In 2008, Moravian Theological Seminary received a $6.1 million gift from the estate of Charles D. Couch, a long-time friend of the Seminary. Couch passed away at the age of 91 on December 31, 2006.
During his life, Couch treasured his Moravian roots and his generosity was motivated by a desire to ensure that future generations of students would be trained at the Seminary.
Couch’s family has long been involved at Moravian Theological Seminary. His brother was the late Moravian pastor, Paul de S. Couch '52. His niece is Rt. Rev. M. Blair Couch ’78, an ordained pastor and bishop in the Moravian Church, who today serves as a teaching associate for the Seminary.
The roots of Charles Couch’s family also run deep into Moravian history. Couch is a direct descendent of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, patriarch of the Moravian denomination. Other members of his family tree include the Rev. Paul de Schweinitz, men’s college Class of 1884, and a president of the Northern Province of the Moravian Church in America, and the Rev. Edmund de Schweinitz, who served as president of Moravian College and Theological Seminary from 1867 to 1885. In all, more than a dozen members of Couch’s family have attended Moravian.
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Dean Frank Crouch has recently announced that through the generosity of Charles D. Couch and his interest in the education of those who serve the ministry of the Moravian Church, Moravian Theological Seminary has created the “Charles D. Couch Chair in Moravian Theology and Ministry.”
This chair was created in order that Moravian Theological Seminary, the only denominational seminary of the Moravian Church in America, would have a faculty position specifically devoted to the life and ministry of the Moravian Church and its importance in the larger Christian Church.
In April 2008, the Seminary Board of Trustees approved a strategic plan that included plans to address that need, calling for the creation of “a new faculty Chair in Moravian Theology and Ministry that will apply distinctive strengths of the Moravian missional tradition to the life and ministry of the contemporary Church”— not just the Moravian Church, but the larger Christian community as well.
The strategic plan initially called for this chair to become the seventh full time faculty position at the Seminary. However, current economic conditions do not justify the addition of a seventh full time faculty member. In order to implement the initiative now, and because there is significant overlap between this position and the Church History position, this new chair will replace the existing faculty position in Church History, effective at the end of this academic year.
The faculty member holding this Chair will (1) focus on the history, theology, and ministry of the Moravian Church and their importance for this denomination and for the larger Christian community and (2) serve as the Director of the Center for Moravian Studies — an endowment-funded Center that underwrites programs to promote the scholarly study of the life and ministry of the Moravian Church.
A PhD or ThD in a relevant field of study is required. The most desirable candidates will possess an extensive grasp of Moravian history and/or theology as well as the ability to explore those disciplines in the context of the history of the larger Church. Candidates must also demonstrate a familiarity with the current missional dialogue and an understanding of issues, opportunities, and challenges facing the Moravian Church and the larger Christian community.
The search for this new position is underway, with plans to have the new faculty member in place when the academic year begins in fall 2010. The job announcement can be found on the Moravian College HR job listings page. |
   
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