Abstract
I.T.C. began as an idea and later a voice before foundations in search of funds to employ a panel of distinguished educators whose task would be to project this idea into a plan of operation. The I.T.C. plan was adopted by four denominations as a cooperative instrument for the theological education of their ministers (Gammon, Phillips, Morehouse, Turner). Following denominational endorsement, two Rockefeller foundations responded with grants. The I.T.C. plan represented the first time predominantly Black denominations developed a workable cooperative approach to theological education. It protected denominational identity in an interdenominational center and placed all matters pertaining to the academic life of the Center under the control of the faculty and the I.T.C. Board of Trustees. Seminarians were afforded the opportunity to attend classes in an interdenominational setting and engage in dialogue across denominational lines without losing their denominational affiliations. Perhaps of greatest significance, the I.T.C. plan provided a facility to enlarge and enhance the conveyance of the good news of the Christian faith to the sufferings and creative potentials of the Black community.