Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois, has parted ways with the school’s first black president, Joy J. Moore, following months of confusion about whether she resigned just before she was to be installed in the position last October.
The announcement of the parting came in a joint statement from Moore and the seminary’s board of trustees last Friday, citing a breakdown in communication and a “loss of trust” between them.
“During Dr. Moore’s tenure as President, … it gradually became clear that there was a disconnect between the Board and Dr. Moore. Looking back, everyone involved acknowledges that there were missed opportunities for better communication of expectations and clarification of roles,” the statement said. “Over time, this disconnect led to a loss of trust that both the President and the Board recognized needed to be addressed.”
Historically known as Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, the institution is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Moore was officially named the seminary’s 13th president in November 2024, in a press release acknowledging her “visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to theological education.”
She was noted as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church who previously served as professor of biblical preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a visiting professor of religion as well as the Chapman-Benson Scholar in Residence at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. Her hiring came more than a year after William Shiell resigned as the seminary’s 12th president in March 2023 over allegations of bullying and retribution.
In October, it was reported that vice chair of the board of trustees of Northern Seminary, Brian Johnson, and chair, James Stellwagen, announced at a dinner kicking off Moore’s presidential installation that she had discerned she would no longer lead the seminary and had resigned. It was a shock to many of her supporters, who were in attendance at the dinner.
Later, during a worship service at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, where Moore’s installation ceremony should have been hosted, she told the crowd that she had not resigned as the board members had claimed.
Dennis Blackwell, a black UMC pastor from New Jersey, accused the seminary of racism amid the confusion. Others, like retired Methodist pastor Keith Boyette, raised similar concerns in a Facebook post on Oct. 10, along with a now-deleted announcement of Moore’s resignation from the seminary.
“To the shock of virtually everyone in attendance, Northern Seminary announced it would not be installing Rev. Dr. Joy Moore as its president today. The information shared in the press release, now removed by Northern Seminary, stated that Joy had discerned that she was not a good fit with the Seminary and therefore had resigned. The announcement was false,” Boyette declared. “She did not resign and she did not discern that she was not a good fit for the Seminary. Pray for Joy in this time. One can hope that the Seminary Board of Trustees is rethinking their leadership and the way they have falsely maligned Joy.”
In their joint statement last Friday, Moore and Northern Seminary’s Board of Trustees provided more insight into what happened.
“At the conclusion of a meeting with the Board just prior to a scheduled Scholarship Dinner on October 9th, Dr. Moore expressed that she did not feel she could successfully move forward in her role or take the oath of office. While the Board understood her remarks as a voluntary decision to step away from her position, Dr. Moore understood her comments to be prompts for further discussion,” the statement said. “That misunderstanding between Dr. Moore and the Board on the status of their discussions led to conflicting public statements and, ultimately now, the mutual agreement that Dr. Moore would step down as Northern’s President.”
The statement further apologized for the confusion caused by the miscommunication, offered a refund to donors to their scholarship fund and denounced racism at the seminary.
“The Board and Dr. Moore understand that this caused confusion and disappointment for some — especially for those at the Scholarship Dinner — and for that, they sincerely apologize. Northern has since contacted all who contributed that evening to offer the option of a refund for their scholarship donations,” the statement said.
“Subsequently, there were accusations by a third party of racism. Dr. Moore did not join in those accusations, and Northern Seminary unequivocally affirms that this accusation was not warranted. Dr. Moore and Northern do not tolerate racism or any form of discrimination,” the statement added. “The Board of Trustees is grateful for Dr. Moore’s service at Northern Seminary and affirms Dr. Moore and her unique giftedness in the important Kingdom work that she has done and that which lies ahead for her.”
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