The Rev. Thomas Joyner Receives 2024 Reflective Leadership Grant
Rector of St. Dunstan’s in Auburn, AL, The Rev. Thomas Joyner, has been awarded the 2024 Reflective Leadership Grant by Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. This prestigious grant recognizes and supports the faithful and innovative work of Christian leaders, both lay and ordained, who find themselves at pivotal moments in their ministry.
The grant aims to empower leaders by offering them up to $15,000, allowing them to step away from their current responsibilities to reflect on their accomplishments, broaden their perspectives, and discern their future direction.
The Rev. Joyner is among 50 Christian leaders chosen this year, acknowledging his work in ministry and his commitment to the growth and future of St. Dunstan’s. This grant comes at a significant growth point for St. Dunstan’s, coinciding with a period of growth in both attendance and stewardship as well as strengthened relationships within the local community.
The Rev. Joyner noted, “I feel very honored to have the work we’re doing at St. Dunstan’s recognized. The ideas and insights for what we’ve been doing at St. Dunstan’s come from someone else, the work of implementing the vision is from the many parishioners who live into that vision, and the community is the one who benefits. It’s not the work of one person, but a true gift found when you trust God and work with your assets. I’m excited to be part of an amazing church community that lives this out.”
The Rev. Joyner has led St. Dunstan’s through a time of substantial growth, and as the church approaches its centennial, this grant offers a unique opportunity to reflect and remember the what and why of its mission and ministry.
In a public statement, Mycal Brickhouse, the Director of Programs and Grants at Leadership Education, highlighted the importance of the Reflective Leadership Grant: “Using Harvard professor Ron Heifetz’s language, we want to help leaders experience ‘balcony time,’ which allows them to move from the dance floor to the balcony to gain a broader picture of the work, organization, community, and trends. We want to encourage grantees to continue developing their leadership capacities in ways specific to their work and context,” said Brickhouse.
For The Rev. Joyner, this “balcony time” offers a much-needed opportunity to create a blueprint which can assist St. Dunstan’s going forward and any parish in the diocese looking for a similar model. As St. Dunstan’s enters its next phase, The Rev. Joyner’s project will focus on discerning how the church can continue to serve its community faithfully, while also exploring ways to translate these insights for broader use within the Diocese of Alabama.
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity is a non-degree-granting initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., based in Durham, NC. Its mission is to create lasting change in congregations by developing Christian leaders and the institutions they serve. The initiative designs educational services, produces intellectual resources, and fosters networks that cultivate a coherent vision of Christian institutional leadership.