Big News! Two Major Life Updates
Transfer to Duke Divinity
I have some big seminary news to share with you: I have decided to transfer to Duke Divinity School beginning this fall!
I am now two (and a half) classes into the Masters of Theological Studies program at Gordon Conwell, and unfortunately I have been disappointed so far. Don’t get me wrong, there has been plenty to celebrate, especially the in-person January intensive, which felt more like a refreshing soul-care retreat than a class.
However, I have not experienced at Gordon-Conwell a strong presence of (1) academic integrity specifically in the treatment of Scripture, (2) peer-to-peer connection, and (3) an opportunity for faculty mentorship. These three "let-downs" have been significant for me because they were three of the main things that drove me to begin seminary in the first place.
Duke Divinity, as I have been exploring their Hybrid Masters of Divinity program, seems like it will meet all three of these concerns, plus more. Duke is known for their academic rigor and the hybrid program is structured in such a way to truly connect students to mentorship and peer relationships.
Built into the Hybrid MDiv program at Duke are opportunities to:
Receive some of the best theological training available (in the top five on multiple ranking sites)
Visit campus 3 times per year for week-long intensive study and building relationships
Expand my current Masters in Theological Studies degree (60 credits) to a full Masters in Divinity (84 credits); 6+ classes per year vs 4 per year at GCTS.
Develop and maintain peer-to-peer and mentor relationships through an assigned cohort that stays with me throughout the program
Study under scholars like Ellen Davis, Stanley Hauerwas, Brent Strawn, Kate Bowler and others (click here for a recent graduate address from Prof. Daniel Castelo)
I am very excited about this opportunity for learning and spiritual growth. Every interaction I have had so far with the divinity school has been personal, excellent, and Christ-centered. It all feels like confirmation from God about the path ahead.
Speaking of confirmation: before I decided to pull the trigger, I reached out to each individual on the Financial Support Team. I wanted their feedback and their blessing. And, though by God’s grace I received a 50% merit-based scholarship, Duke is more expensive than Gordon-Conwell and so I need to not only maintain financial support, but grow it.
The response from the Financial Support Team blew me away. Every team member was fully on board, and every single member was willing to either maintain or increase their financial commitment! I now only need to increase support by $150/mo to be fully funded (two team members at $75/mo or other combination)!
I am so grateful to every single one of you in the Support Circle, for your ongoing prayer, your consistent words of encouragement, and your financial support. I am truly doing this seminary journey with a full community of support behind me. I am grateful to Gordon-Conwell for providing the framework by which this Circle has grown.
Call to Interim Lead Pastor
If the news about transferring to Duke wasn’t enough for a June update, I am also excited to share with you that I have accepted the position of Interim Lead Pastor at Refuge!
Most of you know that Refuge has been in a season of transition. In February, our Lead and Founding Pastor, Ryan, announced his decision to step out of pastoral ministry. This upcoming Sunday (June 25th) is his last Sunday as a part of our staff and church community.
Since February, our Board and Staff, along with the prayerful support of the entire Refuge family, have been discussing and learning, seeking council, and doing our best to engage in unhurried, prayerful discernment.
Because, along with our whole team, I was pretty involved in this process, I can’t share with you that I’m “shocked.” But I will share with you that I’m humbled and excited and terrified. I will be preaching more regularly than I ever have and I know this role will stretch me in ways I am yet to discover.
This change is not just a change for me though. It is a change for our whole Staff/Board Team, and for our whole community. It is not just an opportunity for me to lean in, and be stretched, and grow. It is an opportunity for our whole community to grow. It is an opportunity for the entire Refuge family to take a step in, and take a step forward, together.
I take rest in that. God has blessed us with a strong, gifted, and healthy Staff/Board Team. And it is we who step into this time of transition and this new season together.
Of course, this is an “interim” role. The Board plans to initiate the formal search and candidating process in the fall. I love Refuge Church deeply and want (or, at least want to want) what is best for her mid and long-term, and so we (the Tanners) are doing our best to be open-handed with whatever is to come.
A number of people have already come to me to share encouraging words and to ask how they can support. If you are wondering the same, here is a place to start. (Fair warning: this is going to sound cheesy and cliche to some, and you may be tempted to gloss over it. But to me, this is the real stuff.)
Pray.
I am often tempted to believe that prayer is not “real work,” that prayer is just “thoughts and prayers”—sentiment at best, lazy inaction at worst. I am tempted to believe that prayer is just spiritual, which means it has to do with thoughts and feelings, but has no power in the “real world.”
But I am learning that it is specifically because prayer is spiritual that it is worth doing. Dallas Willard writes, “Spirit is a form of energy, for it does work, and whatever does work has power. In the biblical view it is, of course, the ultimate form of power on which all other forms rest.”
So, I invite you to pray. To spend actual time in your car, on your walk, or in your “prayer closet” praying. Pray for me. Pray for Sadie, Charlie, and Leif. Pray for our Staff and Board Team. Pray for Refuge Church. Pray…that the Spirit would fill every body and every space we inhabit.
If you want to get practical, set a reminder to pray daily something like the Lord’s Prayer—slowly, giving attention to the Spirit and our church family.
Financial Update
Seminary. With the transition to Duke Divinity, I am currently looking to expand the Financial Support Team by another $150/mo. If you have been interested in the past but saw that I was fully funded, now is your opportunity to join the team! Learn more at davidtanner.co/give or reply to this email to begin a conversation.
Sabbatical. If you would like to contribute to my upcoming sabbatical (Summer 2024), you can make a one-time donation here. Note: those funds run through and are managed by Refuge Church.
