Multiple Paths to Ministry: New Models for Theological Education

By John H. Thomas

Changing Models of Ministry Education

In a rapidly changing church landscape, how should ministers be prepared to serve in diverse contexts? "Multiple Paths to Ministry" affirms the continued role of seminaries and divinity schools, yet also asserts that American Protestantism can no longer rely on graduate theological schools as the sole educational institutions charged with ministerial preparation.

The essayists in "Multiple Paths to Ministry" researched the graduate theological education programs of the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Canada, and the United Methodist Church, from which they share powerful models for successful ministerial preparation. Contributors include Janet Silman, Carol Bell, Isaac McDonald, Richard Sales, Bert Affleck, Minka Shura Sprague, Glenn Miller, Ken McFayden, and Thomas Ray.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pilgrim Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2004
• ISBN: 9780829821802

Book preview

Preface

The face of ministry has changed as the church and its institutions of theological education have entered a new millennium. Demographic shifts and new cultural realities require innovative strategies for meeting the leadership needs of small churches: rural and urban congregations, financially stressed congregations, start-up ministries, and emergent ethnic faith communities. Even midsize churches question their abilities to sustain staff at continuing or past levels. Each of these situations raise questions of the viability of congregations and of their capacity to organize mission in their communities. What are the choices available to prepare and support theologically informed leadership for vital ministries in these congregations?

This collection of essays emerges from a research project conducted during 1998–2000 and funded by the Lilly Endowment. The research project studied the rapidly growing phenomenon within mainline churches of denominational study programs primarily initiated, designed, and carried out within the bounds of a local or regional judicatory. Such programs provide curricular resources that allow one to complete courses of study that lead, if denominational assessment allows, to some form of authorized ministry: certified, commissioned, licensed, or ordained. The significance of these programs resides in the fact that they are being initiated within those denominations that, in recent history, have almost exclusively defined their authorization for ministry procedures in terms of the master of divinity degree. These judicatory-based programs challenge a singular route for ministry authorization, reflecting a growing demand for the shaping of a variety of ministries for a changing ecclesial landscape.

The idea for the book was inspired by a series of consultations held as a part of the research project. Those consultations identified the need for a literature of informed conversation among those that are developing and directing judicatory programs of study. The consultations also identified the need for a literature that would help to widen the discussion heretofore restricted to seminary and divinity school circles. Authors of the essays were participants in those consultations and were chosen for their particular ability to articulate both local and universal dimensions of this movement in theological education.

The essays challenge current cultural conceptions of preparation and authorization for ministry leadership by suggesting that clericalism and professionalism have obscured the wealth of gifts and assets resident within local communities for empowering ministry. This volume engages the contemporary discussion on the status of the mainline churches and the nature and location of theological education, a discussion taken up in such works as Jackson W. Carroll’s Mainline to the Future, Donald Miller’s Reinventing American Protestantism, Joseph C. Hough’s and Barbara G. Wheeler’s Beyond Clericalism, and John Cobb’s Reclaiming the Church.¹ This book is unique in that it is the only work to engage that discussion from the standpoint of theological education and preparation for ministry occurring outside the academic centers of seminaries and divinity schools. The authors of the essays tell the stories of alternative approaches resulting in healthy, vibrant congregational life. They also raise questions and offer critique of judicatory-based programs and call for closer partnerships among the various theological education venues of the church.

The chapters are organized as follows: an introduction to judicatory-based theological education, six stories of alternative theological education models written by program participants, a look at the history of theological education and issues in formation for ministry, and finally, a consideration of theological and cultural concerns.

Editors Lance Barker and Edmon Martin explicate the nature of the discussion and its issues in an introductory chapter. Janet Silman, former co-director of the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Resource Center, tells the story of this center founded by the United Church of Canada in the mid-1980s in response to the educational needs of aboriginal peoples. The uniqueness of the learning circle and role of aboriginal elders are key components in this five-year program. Carol Bell, writer and member of a local ministry team, recounts the renewal within both a diocese and local parishes through the Mutual Baptismal Ministry Program of the Diocese of Northern Michigan of the Episcopal Church. Isaac M. McDonald, pastor and former director of a program in Eastern Virginia, contributes a chapter on the role of the Southern Conference Ordination Preparation Education (SCOPE) program of the United Church of Christ. This program is designed intentionally to be an alternative educational path to ordination for African American clergy, many already serving as pastors of congregations. Dick Sales, whose background includes many years in Botswana developing theological education by extension programs, reflects on how Theological Education by Extension (TEE) is applied in the Theology Among the People program of theological instruction sponsored by the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ. Bert Affleck, faculty member at Perkins School of Theology and director of the Perkins’ Course of Study, outlines the Course of Study program of the United Methodist Church, a program with a long history and a sizable role in preparing local pastors in that denomination. Minka Sprague, a member of the faculty at New York Seminary, outlines the history of a seminary that introduced innovation based on a renewed sense of educational and ecclesial mission into both its curricular design and vision of the theological school.

Glenn Miller, the noted historian of North American theological education, contributes an essay surveying the historical place of judicatory education. Ken McFayden, director of the professional development program at Union Seminary in Virginia, raises important formational questions to be considered with regard to judicatory programs. The essay by Thomas Ray, retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan, is a theological statement on the ministry of all the baptized.² The volume editors are the research team of Edmon Martin and Lance Barker, who complete the collection with a cultural critique and assessment.

This book emerged from a project that involved a wide range of participants, which is fully evident from the pages ahead outlining our engagement with judicatory-based theological education. It is appropriate that we name the programs and sites we visited and the sites that were otherwise involved in our research. They include the Commissioned Lay Pastor Program of Holston (Tennessee) Presbytery, Presbyterian Church (USA); the Course of Study: Perkins School of Theology; the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Resource Centre of the United Church of Canada; the Lay Ministry Program: New York Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Northeast Region, Disciples of Christ; the Mutual Baptism Ministry Program: Diocese of Northern Michigan, the Episcopal Church; the Partners in Ministry Program, Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and SCOPE, the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. As well we want to recognize the service of the project advisory committee comprising Richard Bruesehoff of the Office of Lay Leadership Support for the ELCA; Michael Dash of the Interdenominational Theological Center; David Esterline of McCormick Theological Seminary; Judith Hjorth of the Connecticut Conference of the UCC; Ken McFayden of Union Theological Seminary–Presbyterian School of Christian Education; Glenn Miller of Bangor Theological Seminary; Anne Reissner of the Center for Research and Study at Maryknoll; Doyle Turner of the Indigenous Theological Training Institute; and Marcel Vasquez of La Puerta Abierta United Methodist Church.

We thank the contributors to the volume. In a significant way they are spokespeople for the array of people who not only gave us insights but opened the doors of hospitality to our inquiries about their experiences and commitment to the ministries of the church. In particular we want to thank Carol Bell for her assistance in editing the essays as we constructed the design of this volume.

Finally, these acknowledgments would be incomplete without recognizing the financial support and encouragement of the Lilly Endowment, Inc. We trust our readers will share the same sense of thanksgiving for the insights and stories this book presents.

Notes

1. See Jackson W. Carroll, Mainline to the Future: Congregations for the 21st Century (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000); Donald E. Miller, Reinventing American Protestantism: Christianity in the New Millennium (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999); Joseph E. Hough and Barbara G. Wheeler, Beyond Clericalism: The Congregation as a Focus for Theological Education (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988); and John B. Cobb Jr., Reclaiming the Church (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1977). These texts represent a wide range of discussion included in numerous other volumes.

2. At the time of our research, the Internet-based program at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary designed to prepare commissioned lay pastors was in its initial stages. Had that or other online programs been operating, we would have considered that innovation as part of our research agenda.

Multiple

PATHS TO

Ministry

Introduction

Judicatory-Based Theological Education

LANCE R. BARKER and B. EDMON MARTIN

The following essay provides an overview of the outcomes of a two-year study of judicatory-based theological education. The research was funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. We define judicatory-based theological education as theological study designed and administered primarily by a denominational body. Such programs are geared to prepare persons for some form of authorized ministry whether that be ordination, commissioning, licensure, certification, or some other designation approved in a denomination’s polity.

In a number of denominational contexts during the past several years, theological education programs directed toward preparing persons for various forms of authorized ministry have taken on a new prominence. The essays in this volume grows out of an extensive research project and reflect on the background and current relevance of these programs. The problem that initially engaged us was whether these judicatory-based theological education programs existed in sufficient numbers to form a strategic ecclesial and educational mass or movement that by its very existence calls for a reexamination of the ways theological education takes place. We soon discovered a deeper set of issues existing in the ecclesial shifts occurring within the constituencies of the theological schools.

Consequently, this book and the research¹ leading up to it join the considerable discussion raised by a number of authors who have assessed the relation of theological schools to the institutional viability of the mainline churches. The book and research also questioned what constitutes a theologically effective curriculum and explore the culture of the theological school. The discussion about the nature and mission of the theological school led us to explore an approach that opened the door to discuss the wider system of theological education. The programs at the core of our research were in the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Canada, and the United Methodist Church. A wide range of programs exists in several other denominations and in the contexts of various institutes and study centers; our research, however, centered on the named denominations because of their shared histories in the development of graduate theological education that grants a MDiv (or BD) degree to certify persons for ordination and to deploy them in ministry.²

Our study revealed almost two hundred judicatory-based programs among these denominations, with more being developed all the time. The most compelling finding, however, was the extensive group of people being prepared for church leadership through them. Were the programs, alone, agencies for adult lay education, their significance would rest in an effort by the churches to develop a more informed laity. However, we saw these programs reshaping understandings in several denominations of the nature of authorized or ordained leadership and the manner in which that leadership is prepared and deployed. In the words of Rayford Ray, an Episcopal missioner in the Diocese of Northern Michigan, At first [the founding of a judicatory-based program] is because of remoteness and economic issues — in some cases it is an act of desperation. But within that context people begin to become aware of the possibilities of a new understanding of church.³

Our initial survey included 158 different programs in the six denominations of our study, from which we received 104 completed responses. We did not include seminary-based alternative education programs, such as the Indian Ministries Program at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Our research revealed that the resurgence of interest in alternatives for theological education was a response to contemporary challenges facing both Protestant and Catholic communions. These challenges, though wide-ranging, revolved around membership, funding, and missional crises, finding specific focus in providing authorized pastoral leadership for small congregations, preparing pastors for new ethnic communities, and providing staff for churches. Gene Miller, a UCC Conference minister, speaks for many when he says, In South Dakota, we are a sparsely populated conference and state. We have around a hundred churches. One-third have around fifty members. Increasingly it is difficult to find ordained clergy to serve those churches. In the foreseeable future, it will not get better. We are in need of pastors. It [the judicatory-based program] puts a little less stress on the system of finding ordained clergy to serve these churches.

The programs we studied had a distinctly denominational identity based on the ways in which leadership was raised up and defined in each judicatory. At the same time, innovative thinking in ecclesiology, theology, and the practice of ministry relative to their particular contexts informed program character and outcomes. Financial viability, geographic location, and historical or cultural identity were the most often-cited problems or concerns related to program development. In no case did informants look upon their programs as a substitute for graduate theological study. Rather, the stated issue was whether the MDiv should be the only route to some form of authorized ministry and, equally, whether the MDiv could adequately provide contextually relevant and affordable ecclesial leadership for every setting.

Our research included a survey of advanced students and graduates from fifteen of the programs we chose for more in-depth study. About one-half of the students in that sample had some undergraduate or graduate study. A limited number had gone on to attend seminary, but most stayed in their home communities, retaining their own employment positions. Gender makeup varied considerably among programs but overall contained equal numbers of women and men. A majority of students were over fifty years of age, an older student body than is the case in the mainline graduate theological schools. Of those students who did serve churches, most served small congregations. A limited number served as associates or assistants in multistaffed churches or in some form of chaplaincy ministry.

We found that most programs admitted students on the basis of call to ministry, prior service and commitment to the church, and gifts for ministry rather than on academic credentials. A preponderance of persons surveyed was motivated to enter a judicatory-based program through some form of particularized or communal learning or formation event in their congregation. Students were highly motivated. Without exception they expressed a deep commitment (a) to the educational demands placed upon them and (b) to the events, such as retreats or extended courses, that were intended to develop a sense of educational and faith community. One program director summarized what we found to be the general spirit: We have focused our program on the servanthood motif. People really see it as servanthood. They are ready to serve wherever they are needed.

The majority of graduates said they were moderately to very involved in their local churches prior to beginning their course of study, and most remained active in their home church after completing the program. Upon graduation students tended to serve in part-time or supply positions. One half of the students/graduates had other work from which they earned income. The exception to these figures is those persons who are registered in or who have completed the United Methodist Course of Study. A significant number of those persons are serving as local pastors or engaged in a process that leads to some form of official appointment in an annual conference.

We discovered that programs were inclined toward a model or method consistent with their own theological or ecclesiological rationale, but they also tended to make curricular choices according to what best served their local needs. Generally speaking at least four approaches to curricular structure were used: (1) a defined set of courses, often taken with a cohort of participants; (2) a facilitated process utilizing retreats, workshops, or small group processes, and requiring supervised or mentored independent study following specific guidelines; (3) a process of study using a set of requirements that allows participants to function independently, selecting courses at colleges, seminaries, and graduate schools; (4) a study and formation process based within a local congregation involving a cohort of members called by that congregation to its several ministries. Whatever the design, the outcome of completing the prescribed study combined with a form of denominational assessment qualifies one to be authorized to serve in some form of legitimated ministry.

Regardless of curricular structure, subjects of study were apt to conform to typical seminary patterns. Faculty came from three sources: seminary and college teachers, local pastors, and local or regional experts. Course delivery was inclined to be traditional, using lectures, readings, workshops, and small-group discussions. From what we observed, there was minimal use of distance learning technologies, not because of a lack of interest but because of a lack of availability, accessibility, and relevant resources. Curricular experience seemed to be more closely related to ecclesial practice than is the case in a typical graduate school classroom, perhaps because both students and programs remained contextually proximate to their faith communities.

Our site visits to congregations indicated that preparation for ministry in one of the denominational judicatory programs was often an occasion for congregational revitalization. In more than one situation ministry leadership had been redefined and reconfigured, adding both breadth and depth to the ministries of the congregations involved. Given the situations and needs of their particular contexts, graduates of these programs provided able, even exceptional, ministry leadership. At the same time, we found a longing, in some settings, for a seminary-trained clergyperson, not because of any perceived inadequacy on the part of the lay pastor or commissioned leader, but because of a congregation’s own perception of what was normative.

When we began our study of judicatory-based theological education we did not know what we would find. We were not even sure of a descriptive title for what we were investigating and began by calling our project Alternative Theological Education, because it was other-than-seminary theological education. We were not far into our inquiry before realizing that we had grossly underestimated the scope of the phenomenon. Very early we changed our nomenclature to Alternatives in Theological Education, reflecting our discovery of both the breadth and significance of these programs in preparing people for leadership in the churches’ ministries. We found that theological education among the denominations studied was much more extensive and diverse than usually assumed, taking institutional form in multiple ways and leading to multiple legitimated leadership roles. Even those with responsibility for these programs, for the most part, did not realize the extent of the phenomenon. We concluded our study convinced that these programs are vital components in the theological landscape. They are creatively attending to the leadership needs of congregations that are sometimes considered by themselves and, often, by denominational leaders as on the margins of economic and demographic viability. In many cases, the programs serve to stimulate ecclesial revitalization.

Signs of creativity and renewal were evidenced in a number of observations construed from our research. First, these programs tended to widen access to the resources of theological education, making theological study available to recognized and confirmed church leaders. Education in these programs provided skills, enrichment, and authorization for ministry leadership already called out rather than credentials for a future vocation. Continuing education was generally required or at least expected. In the words of retired Episcopal Bishop Tom Ray of Northern Michigan,

We are attempting to offer not a watered-down seminary curriculum, but a whole different approach. The typical approach to learning in our culture has been described by some as front-end loading, whereby there is intensive education before an individual takes up responsibilities. Then one is licensed or otherwise credentialed for ministry . . . and though there is always hope for continuing education, the norm is that one is considered an expert. . . . Our approach is not front-end loading, but lifelong learning. We are hoping to transform congregations into learning communities. . . . Thus the program is not intended to be an extensive, all-inclusive training program, but almost an orientation to the lifelong task of learning.

Second, these programs were apt to reinforce the contextual and connectional character of ministry, often resulting in ministries of local empowerment in church and community. Graduates were inclined to stay in their home judicatories where they were authorized for particular ministries and where that authorization had to be renewed periodically. Hence, they were less apt than expatriate clergy to understand their ministries as transitional. Typically, they were also more connectionally interrelated with their ecclesial and geographic communities.

A third observation was that churches that were served by graduates of judicatory-based programs time and again exhibited renewed energy and self-worth as a result of being liberated from having to measure their viability in terms of economic or demographic capital. Freed from the stresses produced by a singular model for ministry and ministry preparation, church people were enabled to value who they were and imagine who they might be. For example, the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan has grounded its program in a theology of baptismal ministries, encouraging the discernment and development of each person’s ministry within a congregation, while