Dean Edwards reflects on his first year as seminary dean and vice president for church relations.
Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards was appointed as dean of North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS) and vice president for church relations at the start of the 2022–23 school year. Prior to that, the New York City native taught New Testament at NPTS. As he reflects on the past year in his new role, Edwards says he’s excited for upcoming changes at North Park’s seminary but also in seminary education as a whole.
What are some of the biggest successes during your time as dean so far?
One success is a general sense of cohesion and health among the team. We started the year with the faculty and staff retreat, which was fun but also deliberate in thinking about our spiritual health going into this year. The retreat created a renewed sense of community that developed over this year, which has been important. I would also say we’ve been more visible. There’s a new energy with the new denominational president and I starting our terms around the same time.
Tell us about some of the seminary’s partnerships and grants.
The grants are helping us to think about what seminary education can look like now and in the future. They really help us on two levels: one is with what we do currently here at the seminary, and another is how we interface with pastors and other people who are already doing ministry. The grants help us to explore ways to do that better. They also foster collaboration with our denomination by overlapping similar grants, especially with the Thriving grant, so that overlap has encouraged more collaboration with us and the Evangelical Covenant Church.
What’s first on your agenda for next year?
We want to strengthen our ministry in the prison, our School of Restorative Arts. I’m looking forward to that because we’re going to have a more cohesive and robust plan for how we carry out that program. I’m also looking forward to our new cohort model where students will move through their education together.