The Role Of Christian Education In The Local Church – It is time to rethink our assumptions about where theological education took place. Before 1565, local churches were also seminaries.
Under the pressure of declining enrollment and shrinking budgets, many mainline Protestant seminaries are beginning to rethink nearly every aspect of theological education. They have launched new degree programs and developed a more flexible curriculum. They implemented a “competency-based” assessment system and improved online services.
The Role Of Christian Education In The Local Church
But in the midst of this massive transformation, one aspect of theological education remains unchanged: the place where much happens. It is still widely believed that theological education takes place in academic institutions-seminaries and seminaries.
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From a historical perspective, this hypothesis is a rather late development. The first seminary was not founded until 1563, when it was commissioned by the Council of Trent as
, or “seedbed” for training priests in the Catholic Church. Before the 16th century, theological education took place in and through the local church. This was the case in pre-Constantinian times, when the Church offered a rigorous three-year educational process called catechumens, which all converts had to go through before being baptized.
From the beginning of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Reformation, the task of theological education fell mainly to monasteries and city cathedrals (which we call the “great steeple” of the church). Located in cities such as Milan and Paris, these cathedrals are places of worship but also places of clerical training and lay education. Although they do not offer formal degree programs, these churches have remained a site of theological study and scholarship for nearly a thousand years.
The establishment of the first seminaries triggered a dramatic shift in thinking about where theological education took place. For the first time in history, it is conceivable that clergy training and secular education took place outside the local church and monastery. Now, nearly 500 years later, it’s hard to imagine things any other way.
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The shift in the cathedral model had unintended and disastrous consequences. The invention of the seminary led the church to outsource a responsibility that had long been considered in-house: the in-depth study of Scripture, theology, and Christian tradition.
This is not to say that the church has completely divorced itself from the business of education. But in most cases, the type of guidance provided by local churches is less strict and more watered down,
Alternative seminary teaching. This situation may be the result of a lack of resources and personnel in local churches, but it also reflects the notion that serious biblical and theological reflection is the prerogative of academic institutions. Although many churches still maintain relationships with seminaries as a place for the education of students, all the day-to-day work of the church is less connected than ever to the mission of theological education.
It is time to rethink our assumptions about where theological education takes place. Although much has changed since the Middle Ages, restoring the cathedral model of learning has the potential to reinvigorate not only the formation of the faith of the congregation but also the vitality of seminaries and seminaries at a critical moment in their development.
Christian Ed In The Local Church
I believe there are four benefits to making the church a viable place for seminary theological education. First, the cathedral model challenges us to rethink the purpose of theological education. When we associate theological and biblical training with seminary, it is difficult not to consider theological education as a path to a professional degree. M.Div. Related degrees are considered functionally equivalent to the Master of Business Administration or Master of Nursing degrees in that they prepare candidates in terms of skills and qualifications to work in specific occupations. Before 1563, it was more natural to consider theological education as an aspect of discipleship rather than an act of professional qualification.
The last chapter of Luke’s Gospel illustrates this idea, telling the story of two travelers who traveled to Emmaus on the first Easter afternoon. When Jesus approached, they mistook him for a stranger and began to tell him about the recent events in Jerusalem, including the crucifixion of the Nazarene and rumors about an empty tomb. Finally, Jesus spoke. Then, in one of the greatest lessons in Sunday school history, Jesus “explained to them everything about Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27).
What is interesting about this story is that Jesus did not command these two travelers to quit their jobs and go to another city to take a theology course, but He gave them His teachings. Their knowledge of Jesus and the Bible happened during their journey. Jesus went where they went. In fact, later in the story, when Jesus seems about to leave them, they urge him to stay, and that night, Jesus breaks bread with them. It’s easy to imagine that the lessons that started on the street continued around that table.
The effect is transformative. Their eyes were opened and they began to recognize this stranger as the risen Christ. For these two travelers, the road to Emmaus was also the road to theological education. They almost immediately went to Jerusalem—maybe along the same road in the other direction—to tell the 11 disciples what they had learned. Throughout the journey, in meals and hospitality, theological education is part of the student’s life.
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The second benefit of church-based theological education follows directly from the first: if theological education is an act of discipleship rather than primarily a path to a professional degree, its potential audience is wider than we often imagine. A common assumption among seminarians is that smaller class sizes reflect a diminished interest in seminary-level theological training. When a seminary is forced to downsize or close, it is often viewed as a market correction to a declining consumer base.
This may be partially true, but it does not tell the whole story. Factors that prevent individuals from entering seminary are many and complex, often related to practical considerations about finances, family, and other logistical matters. In my experience, interest in what seminary has to offer does not fade. In fact, people are increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of deep biblical and theological studies in their local churches, even though their living conditions make them more likely to apply to seminary.
Back in 2015, I served as scholar-in-residence at First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, which launched a program called Theological Matters that offers short-term seminary-style courses designed for a lay audience. Covering a range of topics from the Ten Commandments to Biblical “horror texts” to Reformation hymns, each course consists of eight 40-minute sessions that combine lectures and small group discussions. Although the content is at the master’s level, no exams or papers are required, and the scope of each course is narrower than a three-credit course at a seminary. We try to make each session stand alone so that those who miss a session don’t feel left out of the next conversation. The goal of Theological Matters is to make higher-level theological education accessible and relevant to those who have never been to a seminary campus.
With minimal marketing, our courses average between 50 and 70 participants, and a larger audience now accesses the online version of these courses. When it comes to delivering theological education to a wide audience, Theological Matters and other similar projects only scratch the surface. Although seminary enrollment may never recover, one thing is clear: People still love the programs traditionally offered by seminaries. The question is whether churches can creatively devise ways to make their rich educational content accessible to this wider audience.
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A third potential benefit of the cathedral model is that it can inspire us to think in new ways about how people engage in theological education. A major trend in seminaries is online education. While there is much to celebrate in this endeavor, online education is still not for everyone. From baby boomers to millennials, many people still crave serious study in a physical classroom where they can interact closely with their classmates. So what if instead of just bringing theological education online, we start thinking about taking theological education on the road?
That’s exactly what happened in the spring of 2017 in a unique collaboration between Columbia Theological Seminary and First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. That semester, I taught a three-credit course on Old Testament theology designed for seminary students, but in the evenings at First Presbyterian Church rather than on the seminary campus. The course is open to Columbia University students and ten church members.
Of course this is a win for both institutions. First Presbyterian members can pursue seminary studies without enrolling in a formal degree
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