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Advent is a season of hope and expectation. The season draws our attention forward to the coming of Christ. It is appropriate in this season, therefore, that the college’s Board of Governors has adopted a new strategic plan to guide our work for the next five years.
The strategic plan was adopted unanimously at the Board’s first meeting this fall and is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a dedicated group of Board members. You can read the full strategic plan online but I want to draw your attention to what I think is the heart of this plan, its statement of identity and purpose.
Montreal Dio is an ecumenical and bilingual learning community that educates and forms compassionate, courageous, and creative leaders for Christian witness in a rapidly changing world.
This is more than a slogan—it is a vision for the kind of leadership the church needs today. The world around us continues to shift in unprecedented and unexpected ways. Churches face declining membership, cultural secularization, and urgent need for mercy and reconciliation. But these realities are not obstacles to ministry. Instead, they invite us to imagine what faithful witness looks like. We believe it requires leaders who embody three qualities:
- Compassion literally means to “suffer with.” There is too much suffering in our world but not enough willingness to stand alongside those in need. Compassionate leadership recognizes the wounds in the world and responds with a deep care rooted in Christ’s love. Compassion is an active solidarity with those on the margins, a commitment to healing and hope.
- Courage is about the “heart” that is within us. For Christians this is the “new heart” that God puts within us. Courageous leadership dares to speak and act when the way forward is uncertain. It means telling the truth about the challenges we face and trusting that God’s Spirit is at work even when the path is unclear. Courage is what allows us to proclaim the gospel afresh in contexts that may resist or ignore it.
- Creative recognizes the reality that we are made in the image of a God who creates. Creative leadership imagines possibilities beyond the status quo. It asks, “What new thing is God doing among us?” and then takes risks and experiments boldly.
These are the leaders we believe that the church and the world need in this challenging moment. Our role as a college is to educate and form such leaders and do so in our rich ecumenical and bilingual environment, set against the backdrop of one of Canada’s premier cities and on land that has been a meeting place for peoples for generations.
Alongside this vision, we also identified theological guideposts that stand as way markers for our work. We are rooted in a resurrection hope. We abide in a Triune God. We recognize and celebrate the edifying and life-giving power of God’s Word. We are marked by gratitude and thanksgiving for the gifts we steward.
From this vision and these guideposts arise the areas of focus of our strategic plan, the meat of the work we want to engage in in coming years. The three areas of focus are:
- Sustainability and collaboration—ensuring our operations are financially sound and deepening relationships with partners.
- Innovative programs of study—preparing students for ministry in a changing church and world, with curricula that engage new contexts and ongoing formation.
- Ecumenical identity—fostering diverse learning environments and strengthening ties with our partners.
I believe this plan positions us not only to survive but to thrive in the coming years. It is a commitment to leadership that reflects the gospel—leadership that is compassionate enough to care, courageous enough to act, and creative enough to imagine what God is making new. In this season of expectation, may we prepare not only for the birth of Christ but for the future to which Christ calls us.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Rev. Dr. Jesse Zink
Principal