Denver Seminary announces presidential retirement and appoints search committee

LITTLETON, Colo — The Board of Trustees of Denver Seminary, at their March 7 meeting, received and accepted the request from Dr. Mark Young to complete his 15-year tenure as President effective December 31, 2024. Dr. Young will assume the position of Chancellor on January 1, 2025.

 “Serving alongside the faculty, staff, and trustees at Denver Seminary these past 15 years has been the capstone to a 43-year calling as a theological educator,” said Dr. Young. “Priscilla and I are honored to have been a part of this community.”

Notable highlights of Dr. Young’s tenure include the creation of a new mission and vision statement, along with a fresh articulation of the Seminary’s core commitments, which continue to serve as guiding principles for the institution. In addition, the Seminary launched a strategic initiative to make every degree program accessible fully online and fully-in person. Under his leadership, the Seminary’s endowment experienced unprecedented growth that facilitated the creation of a more sustainable financial model for the Seminary moving into the future.

“Dr. Young has been instrumental in equipping the institution to fulfill its mission on local, national, and global scales, leaving an indelible mark on our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the wider community,” said Board of Trustees Chair Elisa Morgan. “We are grateful for the passionate and strategic leadership of Dr. Young. Because of his commitment, we are prepared for this next stage in the Seminary’s history, as we transition our mission to the next generation of leadership.”

Among Dr. Young’s many achievements as president was establishing the Seminary’s first fully online degree programs, including the Seminary’s first Ph.D. program. He also initiated the Urban Initiative and its lay ministry program and forged a strategic partnership with the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, MD, to bring programs to students in the Washington DC metro area. In addition, he facilitated the Seminary’s fully online Korean Global Campus, enabling students to earn master’s degrees in Korean.

Expanding Denver Seminary’s impact, Dr. Young championed several major initiatives such as the School Counseling Mental Health Initiative to address the mental health crises in schools, the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative to help meet the needs of Black and Hispanic communities of faith, and The Gospel Initiative to provide resources for the believing community to create a more credible, compelling, and compassionate presence of the gospel while engaging divisive social and cultural issues facing the Church today.

In these remaining months of Mark’s service, the Board will be planning several events and recognitions to celebrate his legacy and express its deepest appreciation for his faithful service.

The Board of Trustees has appointed a Search Committee, representative of key constituencies to facilitate the Board in finding and appointing the Seminary’s next President. Board of Trustee member David Hazelton will serve as the Chair.

As Denver Seminary looks to the future, the Board of Trustees has engaged JobfitMatters, a nationally recognized firm specializing in recruiting leaders for Christian higher education, to initiate the presidential search process. Over the next few weeks, JobfitMatters will be on a “listening tour” meeting with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other key constituents to discuss the search process, solicit recommendations on candidates, and gather information on essential qualities, skills and experiences desired in the next President. The search firm will also implement a comprehensive survey to solicit broad input. More details on the search process and timeline will be available once the Search Committee has processed the results of the listening sessions.

The Board of Trustees asks that all who love, serve, and support the mission of Denver Seminary join the Board of Trustees in praying for President and Mrs. Young during this period. And they ask for prayers for the search process as they trust God to guide them in their work.

Denver Seminary is a non-denominational graduate school of theology founded in 1950 and located in Littleton, CO. The Seminary’s mission is to prepare men and women to engage the needs of the world with the redemptive power of the gospel and the life-changing truth of Scripture. Denver Seminary offers on campus, fully online, and hybrid degree programs, and has an extension campus in Washington DC.

###

Contact:
Andrea Weyand
Denver Seminary
303-762-6948
[email protected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.