As you all know, the Davenant Institute has just celebrated its ten year anniversary. In that time we have gone from an idea, to a small but struggling institution, to an internationally recognized leader in Protestant thinking. Where we once had a small group of friends gathering to read papers, we now have conferences and classes with students across several continents. Where our organization once answered questions in the comments section of blog posts, we now have a moderated Discord server, a magazine, and an academic press. Where we once had to meet in borrowed rooms, we now have a growing institutional home in the Blue Ridge mountains. This success would not have been possible without hard work and the generous partnership of people like yourself.
It also would not have been possible without the work of our President, Brad Littlejohn. At the end of last year, our team received a prestigious Lilly grant along with several other critical victories, cementing the unprecedented success of our first ten years. And, given the firm footing and the key core staff who are in place, on Monday, January 22, 2024, Brad Littlejohn, President of The Davenant Institute sent his letter of resignation to the Board of Directors, announcing that:
“All good things must come to an end. For me, this is simply the right thing at the right time. For my family, it is probably long overdue, and I look forward with deep joy to being a fuller part of my children’s lives. I am so grateful for the privilege of the last ten years. Davenant is above all a community of friends, and I hope it shall remain such, inside and outside of the institution.”
We are extremely grateful and appreciative of all of the work and sacrifice that Brad and Rachel Littlejohn have made for the organization over the past decade and are excited for them and their future direction, wherever it may take them. We are sure that all of you will join us in expressing gratitude and admiration for their good and faithful service.
It was Brad’s idea to start Davenant, along with a small group of friends–some of whom are still with us as Staff and many more of whom are volunteers and donors. We hope you will join us at our Second Annual Davenant Award Banquet in Washington, DC on April 4th to honor their work and express our appreciation for our founder, alongside our annual presentation of the C.S. Lewis Award for Christian Wisdom, this year awarded to Wilfred McClay. Brad is moving on to other projects but has agreed to stay on in a transition-related capacity for the next 3-6 months, and we hope to have him involved in our project for many more years as an author and a teacher and a friend.
We are also pleased to announce that as of today, Feb. 8, 2024, our Vice President, Colin Redemer, has agreed to take on the role of Executive Director to lead Davenant in our next phase of institutional growth. He is well known to many in this community. On top of his fifteen years teaching in the Great Books program at Saint Mary’s College of California he was the first outside employee at The Davenant Institute in 2017, his work with us has included co-founding the Ad Fontes podcast and Davenant Hall, and publishing in our magazine and our press. Colin has been an essential component of our developing sense of mission, our theoretical work, our solid financial footing and institutional development. Colin is stepping into this new role with a driving sense of our organization’s unique mission and the importance of our current moment:
“The future of international Protestantism is bright. The future of higher education is better than the present. And with your help we will establish the Davenant Institute as a guiding light for those looking for leadership in both of those spheres.”
As we enter an exciting new phase, we would value your prayers and continued partnership as we seek to build up and renew the contemporary church with the riches of classical Protestantism. 2024 is already set to be a year full of exhilarating Davenant projects. Lord willing, the next ten years will see even more.