The Division of Higher Education is changing its name to better reflect its ministry.

This summer, DHE will become Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM). The name change was approved by the DHE Board of Directors during its meeting this weekend in St. Louis.

"Before anything else, we are a ministry of the whole church focused on nurturing leaders for a faithful future," said DHE President Dennis Landon. "We will continue our work with and on behalf of Disciples educational institutions and campus ministries, but we now understand that work in a larger context. We want to do everything in partnership with other institutions and ministries."

The DHE Board of Directors has been examining DHE's mission and vision over the past several years and realized the energy that would come from a name that reflected the ministry's new direction. A task force led by Rev. John Nichols Rodenberg, pastor of Mayfair Christian Church in Stockton, Calif., made the recommendation to the full board.

"By changing our name at this time, we are steering a course in the new paradigm of ministry," Rodenberg said. "We are hoping to meet the needs of the church and the communities it serves through higher education and leadership development."

In addition to Rodenberg, other members of the name change task force were Tim Lee of Torrance, Calif., and Brite Divinity School; Don Lucey of Pittsboro, N.C.; Paul Rivera of Locust Valley, N.Y; and Madge Vasquez of Austin, Texas.

In its role to develop leaders, the Division of Higher Education provides:

• Scholarship assistance and support for leadership training for undergraduate Disciples through the DHE Leadership Fellows program.

• Recognition of outstanding ministerial students through the Dewitt and Othel Fiers Brown awards.

• Support for Ph.D. students in religious studies through the Ann E. Dickerson Fellowships and the William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholarship.

• Special needs funding for ministerial students.

• Networking opportunities through the Student Ecumenical Partnership (STEP) for thousands of Disciples students in both public and private colleges and universities.

• Coordination of recruiting efforts to make all Disciples aware of Disciples-related colleges and universities.

• Management of endowments from individuals and congregations that support future leaders, both in the pulpit and in the pews.

• Grants to support programs to enhance and strengthen the relationship between the church and the educational institutions.

• Forums where campus leaders can gather and create resources for their institutions, Disciples higher education, and the church as a whole.

• Recognition for excellence in teaching and scholarship through the T. A. Abbott Award.

• Ecumenical partnerships to broaden educational and spiritual horizons for students, faculty and administrators.

The name change will be implemented August 1. This will include a new web site address, www.helmdisciples.org, and e-mail addresses for staff. Phone numbers and the mailing address - 11477 Olde Cabin Road, St. Louis, MO, 63141-7130 - will remain the same.