Program Synopsis

The Trinity Forum Academy aims to develop in Fellows habits of leadership and disciplines of living through participation in four main modes of learning: that which comes through traditional, academic curriculum; that which comes through an active engagement with culture; that which comes through reflective consideration of vocation under the tutelage of an experienced mentor; and that which comes through participation in a vibrant community of other young leaders of faith.

Curriculum

A rigorous curriculum involves the Fellows in assigned readings, guided seminar discussions, and interaction with Trinity Forum adjunct faculty members and guest speakers.

Readings: Each week Academy fellows are assigned readings in a variety of fields and genres, including theology, spiritual disciplines, social theory, apologetics, poetry epistemology, cultural critique, biographies, and fiction. These readings follow four primary themes:

1. Understanding God, the World, and Our Times
2. Spiritual Formation and Character Development
3. Discovering Calling, Giftedness, and Life Work
4. Apologetics and Readings in the Classics.

All required books and reading materials are available in the Academy library; there are no book costs to Fellows.

Seminars: The Academy meets for four 90 minute seminars each week (Monday through Thursday mornings). These seminars are modeled upon the Socratic style of open discussion used at Trinity Forums. To begin each seminar a Fellow presents a short written critique summarizing the assigned reading for that week. The other Fellows then discuss the questions raised by the presenter, offer their own critiques, and engage the issues raised by the reading assignment. Finally, the Academy director helps the Fellows tie together their conclusions into a consistent, coherent framework of understanding that can be lived out practically in day-to-day life.

The seminar curricula begins with the question of understanding God as Trinity and his purpose and will for creation, especially in relation to the dominant intellectual, political, moral, and ecclesiastical systems and structures of our day. The Fellows are encouraged to wrestle with God’s call upon their lives, as well as that upon all followers of Jesus in general. The Fellows are strongly encouraged to think how they can and should bring their faith to bear on various aspects of culture, including politics and poetry, law and literature, music and medicine, and business and bioethics.

Unlike many other internships and Christian study programs, the Trinity Forum Academy takes seriously the place of Christian classics and great works of fiction in a full-orbed worldview, reading and discussing the novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jane Austen and the poetry of Dante and T. S. Eliot. The Fellows also read and discuss writings on the spiritual disciplines (solitude, prayer, study, work, and so forth) and have an opportunity to put them into practice.

Adjunct Faculty & Guest Speakers: Once or twice a month, Fellows enjoy the opportunity to hear from present day leaders attempting to bring their faith to bear on their personal as well as professional lives. Representing a wide variety of disciplines, these established leaders share with the Fellows their own stories of struggling to discern their callings and how to pursue them in a culturally transforming way.

Community Life

Academy Dinners: Few experiences facilitate camaraderie and fellowship like sharing a good meal, as evidenced by the life of Jesus. Each evening, the Fellows and Directors gather for a feast, providing excellent opportunity to discuss the days events, laugh, and serve one another.

Common Residence: Fellows live in a common house with the Academy Directors on the property of Osprey Point Leadership Center. The “Windrush” House has a spacious living room and dining room, both with wide-open vistas of the Bay, a study area, a kitchen, laundry facilities, and a large back porch overlooking the water. All the bedrooms overlook the Bay, have private bathrooms, and come fully furnished with beds, desks, door chests, and hanging space for clothes. Fellows will share rooms with one or two roommates in the program.

Recreation: An important component of living a holistic life as taught in the Academy is relaxation and exercise. Fellows are encouraged to take advantage of the recreational facilities at Osprey Point Leadership Center. Tennis, basketball, volleyball, biking, kayaking, canoeing, ping pong, foosball, billiards, shuffleboard, a fitness center, and an outdoor swimming pool are available for fostering good health, high spirits, and lively fellowship.

Worship: Academy Fellows gather each morning in the chapel to begin their day with prayer and praise. Each week, the Fellows rotate leading the worship, which usually incorporates singing, scripture reading, and prayer. Also, each Fellow is encouraged to become actively involved in one of the many local church congregations in Easton, St. Michaels, or Royal Oak, Maryland.

In addition to these times of corporate worship, the Academy encourages living all of life in thankful praise to God and regards all daily activities as a form of worship.

Cultural Engagement

Trips to D.C., lectures, panel discussions, art museums: Given its proximity to the nation’s capital, the Academy takes advantage of all the cultural opportunities that are available at some of the nation’s leading think tanks, study centers and museums. About once every two weeks, Fellows travel into Washington, D.C. to participate in special events from panel discussions on bioethics to architectural tours of governmental buildings and historical landmarks to lectures by noted scholars and public policy experts.

Film Critiques: Each week the Fellows view a film together and then discuss the worldview being communicated through the movie’s content as well as form. Sometimes this weekly event is also used to listen to a music recording, read a selection of poetry, or visit an art gallery in Washington, D.C. Through readings, discussions, and writing short critiques, the Academy aims to develop in tomorrow's leaders an informed, discerning, and rich appreciation for the true, good and beautiful, with an eye toward how the arts can shape persons as well as cultures.

Hosting Special Events: The Trinity Forum Academy hosts occasional dinner/discussion events and weekend conferences at Osprey Point Retreat and Conference Center. The Fellows invite and host young leaders who are passionate about wrestling with today's most pressing issues. Speakers at past events have included, among others, Dr. Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale Divinity School, Mr. Ken Myers, producer and host of Mars Hill Audio, Mrs. Nancy Pearcey, author of Total Truth, and Dr L. Gregory Jones, Dean and Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School.

Calling

Mentoring: Fellows are assisted in taking up the question of their particular life purpose or calling through personal mentoring. Each young leader is linked with an established leader working in the Fellow's desired field, who exposes him/her to the "ins-and-outs" of that particular career. Through periodic meetings (usually once every three or four weeks), the Fellow gains insight into how leaders have discerned the call to their particular lines of work, what that work entails, and how best to prepare for success in the desired field. Mentors also assist the Fellows in choosing—and tracking the progress of—their individual research projects (see below). Mentors who have invested in Academy Fellows include Mrs. Ursula Meese, citizen leader and wife of former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese, Mrs. Nancy Pearcey, science writer and author of Total Truth, Dr. James Skillen, President of the Center for Public Justice, and Dr. Bruce MacLaury, President Emeritus of the Brookings Institution.

Individual Research Projects: These individual projects, chosen by each Fellow in consultation with the Academy Director and the Fellow's mentor, allow Fellows to wrestle specifically with their own sense of vocation. At the beginning of the term, each Fellow selects a question, topic, or field of research that he/she would like to focus on throughout the nine months at the Academy. Then the Fellow develops a project that will help prepare him/her for future leadership in that field. Fellow projects, which are tailored to individual interests, could include a research paper that could contribute to a future Ph.D. dissertation or a portfolio of art samples produced while at the Academy.