A Mission Held in Trust
Stewarding the Church-Related University
- Discipleship & Christian Education
- Publisher: IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Your Institution's Mission Is Key to Its Flourishing For church-related colleges and universities, a mission statement is a powerful tool. It communicates what is distinctive about each institution and its relationship to its faith tradition. Yet having a clear and compelling mission statement is not enough. Universities face ongoing challenges in stewarding their missions in a rapidly changing culture. In A Mission Held in Trust, leading administratorsand educators from both Protestant and Catholic institutions provide wisdom on mission alignment in higher education. Mission is designed to be held in trust by members of a community and stewarded for the next generation. Contributors shed light on a number of topics to help church-related colleges and universities advance their missions, including: how mission statements serve as organizing rationales for exercising institutional identity; challenges to mission in a post-secular cultural context; issues of law, lobbying, messaging, and finance; the theological, philosophical, and legal characteristics of fiduciary service; and how students, educators, board members,and other stakeholders are formed for service. This book brings together a distinguished roster of higher education leaders from presidents of Notre Dame, Baylor, Biola, Pepperdine, Franciscan, and Samford to senior officials fromWheaton, Villanova, Saint Louis, and the Catholic University of America. Spanning Catholic, evangelical, and ecumenical institutions, their combined experience in leadership, formation, and ministry offers readers practical, hard-won wisdom they cantrust. In the midst of uncertainties and change, mission remains a sacred trust—inherited from predecessors and passed along to successors. A Mission Held in Trust is a unique ecumenical resource providing wisdom and encouragement for leaders seeking faithfulness in these vital vocations. About the Contributors This volume brings together an outstanding group of higher education leaders. Contributors include Kathleen Byrnes, vice president for student life at Villanova University; Barry H. Corey, President of Biola University; Robert A. Dowd, CSC, president of the University of Notre Dame; Jim Gash, president of Pepperdine University; Aquinas Guilbeau, OP, university chaplain and vice president of ministry and mission at Catholic University of America; John I. Jenkins, CSC, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame; Karen An-hwei Lee, professor of English and provost at Wheaton College; Linda A. Livingstone, president of Baylor University; Edward A. Malloy, CSC, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame; Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of Franciscan University; Molly A. Schaller, associate dean of the School of Education at Saint Louis University; Beck A. Taylor, president of Samford University.
Endorsements (9)
“A Mission Held in Trust is a timely and insightful guide for leaders committed to preserving and advancing the distinct mission of Christian higher education. The contributors offer wisdom, clarity, and practical pathways for stewarding institutions with both courage and conviction. This book is a valuable resource for all of us entrusted with shaping universities grounded in faith and purpose.”
“A Mission Held in Trust brings together a varied group of academic leaders and faculty to give voice to some of the particular realities on individual campuses while pointing to the larger work that animates and connects the nation's church-related institutions. The authors combine to offer a compelling path forward, responding to the larger culture's secularism with a life-giving vision for institutions who work to produce graduates committed to the common good. The faith-based college and university, the collected essays make clear, offers a particularly powerful platform to advance human flourishing in our time.”
“As faith-based colleges and universities, we need to model what we teach about welcome, shared participation, and collaboration. This book is both a witness and an invitation to that ecumenical mission.”
“A Mission Held in Trust is an inspirational and essential masterpiece for higher education leaders tasked with the honor of stewarding a university's sacred charism and mission. It is the most comprehensive book on the subject, expertly weaving together trustee formation; faculty, staff, and student development; and marketing and finances into a cohesive tapestry of mission-driven leadership. Whether used for cabinet retreats or a leader's personal reflection and growth, this book provides the tools necessary to ensure our institutional missions remain vibrant and true for future generations.”
“This is a beautiful book. Written as a compendium on the importance of institutional mission, it is both clarifying and compelling in its breadth and depth of insight. A must-read for the leadership teams of every institution serious about defining and articulating its mission and for every individual sincere in their efforts to fulfill it.”
“A Mission Held in Trust makes a substantive and timely contribution to the study and stewardship of church-related universities. Drawing from distinguished Catholic and evangelical scholars, the volume offers an insightful examination of the theological, cultural, and fiduciary commitments. Its analyses are both intellectually disciplined and practically instructive, providing a valuable framework for leaders charged with advancing institutional mission. I highly recommend this book for those who labor together to advance church-related higher education.”
“A Mission Held in Trust frames mission not as something temporarily managed but as a responsibility received from predecessors and owed to those who follow. The contributors thoughtfully examine how governance, formation, and operational decisions either strengthen or erode mission over time. This volume offers wise guidance for university communities and leaders seeking faithful continuity across seasons of change.”
“Fiduciary responsibility implies imagining a long institutional arc, and in exploring this idea, A Mission Held in Trust presses faith-based colleges and universities to avoid quick fixes and focus rather on long-term strategies that draw on the resources of the Christian faith to serve students, the church, and their various communities. As such, it provides a timely resource for institutions to tack against the gale force headwinds colleges and universities face today.”
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