury is, and will continue to be, a most remarkable place for the "shaping of our souls," for preparing women and men for the callings God has placed upon their lives.
I have been grateful for the opportunity to share in conversation with some of our faculty. This has led, in my view, to greater clarification and a decrease in misunderstanding. I believe that most of the faculty rightly recognizes that there may be more to a situation than appears on the surface. Many of the faculty have been long time friends to me personally and to many on the Board of Trustees. We have enjoyed great trust over the years, and our prayer is that this trust will sustain us and help to guide our thoughts and actions in these days. While some may choose to question the motivation of the Board of Trustees, I am hopeful that the knowledge of our long held common bond of love for Asbury will prevail.
To many of you, we, the members of the Board of Trustees, are nameless persons who show up occasionally on the Wilmore or Orlando campus. But let me assure you that Asbury Seminary is never far from our hearts, our minds and our prayers. This Board is an engaged Board, one which takes its responsibilities very seriously. It is important that you know most of us have had a long and beloved relationship with Asbury. For many of us, Asbury is the place which nurtured our souls and prepared us for ministry. For others of us, our devotion to Asbury is new, but wonderfully intense, filled with great appreciation and respect for this extraordinary institution of God. Always, we seek to act in ways that are in the best interest of Asbury Seminary.
I hope you will know that this is a Board of committed people, who, just like you, are deeply devoted to Asbury Theological Seminary. Please pray for us as we pray for you and everyone in our Asbury family. With God's help and guidance, we will come to the place we need to be.
Faithfully yours,
Dr. Dan Johnson,
Senior Minister,
Trinity United Methodist Church
Gainesville, FL 32653
Vice Chair of the Board and
Coordinator of Communications, Board of Trustees
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3 comments:
I posted the following in response:
"I believe that these words are sincere on your part, and I think most of us believe the broader board will act with a genuine desire to do what is best for the seminary in accordance with God's will. We are already praying for you and the board and will continue to do so.
Although the consultant implied that the board would act as he apparently has recommended, I sincerely believe they will give a fair hearing to all sides of the story and will only side with him if they reach the same conclusions. These are not naive individuals who will be misled by cooked evaluations--they will see through any skew and do what they think is appropriate.
Although I believe the evidence suggests that you, Dr. Johnson, and even moreso Dr. Smith, have resisted Greenway's presidency for some time, I continue to believe that you have done whatever you have because you thought it was in the best interest of the seminary. As Dr. Wood has suggested, most of us will take the vote of the board as the general will.
Enjoy your days away from these worries, Dr. Johnson."
Contrary to the hopes and wishes of many seminary alumni, Dr. Greenway will not be returning to his post. This fact is all but certain. Furthermore, an interim has already been selected and will be introduced to the Asbury community in the very near future. Know this: those associated with the seminary will not be disappointed.
By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if when the EXCO brings their agenda to the broader board this time expecting it simply to rubber stamp what they've already "decided" for them (I hear the board has been run this way for years), they may just find that this group of individuals has some questions for them. Some individuals seem confident they know what the board will decide regarding Greenway... but if so, it is surprising that they weren't able to stop Greenway from becoming president in the first place.
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