(RNS) — After months of uncertainty surrounding her status, the president of Northern Seminary, a Baptist school near Chicago, has resigned.
“We are writing to share that Dr. Joy Moore and the Board of Trustees for Northern Seminary have come to an agreement regarding the conclusion of her time as President of Northern Seminary,” the school said in an announcement on Friday (Jan. 2).
Joy Moore, a well-known scholar and professor of biblical preaching, was named president of Northern in November 2024 and began work soon afterward. At the time, Moore was hailed for “her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to theological education,” according to the official news release about her hiring.
But things began to unravel for Moore — Northern’s first Black president — before the school could hold a ceremony officially installing her in the new role, an event set for October 2025. During a fundraising dinner held the night before her installation, the chair of Northern’s board announced that Moore had resigned — a claim Moore disputed.
The school, based in Lisle, Illinois, also posted an announcement in October that Moore had resigned, but quickly deleted it, leaving confusion over who was in charge.
Leaders at the school — whose graduates included Harold Lindsell, one of the first editors of Christianity Today, and Kenneth Taylor, founder of Tyndale House, a Christian publishing company, and translator of “The Living Bible” — declined for months to answer questions about Moore’s status, saying that discussions between Moore and the board were ongoing.
Northern Seminary logo. (Image courtesy of Northern Seminary)
In its January statement, the sch …