McCormick Theological Seminary Unveils Public Gateway Office, Launches New Leadership Development Institute

Introducing the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement (SPACE) and the Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Leadership Development Institute (LDI).

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- McCormick Theological Seminary will mark a significant institutional milestone during its annual McCormick Days gathering on Friday, October 16, 2026, with the official unveiling of the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement (SPACE) and the launch of its inaugural initiative, the Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Leadership Development Institute (LDI).



"The Office of SPACE operationalizes our S.T.O.R.Y. Strategic Plan and our institutional commitment to Re-Storying—recovering incomplete histories, honoring lived experiences, and translating community yearnings into practice,” said Rev. Dr. Maisha Handy, President, McCormick Theological Seminary. “By bringing the Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Leadership Development Institute to life, McCormick reaffirms its commitment to being a global convening hub where prophetic legacies, civic ethics, and community-rooted scholarship converge to serve leaders in their own contexts."

The unveiling will take place at McCormick Theological Seminary, 5416 S. Cornell Ave. in Chicago, as part of a special McCormick Days program featuring the keynote roundtable “Organizing for Democracy: A Light in Today’s Shadows.” Inspired by Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks’ book, My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy, the conversation will bring together distinguished civic leaders, prophetic voices, and scholars to examine the role of faith and moral leadership in the future of American democracy.

Featured participants include the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, former U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush, the Rev. Dr. Marshall Elijah Hatch Sr., attorney Jeanette Wilson, and Bishop John Michael Villareal.

A Gateway for Prophetic Formation and Community Engagement
The Office of SPACE will serve as a public gateway to McCormick, connecting the seminary with faith communities, grassroots organizers, scholars, civic institutions, and philanthropic networks.



Through noncredit masterclasses, organizational cohorts, public programs, and digital intensives, SPACE will extend McCormick’s intellectual and theological resources beyond the traditional classroom while creating accessible pathways into the seminary’s credit-bearing academic programs.

“We are not merely preserving history or building a static video archive; we are building an active, global learning community,” said the Rev. Dr. Derrick Rice, executive director of SPACE and the Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Leadership Development Institute. “The Jeremiah Wright LDI equips faith leaders, organizers, and lay practitioners with practical tools for civic transformation, global ethics, and community development. Whether a leader participates in a single masterclass or continues into graduate theological study, McCormick is fulfilling its public vocation to serve, equip, and empower.”
  
Extending a Transformative Legacy
The Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Leadership Development Institute, established with the written concurrence and blessing of the Rev. Dr. Wright, is designed to preserve, teach, transmit, and extend his transformative legacy for generations to come.
 
Widely regarded as a “preacher par excellence,” the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is a nationally and internationally recognized pastor, theologian, author, educator, and advocate for social justice. During more than three decades as senior pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, he helped grow the congregation from 87 adult members to nearly 10,000 while establishing community engagement and advocacy as central expressions of its ministry. Known for his dedication to the Black sermonic tradition and his willingness to confront issues such as racism, economic injustice, and HIV/AIDS, Dr. Wright has influenced generations of faith leaders through his preaching, scholarship, and commitment to a gospel grounded in both worship and action.
 
The Institute will center its work on five enduring pillars:


1. Globalization, Pan-Africanism & Diasporic Engagement
2. Civil & Human Rights, Reparatory Justice & Public Ethics
3. Sacred Music, Ethnomusicology & Cultural Witness
4. Community Economic Development, Ministry & Organizing
5. Global Prophetic Leadership, Preaching & Formation



The Institute’s initial programming is already underway with the Rev. Dr. Iva E. Carruthers’ God Box Talks. Additional LDI masterclasses will feature leading scholars and practitioners, including longtime colleagues and mentees of Dr. Wright.



* Event: McCormick Days 2026 – SPACE and LDI Public Unveiling & Keynote Roundtable
* Date & Time: Friday, October 16, 2026 | 9:00 AM Reception | 10:00 AM Program
* Location: McCormick Theological Seminary, 5416 S. Cornell Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615
* Keynote Roundtable: Organizing for Democracy: A Light in Today’s Shadows
* Registration: Open to the public at mccormick.edu/mccormickdays2026

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