Rector and Dean of Trinity Search

Rector and Dean of Trinity Lutheran Seminary

We invite nominations and expressions of interest for the role, with an anticipated appointment beginning summer 2027.

Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, invites nominations and expressions of interest for the role of Rector and Dean of Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University, with an anticipated appointment beginning summer 2027.

The next Rector and Dean will assume leadership at a consequential and promising moment in the life of both the Seminary and the University. As one of the seven seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and one of only three embedded ELCA seminaries within a comprehensive university, Trinity occupies a distinctive place in theological education.

The next Rector and Dean will have the opportunity to help define and communicate a compelling vision for Trinity’s future - one that is deeply rooted in Lutheran theology and the formation of leaders for Christ’s Church while responsive to changing patterns of ministry, theological education, and congregational life. The leader will be called to strengthen sustainable enrollment, nurture a culture of formation and belonging, advance innovative and accessible approaches to theological education, deepen relationships across the ELCA and broader Church, and expand Trinity’s public witness and external visibility.

Trinity Lutheran Seminary is an integral part of Capital University, creating distinctive opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, vocational exploration, shared academic life, and engagement across the University. The Rector and Dean will serve not only as the Seminary’s chief academic and administrative leader, but also as an active University leader who builds partnerships across academic and administrative areas and helps Capital more fully embody its identity as a university shaped by vocation, faith, inquiry, belonging, and the common good.

The successful candidate will bring theological depth, pastoral credibility, academic judgment, strategic imagination, and relational strength. The Rector and Dean must be a trusted ecclesial leader who can cultivate meaningful relationships with bishops, synods, congregations, candidacy leaders, alumni, donors, churchwide partners, and the wider community while leading with sound stewardship and an entrepreneurial spirit. Trinity seeks a leader who can honor its heritage while building its future — strengthening enrollment and resources, developing new partnerships and pathways, supporting faculty and staff, and positioning the Seminary as an intellectually vibrant, spiritually grounded, ecclesially trusted, and publicly engaged place of formation for leaders called to serve the Church and the world.