Change is never easy.
Most often the willingness to change (or the necessity to change) comes
from external factors—an economic adjustment, an environmental shift, or a
personal crisis. The only certainty in
life is that things will change.
The church is going through a time of adjustment due to
cultural, economic, social, and demographic changes. There is nothing new in this. The church has not only survived but thrived
during times of change for twenty centuries.
As the church goes, so go the institutions charged with
training ministry leaders. There have
been many models for theological education over the centuries. Each model was created to equip and form
ministers who would lead the people of God within a particular culture to build
up the Kingdom of God.
We can learn from and honor these past traditions of
theological education, but we do not have to preserve those things which are no
longer effective or beneficial for preparing the next generation of ministry
leaders.
There are many ways to address this challenge, but let’s
start with those who are being called to ministry.
First, they tend to be older when they respond to the call
to ministry. Many are mid-career men and
women who have been involved in the marketplace and now wish to invest their
lives in a different way. Some are young
women and men who have taken some time to volunteer, travel, and learn about
the world and their place in it, and they are now ready to change their world.
Second, they bring unique skills to their ministry preparation. Many have graduate degrees, others are
experienced in a particular vocation, and most are very savvy about social
media and all things digital. They want
to know how to use these skills for ministry.
Third, in many cases but not all, they have ambivalent
feelings about the church. Some did not
come to faith through the traditional church route but rather through
parachurch ministries or outreach programs.
They may not even have a particular denominational bent. Others have had a bad experience in the
church but they love Jesus and want to give their lives to Kingdom work. In fact, many understand that the work of the
Kingdom is not limited to what goes on within the walls of a building but is
much broader.
Fourth, they thrive on seeking the holy. They readily practice those spiritual
disciplines—lectio divina, centering prayer, and journaling, for example—that bring
them closer to God. They are willing to embrace
both mystery and paradox in their faith journey.
Fifth, they are more diverse. There is ethnic diversity, economic diversity, and gender diversity. They reflect the society in which we will live--and that's a good thing!
Many of these students will enter traditional seminary
programs and be disappointed. There is nothing
wrong with the faculty, the curriculum, or the setting, but they find that they
are being prepared for a ministry that no longer exists.
The theological institutions which will
attract, form, and produce effective ministers for our time and place understand
not only that the times have changed but that they need to change as well. The institutions that
not only recognize that change is happening but embrace it will be in the
vanguard of preparing effective ministers for our time.
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