President Ortega's Welcome Letter
Welcome!
Meadville Lombard Theological School has a history that demonstrates creativity and innovation, and it is grounded in Unitarian Universalist theology. Through its 175 years of history, this institution has charted a visionary path that builds upon the diverse strands of faith traditions and commitments to social justice that continues to shape who we are.
As a theological school, Meadville Lombard has kept an eye towards the changing landscape of theological education and sought to be adaptive, resilient, and committed to nurturing future leaders who can lead across multiple faith traditions and religious orientations. Here are some ways:
- A Curricular Shift from a Traditional Residential Model to a Contextual Model of Education. A low-residency yet community-embedded model of education takes seriously the complex lives of adult learners, while striving to prepare our students with requisite tools for success in all aspects of faith-informed leadership in congregational and non-congregational settings.
- Signature Courses. These courses create spaces for leadership development in which theory and practice inform each other as students simultaneously learn in the classroom and put into practice their learning in communal and congregational settings.
- Faculty. Our faculty is committed to high levels of excellence in education and preparedness to engage in activities in the world. They are active contributors in academic organizations and committed to justice work, which is evident in their leadership in various social justice causes.
In Meadville Lombard, as a learning community, we wrestle with pressing questions of the times and be challenged to live out our vocations, whether in parish or non-parish settings, in ways that speak of hope and works for transformation. We explore questions of how living into the work of justice and compassion leads us in:
- Providing hospitality and creating space for healing and transformation
- Facilitating the opportunity to connect with and encounter others and join them into collaboration for the common good
- The possibility to be transformed and be of service can be sustained with a message that inspires one to hope
Meadville Lombard’s commitment to justice-making theological education is reflected in the way our alums engage with the world’s pressing needs. From human rights campaigns, chaplaincy work, legislative advocacy to congregational work, Meadville Lombard graduates are providing leadership essential to make this world a more just one.
As a Unitarian Universalist, I believe that effective religious leadership is in the service of the good news of our shared Seven Principles. This comes with high stakes: It can call into question the business-as-usual ways of operating when faced with new challenges. Challenges are possibilities for re-imagining current realities. In my vocation as a theological educator and my service as a lay leader, I believe that Unitarian Universalist theological education has a unique role to play in a complex world demanding religious literacy, intercultural competency, administrative skills, fluency in communication styles, the responsible use of technological and digital tools, and the ability to adapt to shifting demographics. Theological education is most effective when it lives prophetically into what our Unitarian Universalist movement can offer to the world: to help reshape a broken world through the power of justice, equity, and compassion in our ways of being faithful to our sacred faith and with responsibility for one another.
Join us in the work.
In service,
Elías Ortega
President
