A Giving Opportunity

Supporting Special Scholarships, Distinctive Papers, and an Academic Journal

The Advisory Board for the Disciples Center for Education (DCE) is reaching out to spiritually minded men and women who are care deeply about the quality of teaching and training in our churches and have the means to contribute to a special vision. We have developed a collaborative giving opportunity that is based on a patronage concept with a precedent in the Bible and church history. Patron, from Latin patronus, means protector, sponsor, and benefactor.

A few years ago, a DCE founder, Alex Hunter, and consultant Steve Staten were on a Reformation tour, visiting sites and structures in Berlin, Wittenberg, and Zurich. They discussed how patrons were memorialized through sculptures and paintings in both cathedrals and the places where famous events took place. Of course, Jesus and the apostles had named and unnamed supporters (Luke 8:3; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 11:8), and it was usual for benefactors to provide large gifts and be closely involved in the ministry (Acts 4:36–37, 11:22–26). But Alex and Steve were struck by how important such acts of service and partnerships became during the sixteenth century in undertaking church reforms throughout Europe.

When Alex entered the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), he noticed the honor that principal patrons are given alongside the great reformers. Within the stone structure visitors will see eight columns adorned with sculptures of four patron princes and four reformers: Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, who were reformers, and Philip the Generous of Hesse, Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony, Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, and Duke Albert of Prussia, who were the supporters and ideological defenders of Luther and Calvin.

Of course, it is well known that benefactors funded inventors like Guttenberg, artists like Michelangelo and Da Vinci, the explorers Columbus and Magellan, and Copernicus the astronomer, but many are unaware of just how important patrons were for courageous critical thinkers such as Erasmus, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. The essential financing scaffold that enabled the reformers to spread reform, produce the Bible in common languages, and educate the church was provided by remarkable men and women.

The influence of patrons did not end with funding, defenses, and protection, they also provided support for study, writing, and lecturing, they often provided residence. Moreover, and lesser known, these sponsors also provided advice, generated audiences, and created opportunities for the reformers’ success. 

The ways that patrons have played important roles in the past provide clues to how progress can be sponsored in our day.

• The first English Bible. A wealthy clothing merchant, Humphrey Monmouth, not only funded William Tyndale’s living expenses and hiding residence for the duration of translating the Bible into English, he helped champion having it printed in Europe. Monmouth also had the Bibles transported hidden in the cargo of ships carrying his merchandise.

• Finances and Protection. Two brothers, Frederick the Wise and John the Steadfast, were spiritually minded political figures who backed and offered protection for Martin Luther. In fact, the first time the word “protestant” was used, it was in 1529 against John, who helped Luther galvanize the Reformation in Germany.

• Scholarship. William Warham, archbishop of Canterbury, was the most generous and consistent patron for Erasmus, inarguably the greatest scholar and most prolific writer of the time. He challenged both popes and reformers and provided the most important document to the Reformation, the first publicly available Greek New  Testament. His other supporters included kings of four countries, two dukes, and at  least sixteen ecclesiastical leaders. But it was Warham’s early and lasting friendship, shared interest in scholarship, and funds that enabled Erasmus to consistently challenge the status quo. 

• Opportunities. While France’s King Francis I was a patron of the arts, his sister Marguerite de Navarre and their cousin, Renata di Francia, were financial supporters and promoters of reformers such as John Calvin. During the 1530s the women created reform-focused salons, a French term describing organized receptions, usually hosted by prominent women for the purpose of discussing literature and ideas. They would promote opportunities with Calvin and sometimes found it necessary to use their connections to defend him or provide him sanctuary. More than any other reformer, Calvin was responsible for emphasizing literacy of the Scriptures throughout the church and society, opening the way for citizens to be more informed. 

• Education. In 1583 Walter Mildmay purchased property in Cambridge that had been a Dominican monastery. He had old structures torn down or renovated and provided for new buildings, in order to open Emmanuel College. Many graduates migrated to New England, including a Puritan minister by the name of John Harvard, namesake of Harvard University.

The Advisory Board for the Disciples Center for Education believes that partnership conducted in collaboration with selected churches and recognized teachers can result in scholarships for students capable of influencing the next generation of disciples, and writings that have the potential of enlivening minds and hearts for Christ. 

Just as the famous patrons, achievers in their own right, were champions of the causes of education, scholarship, and courageous reform, we similarly wish to advance the cause of Christ. Various members of the board of the DCE have independently been providing assistance for scholarships and research for nearly two decades.

Until recently, Kevin and Nanshil Grady, Alex and Patty Hunter, and others have been practicing this model independently. For instance, a half dozen teachers in the Midwest obtained Bible and ministry-related MA and MDiv degrees. A few years ago, the Wilner Cornerly fund was established, which has been supporting a PhD student in the study of Christian spirituality. And for five years The Harmony Project, formerly under Disciples Today, has sponsored research and writing related to congregational health and unity.

These independent endeavors have followed the patronage model. Recently, men and women have come together to begin merging these efforts, believing a more coordinated approach will enable us to efficiently strengthen our influence through relationships, to pool wisdom, and to tap into various forms of expertise. That is what makes the DCE a giving opportunity with the possibility of being a fund multiplier.

The Need

The initial costs of exploring, developing, initial branding, the website, and technology, will be approximately $60,000. For our ongoing achievements and operations, we are seeking to raise two million dollars over the next three years. Based on reaching that goal, well over 90% percent of the funds will go into special scholarships and a first for our churches—an academic journal. And 10% percent into administration: leadership and synchronization with pillar churches; management and periodic coordination with International Churches of Christ (ICOC) teachers. We have taken initial steps, and committed ourselves to the vision, due to the convincing support of early sponsors.

Strategic Vision

The DCE is developing an Educational Global Scholarship Fund focused upon innovative educational initiatives to assist in building the forward-compatible educational platform of the ICOC, in coordination with other efforts for which limited resources and leadership have been an inhibiting factor.

• Fund the development of PhD, MDiv, and DMin level students to become the next generation’s most capable teachers

• Broad-based teaching capabilities to be infused across the ICOC through digital platform

• Develop core scholastic capabilities within the ICOC that are nationally known and recognized (i.e. Biblical / Theological Studies, Ministry/Pastoral, Campus Ministry, Conflict Resolution, others)

• Identify the next generation of students (aspiring teachers), which will result in a pipeline of trained ministers and/or teachers

• Engage with the broader academic theological community through development of a peer-reviewed journal, Teleios – A Journal of Holistic Spirituality

Functional Vision

• Serve as the locus of coordination and collaboration for the educational initiatives across the ICOC

• As such, the DCE will serve as a platform for theological scholarships, ministry training academies, schools of ministry, and other initiatives

Mission

1. Plan, build, and develop eminently qualified teachers

2. Fund/develop capacity for:

   • Training “mid-career” evangelists to substantially increase their theological knowledge and capability (“train the trainer”)

   • Funding and distribution channel for teaching through technology

   • Teaching resource for mission societies and HOPE worldwide

3. Enable (through funding and organizational integrity) recognized and capable teachers to fulfil their affirmed role:

   • Protect time to teach, write, and publish

   • Create an academic journal/thought leadership platform

4. Develop connections with churches globally to make available teaching resources 

A Collaborative Meritocracy Approach

Decisions for scholarship funds, research, writing and travel will follow an integrated meritocracy approach rather than a positional model. Many corporations and churches operate synchronously and top-down, taking all major directions, including financial decisions, from the head (CEO, president, Pope). But the human body, a model of integration for the church, contains many asynchronous parts.

The DCE is being established as an education and training entity in our family of churches, in collaboration with individuals and churches and teams that will support the DCE’s vision and mission. In order to participate in an integrated manner, we are developing a board of spiritual and gifted men and women, from various specialties, ecclesiastical roles, working alongside churches and core teachers on the ICOC teachers service team.

A meritocracy method will be used in selecting individuals for scholarships, factoring in reputation, commitment, experience, and expertise. We are also aiming to identify individuals who represent the demographics of the churches.

All patrons of the DCE will receive updates on our progress. Some sponsors will be more heavily involved, based on expertise, capacity, and connections.

The Disciples Center for Education is a 503(c) religious organization. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Tax-deductible donations can be written to:

The Disciples Center for Education:

Integrated Financial Group, attn: Paul Peeler

200 Ashford Center North, Suite 400

Atlanta, GA 30338

Thank you for sharing in our vision,

Thank you for becoming a patron and partner in our mission.

Sincerely, the Advisory Board.

If you have any questions, please contact any of the following members of our Advisory Board and Leadership: