Baylor’s Truett Seminary Michael W. Stroope and Dustin D. Benac Receive Grant to Support Ecclesial Entrepreneurship Program
WACO, Texas (June 20, 2023) – Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is pleased to share that Michael W. Stroope, PhD, professor of Christian Missions, director of the MA in Contextual Witness and Innovation (MACWI), and holder of the M.C. Shook Chair of Missions, and Dustin D. Benac, ThD, director and co-founder of the Program for the Future Church (PFFC), have received a subgrant from Princeton Theological Seminary’s “Teaching Spiritual Entrepreneurship” initiative to fund the Baylor Ecclesial Entrepreneurship Program (BEEP).
Princeton Theological Seminary obtained funding from Trinity Church Wall Street with the goal of equipping seminaries across North America to theologically form and practically prepare students to lead social innovation and entrepreneurial ministries. Through a competitive application process, Stroope and Benac received a subgrant to build upon the entrepreneurship ecology of Baylor University in order to integrate existing insight, networks, and practices to better support the future of seminarians seeking to serve in and alongside the Church in innovative vocations and callings.
“As the landscape that surrounds theological education and ministry undergoes significant change,” shares Benac, “There is an opportunity for Christian thought and practice to shape how we respond. These expressions of ecclesial entrepreneurship draw wisdom from our traditions for a new day of mission and ministry.”
Baylor University, a Research 1 institution, is known for having leading entrepreneurial programs with regular top-ten recognition among all universities nationally. Baylor’s Truett Seminary shares this commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation for theological education through programs like the MA in Contextual Witness and Innovation and the Program for the Future Church. While the MACWI expands the notion of calling to include a broad variety of giftings and vocations, the PFFC creates a collaborative community with seminarians and regional leaders to pilot solutions for emerging and pressing challenges facing the Church.
By connecting BEEP to the MACWI and the PFFC programs, Truett Seminary will create a credit-bearing incubator to enable students to learn spiritual entrepreneurship alongside leaders and ministers, build upon existing initiatives to enhance ecclesial innovation, and provide flexible curriculum options for students who wish to pursue theological education in support of broader entrepreneurial efforts.
Bolstering these established programs, BEEP aims to align with Truett’s mission of “equipping God-called people for ministry” and expand the collaborative structures that enrich dynamic theological entrepreneurship at the University and in surrounding Waco communities.
Regarding the subgrant, Stroope remarked, “We are thrilled to receive this grant and anticipate that it will make a significant contribution to the academic, vocational, and spiritual preparedness of our students, as they seek to express God’s love through innovation, service, and witness.”
To learn more about the Ecclesial Entrepreneurship Program, click here.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT GEORGE W. TRUETT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary is an orthodox, evangelical, multi-denominational school in the historic Baptist tradition that equips God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ’s Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, Truett Seminary provides theological education leading to the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Contextual Witness and Innovation, Master of Arts in Theology, Ecology and Food Justice, Master of Arts in Theology and Sports Studies (online), Master of Theological Studies, Doctor of Ministry, and Ph.D. in Preaching. Truett Seminary also offers joint degrees through Baylor University school/college partnerships in social work, business, law, music, and education. In addition to the flagship Baugh-Reynolds Campus in Waco, the Seminary also has additional instructional sites in Houston and San Antonio. Visit the Truett Seminary website to learn more.