 |
| "Nothing to see here. Move on." |
Lutheran seminary president ousted in controversy over past 'conversion therapy' work | PennLive.com:
"A prominent Lutheran seminary with two campuses in Pennsylvania is having a stormy moment of reckoning over the early-career, "conversion therapy" work by its first-year president.
That moment reached a climax at the United Lutheran Seminary Wednesday, with the school's board of trustees voting to end the Rev. Theresa F. Latini's tenure as president.
Latini, who answered some questions from PennLive via email Wednesday night, called the board's action unfair.
"I have been scapegoated by an historically divided institution resistant to unification," she wrote, "and have been given little chance to respond to the accusations against me."
United Lutheran Seminary is the modern-day result of a merger between longstanding seminaries in Gettysburg and Philadelphia. The jointure was approved in January 2016, and took effect this fall.
The controversy stemmed from Latini's work in the 1990s, according to this report on Philly.com, as director of One By One, a Pittsford, N.Y.-based organization that believed and taught that sexual orientation change is possible.
That information, the news site reported Wednesday, was made known to the seminary's board chairman during a presidential search process last year.
But the chairman, the Rev. J. Elise Brown, did not share that information with the rest of the board's selection committee, which subsequently hired Latini last summer.
As word of Latini's past leaked out in recent weeks, students, alumni, faculty and staff have pushed back against the presidential search process, the lack of transparency surrounding it, and related issues.
The pushback continued through a board "listening session" in Philadelphia last week, and culminated in Wednesday's actions."
'via Blog this'
---
This just in, as a letter to people in the Lower Susquehanna Synod:
March 14, 2018
Wednesday of the 4th Week in Lent
Dear partners in Christ:
The United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) Board of Trustees held a formal Board meeting on Wednesday, March 14, to address Seminary and Board leadership issues. As you may know, Bishop Dunlop is a member of the seminary board of directors and served as chair of the transition committee leading to the creation of the United Lutheran Seminary.
During today’s meeting, the Board voted to end Dr. Theresa F. Latini’s position as President of the United Lutheran Seminary. This decision was made based on the Board’s concern that the ongoing controversy surrounding her naming as President make it extremely difficult to overcome the issues related to trust as the president of this institution. With the understanding that there is much work to be done in healing, the Board recognized that her ongoing tenure would present a significant obstacle to moving forward. The primary obligation of the Board is to our Seminary and the perpetuation of its critical mission in training leaders for the church.
Also during today’s meeting, the board of directors of the United Lutheran Seminary elected Bishop James S. Dunlop as acting president of the seminary until an interim president is elected by the board of directors. Because of his rich history with the seminary, he feels a deep calling to serve the seminary in this important position at this critical time in the seminary’s short history. Offering full support, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encouraged Bishop Dunlop to accept this acting position, saying that he is the person best suited to fulfill this role at this time. A search for an interim president will begin in earnest. (For more information regarding the outcomes of the meeting, read today's Board of Trustees' statement here.)
To successfully carry out this role, Bishop Dunlop will be taking a temporary leave of absence from serving as our bishop. His responsibilities as our bishop will be adjusted and shared with staff. Bishop Dunlop said that he could agree to accepting this position because he has complete faith in our staff. He is confident our staff will be able to continue to perform their ministry tasks and to continue to carry out the mission of our synod.
Vice President Lucinda L. Bringman has called for a special meeting of the Synod Council on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is in accord with *S8.58. of our synod constitution: “If the bishop is to be temporarily absent from the synod for an extended period, the bishop, with the consent of Synod Council, may appoint as acting bishop for such period an ordained minister of this church.” Until an acting bishop is appointed and confirmed by Synod Council, the staff will continue to function as it has whenever the bishop is away from this synod.
With the help of God and with requests for prayers, Bishop Dunlop has accepted this temporary position. We are a people whose story is centered in the death and resurrection. We are prayerful that out of these recent painful and difficult events will come new life. We invite your prayers for God’s light and guidance for healing, trust, wisdom, and compassion.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop James S. Dunlop
Vice President Lucinda L. Bringman
Secretary Thomas E. McKee
March 14, 2018
Wednesday of the 4th Week in Lent
Dear partners in Christ:
The United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) Board of Trustees held a formal Board meeting on Wednesday, March 14, to address Seminary and Board leadership issues. As you may know, Bishop Dunlop is a member of the seminary board of directors and served as chair of the transition committee leading to the creation of the United Lutheran Seminary.
During today’s meeting, the Board voted to end Dr. Theresa F. Latini’s position as President of the United Lutheran Seminary. This decision was made based on the Board’s concern that the ongoing controversy surrounding her naming as President make it extremely difficult to overcome the issues related to trust as the president of this institution. With the understanding that there is much work to be done in healing, the Board recognized that her ongoing tenure would present a significant obstacle to moving forward. The primary obligation of the Board is to our Seminary and the perpetuation of its critical mission in training leaders for the church.
Also during today’s meeting, the board of directors of the United Lutheran Seminary elected Bishop James S. Dunlop as acting president of the seminary until an interim president is elected by the board of directors. Because of his rich history with the seminary, he feels a deep calling to serve the seminary in this important position at this critical time in the seminary’s short history. Offering full support, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton encouraged Bishop Dunlop to accept this acting position, saying that he is the person best suited to fulfill this role at this time. A search for an interim president will begin in earnest. (For more information regarding the outcomes of the meeting, read today's Board of Trustees' statement here.)
To successfully carry out this role, Bishop Dunlop will be taking a temporary leave of absence from serving as our bishop. His responsibilities as our bishop will be adjusted and shared with staff. Bishop Dunlop said that he could agree to accepting this position because he has complete faith in our staff. He is confident our staff will be able to continue to perform their ministry tasks and to continue to carry out the mission of our synod.
Vice President Lucinda L. Bringman has called for a special meeting of the Synod Council on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of this meeting is in accord with *S8.58. of our synod constitution: “If the bishop is to be temporarily absent from the synod for an extended period, the bishop, with the consent of Synod Council, may appoint as acting bishop for such period an ordained minister of this church.” Until an acting bishop is appointed and confirmed by Synod Council, the staff will continue to function as it has whenever the bishop is away from this synod.
With the help of God and with requests for prayers, Bishop Dunlop has accepted this temporary position. We are a people whose story is centered in the death and resurrection. We are prayerful that out of these recent painful and difficult events will come new life. We invite your prayers for God’s light and guidance for healing, trust, wisdom, and compassion.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop James S. Dunlop
Vice President Lucinda L. Bringman
Secretary Thomas E. McKee
ALPB Forum Notes a Large Number of Resignations from the "United" Lutheran Seminary Board
"In 2018, we have received resignations from several Board members. Robert King and Nancy Dering Mock stepped down earlier this year due to personal reasons. Lisa Leber, Audrey Moody, Phillip Harrington and Elise Brown tendered their resignations in advance of today’s board meeting. Cheryl Meinschein, Charles Miller, Emma Porter and Janet Montelaro resigned immediately following the meeting."
This is mid-March; the "In 2018..." resignations of two Board members may seem to some to imply "oh, so long ago". That 4 members resigned in advance of the reported Board meeting and 4 immediately after it, bringing the total "In 2018" to 10 Board Member resignations, is extraordinary and cautionary. All linked to the Presidential issue? What was the allegiance to prior institutions of these resignees before it became so "United"? Were they asked to resign? This appears on the surface to be a personnel matter, thus "closed session", yet a ton of backroom/backyard conversations and actions had to lead to this.
The search for a new President will be extremely difficult, not just because of the unforgiven transgression of the immediate past-President, but in the main because of the boiling cauldron of discontent that the stakeholders may perceive from the Board resignations. The laundry must be cleaned now. But, first and always, prayers for all involved, including those who never forgive.
