A Step of Faith
Trinity was born in the renewal movement of the 60s and 70s. Leaders of the renewal movement saw the need for a place to train its future leaders founded upon the authority of the Bible, trusting the leading of the Spirit, and working to know Christ and make Him known. However, the Episcopal Church was then seriously discussing closing some seminaries - founding another one was clearly a step in faith.
In 1975, a retired Australian missionary bishop answered a call from members of the Fellowship of Witness, came to the Pittsburgh area, and set up an office in his home, using his garage for the library. Alfred Stanway, bishop of Central Tanganyika from 1951 to 1971, had been recommended by John Stott, J.I. Packer, and other evangelical leaders for his vision of renewal and his extraordinary ability to translate his vision into a lively Christian body. He called John Rodgers, a professor and chaplain at Virginia Theological Seminary, to be the senior professor.
Bishop Stanway assembled a small faculty and classes began in September 1976, when 17 students - none with sponsoring bishops - began their studies in rented classrooms in a local college. Two years later, an empty Presbyterian Church and a supermarket across the street were found in Ambridge, and were converted into the campus. Bishop Stanway returned to Australia in 1978 and was succeeded as dean by Dr. Rodgers. During Dr. Rodgers' 12 years as dean, Trinity grew steadily, and established itself as a center for renewal and a resource for the Episcopal Church. The first class graduated in 1979 and Trinity was accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in 1985.
In 1989, the Trustees elected William Frey, the bishop of Colorado and a leader of the renewal movement, as the third dean and president. Under Bishop Frey, the school developed its credit-by-extension program. In 1996, Peter Moore, a founding board member and noted evangelical leader, became the fourth dean and president. During the eight years of Dr. Moore's tenure, the School added the Doctor of Ministry degree, developed an Anglican edition of a popular Bible curriculum for children, expanded its extension and online course offerings, and expanded the Library/Academic Center's technical capabilities. In August 2004, The Very Rev. Dr.theol. Paul F. M. Zahl became Trinity's fifth Dean and President. Dr. Zahl brought years of leadership experience in parish ministry to Trinity. He resigned in May 2007, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. John Rodgers has come out of retirement to serve as Interim Dean and President for one year. In May 2008, the Trinity Board of Trustees elected The Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity, to be our sixth Dean and President. He will assume his responsibilities beginning July 1, 2008.
The Stanway Institute was founded in 1989 both to encourage the Church in evangelism and to train people to proclaim the gospel in the diversity of ways and places needed to reach the whole world. It has already initiated the first master's degree in the Episcopal Church to train missionaries and evangelists.
Trinity has grown steadily to over 500 full- and part-time students in our residential, extension, and online programs, and a faculty of 12. Eight associate professors, a dozen adjunct professors and three administrative faculty - including experienced missionaries, youth ministries leaders, a key theologian in the emerging church movement, a noted renewal music composer, and various scholars committed to deep, Christ-centered spirituality - contribute their expertise. Currently, more than 900 Trinity alumni, both lay and ordained, serve domestically and around the world.
Over the years, we have received growing affirmation from the Church. The student body is growing, more and more bishops are ordaining Trinity graduates, and the seminary has received millions of dollars in gifts from a growing number of parishes and individuals. Two faculty members, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Terence Kelshaw and the Rt. Rev. Ray Smith, and eight graduates - the Rt. Rev. Wilson Turumanya, the Rt. Rev. John Rucyahana, the Rt. Rev. Tito Zavala, the Rt. Rev. Naftal Bikaka, the Rt. Rev. Sadok Makaya, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin Kwashi, the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence and the Rt. Rev. John Miller - have been elected bishops. Bishop Ben Kwashi was recently enthroned as Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria.
Historic Core Principles
Our first dean, Bishop Alfred Stanway, founded the school upon the principles of the Church Missionary Society, for which he had served as a missionary. As we grow and change as an institution, these principles still inform our life together:
First, start small, while intending great things. At every step in our growth, we have been willing to begin in a small way when we felt God's leading. We have not waited until we had everything we thought we would need for success. We believe that God will give the increase; and, unfailingly, He has.
Second, follow God's leading. We place prayer for God's guidance at the center of our life. Classes begin with prayer, and waiting on the Spirit is an important part of every chapel service. We depend on the gracious offerings of God's people rather than on endowment, in order to be open to God's leading through others.
Third, put money in a secondary place. As Bishop Stanway used to say, "Money follows ministry." Our lifestyle is simple but expectant. In any decision, the important question for us is not "Do we have the money?" or "How will this affect giving?" but "Is this God's will?" If it is, the Lord will provide. If it isn't, He won't.
Fourth, remember that under God, everything depends upon the quality of the people chosen. Trinity's faculty and staff are not only well qualified for their positions, but personally and sacrificially committed to Christ, biblical orthodoxy, and to Trinity's mission and life. As our students seek to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, they could not ask for better mentors.
