Kern Family Foundation - Office of Work and Economics in the Wesleyan Tradition

Kern Family Foundation Grant - Office of Work and Economics

Initial Award Amount: $102,500

Program Structure: Five-year relationship with anticipated ongoing annual funding

Geographic Scope: United States (Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky)

Focus Areas:

• Integration of faith, work, and economics in Christian education
• Marketplace ministry and Christian influence in society
• Theological education for economic development
• Moral leadership and business ethics
• Wesleyan perspective on economics

Purpose: To create the "Office of Work and Economics in the Wesleyan Tradition" that advocates for faith, work, and economics as an integral framing of Christian influence in society.

Program Location: Housed jointly in the School of Theology and Formation and the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism

Five Key Objectives:

1. Expand curricular and co-curricular opportunities through mentored field placements, coursework, research, and seminars
2. Produce scholarly work on marketplace topics (Wesley and economics, economic development as empowerment, moral leadership)
3. Disseminate community-based graduate-level research on religiously influenced leadership ethics
4. Create learning opportunities for parish-based clergy, marketplace leaders, and academicians
5. Develop high-impact, accessible multimedia resources

Governance: Five-member Faculty Committee and 20-member National Advisory Council

Related Initiatives:

• Seedbed.com (online teaching platform with daily digital content)
• Seminary Stewardship Alliance (consortium of 24 theological seminaries)

Funder Background: Kern Family Foundation (established 1999, Waukesha, Wisconsin) invests in programs promoting values, education, and innovation with focus on systemic change through broad-impact, long-term initiatives.

Award Date: May 10, 2013