And the new Principal is…

The Centre for Christian Studies is thrilled to announce that Marlene Britton will be our new Principal for Leadership and Development, starting in November 2025.

Marlene comes to us from her role as Director of Policies & Programs for Ministry Personnel within The United Church of Canada. Marlene is a UCC Diaconal Minister and was recently elected as President of the DIAKONIA World Federation at their July international assembly in Tanzania.

“It is with an enormous amount of excitement, with an undertone of nervous energy, that I am responding to the call of God to serve in this role,” says Marlene. “I am looking forward to working with the dedicated staff team at CCS, and with the denomination as we continue to make the most of the tremendous opportunity to participate in the work of nurturing those who are exploring their ministry vocation.”

Marlene has connected with CCS in a variety of ways over the years, including serving on the coordinating committee of our 2017 program review, mentoring students, and being a sessional guest. In 2024, she was named as a Companion of the Centre for her contributions to the diaconal community and her embodiment of CCS’s values and ideals.

Marlene did her diaconal formation in Jamaica and was ordained as a Diaconal Minister by the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas. Through the Admissions process, Marlene became the first Black person recognized as a Diaconal Minister within The United Church of Canada (followed in recent years by CCS graduates Charmain Bailey and Lisa Byer de Wever). Marlene’s understanding of the diaconate in a global context and her experience working with ministry candidates as a UCC Office of Vocation minister will be a great benefit in her role as CCS Principal.

CCS’s Principal for Leadership and Development seeks to build sustainability and creative collaboration, rooted in the diaconal mission and values of the Centre.  On CCS’s behalf, she will build relationships with donors and potential funders, denominations, networks, and other theological schools. Marlene will work most closely with CCS’s committed volunteer Central Council and its talented collaborative staff team to support the framework for students’ learning and transformation. 

We believe that Marlene has the gifts and skills that CCS needs at this crucial time, and we look forward to her stepping into her new role as Principal.

A huge thank you to the hiring committee who have spent six months of intensive work making sure CCS has the leadership it needs going forward. These sorts of things don’t happen by magic, and we appreciate your countless hours of discernment, process-design, interviews, and deliberation. Thank you also to everyone who applied for the Principal position; your enthusiasm for CCS and willingness to put yourself forward is deeply appreciated.