Transforming Theological Education, 2nd Edition: A Practical Handbook for Integrated Learning

By Perry Shaw

For several decades concern has been expressed about the need for greater integration and contextual significance in the curricular design of theological education. In addition, there has been a growing awareness of the role theological schools should play in strengthening the missional vision and practice of local churches. Drawing on Dr. Perry Shaw’s experience as faculty member, educational engineer, and acting academic dean for Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Transforming Theological Education provides theoretical foundations and practical principles for purposeful curriculum design, as well as tools for facilitating integrated and contextually significant learning in the classroom.

This updated second edition has been reorganized for thematic clarity and expanded to provide a stronger foundation for thinking theologically – rather than just educationally – about theological education. It also contains a wider range of curricular examples from innovative theological programs around the world, along with practical advice for implementing change in change- resistant environments. This handbook continues to be a one-of-a-kind resource for theological educators and all those involved in Christian leadership training.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Langham Global Library
• Release date: Jan 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781839735523

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I strongly commend this book to every seminary – from the senior leadership to the most junior faculty member. Read it and learn. Read it and change!

Christopher J. H. Wright, PhD

Global Ambassador and Ministry Director,

Langham Partnership International

The second edition of Transforming Theological Education expands the already excellent and useful first edition. Perry Shaw covers a wide array of issues relevant to global theological education in a shifting environment. What I find most useful is his steadfast and unapologetic focus on the church and praxis as key components of a healthy theological education. Scholars and students of Christian theological education will find this expanded edition a gem and a resource to behold. I highly recommend it without reservation.

David Tarus, PhD

Executive Director,

Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA)

In the revised and expanded edition of Transforming Theological Education, Perry Shaw envisions theological education that effectively serves churches in fulfilling God’s mission in the world. The author raises serious concern about the fragmentation in the seminary curriculum and so challenges theological educators to view ministerial training as an integrative and holistic endeavor. This comprehensive handbook outlines the theological and theoretical framework for integrated learning, provides helpful tools for teaching and gives examples from several institutions engaged in thorough innovations for missional curricula. I highly recommend this book as a guide in rethinking, revising and revitalizing theological education for its crucial task of developing missional leaders!

Theresa R. Lua, EdD

General Secretary, Asia Theological Association

Director, Global Theology Department, World Evangelical Alliance

This revised edition of Transforming Theological Education provides theological and philosophical foundations, educational theory and practices, and a broad range of cases and resources towards an integrative approach to learning. It is innovative and invites theological institutions around the globe to develop and implement contextualized and missional curricula for their students’ transformation. Academic leaders and faculty serving in institutions of theological education will find it an inspiring resource for remaining relevant in a rapidly changing and convulsing world.

Orbelina Eguizabal, PhD

Professor of Christian Higher Education, Talbot School of Theology

Deputy Director, International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE)

Transforming Theological Education offers an invaluable guide for theological education that transforms disciples, churches, societies, and education institutions. The church and world do not need more theological institutions focused merely on academic studies, consumerism, or pragmatism. Such educational approaches offer little hope for the world. Instead, Transforming Theological Education provides an approach that integrates and values authentic worship, missional vitality, Christ-like leadership, discipleship, empowerment, reflective practice, community cohesion, and personal and spiritual development. This book should be read and treasured by all theological educators and leaders of Christian churches and movements.

Graham Joseph Hill, PhD

Principal and Associate Professor of World Christianity,

Stirling Theological College, Australia,

author of Global Church

Transforming Theological Education

A Practical Handbook for Integrated Learning

Second Edition

Perry Shaw

© 2022 Perry Shaw

Published 2022 by Langham Global Library

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Contents

Cover

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Crisis, Opportunity and Thanks

Introduction The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary Pilgrimage

The General Shape of the Curriculum

Crisis and Innovation

Frequently Asked Questions

What We Have Learned

Part 1 Intentionality in Institutional Language and Culture

1 Towards a Theology of Theological Education

The Search for a Biblical-Theological Approach to Education

From Theology to Theological Education

The Imperative of Reflective Practice

Conclusion

Exercises

2 Asking th e Right Questions (1)

The Challenge of Curricular Reform

What Are We Trying to Do Anyway?

Question 1: What Is the Ideal Church in Our Context?

Question 2: What Are the Contextual Challenges?

Question 3: What Might an Ideal Christian Leader Look Like?

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 2.1

ABTS Profile of the Ideal Christian Leader

Cognitively, a Mind Committed to Reflective Practice

Affectively, a Heart of Love for God and Others

Behaviourally, Hands of Servant Leadership for the Empowering of God’s people

3 Asking the Right Questions (2)

Question 4: Who Are the Learners?

Question 5: Where Do the Students Go?

Question 6: When? The Time Frame

Question 7: Where? The Learning Environment

Question 8: Who Will Facilitate the Learning?

Question 9: What and How?

Dreaming the Possibilities

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 3.1

Saïd and Mariam

Appendix 3.2

The Right Question s

4 Models of Missional Curricula

The Historical Roots of the Normative Paradigm

Humanities or Medicine?

Transforming Worldviews

Missional Curricula for Complex Ministry Contexts

Key Elements in Quality Missional Curricula

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 4.1

Foundational Questions for Effective Theological Education

Appendix 4.2

China Graduate School of Theology : Master of Divinity

Features

Appendix 4.3

Theological College of Zimbabwe : Transforming Worldviews

Appendix 4.4

TEACH/LEARN Curriculum

5 O utcomes-Based Assessment of the Curriculum

What Exactly Are We Doing?

Student Evaluations of Teachers

Other Forms of Management Assessment

Graduate Assessment of the Curriculum

Engaging the Local Churches in Assessment

The Community and Assessment

Forward-Oriented Assessment

Conducting the Research

The Challenges of Assessment

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 5.1

Reciprocal Student Evaluation of Self and Faculty at ABTS

Part A

Part B

6 The Hidden and Null Curricula

Gregory

The Hidden Curriculum : Definition

The Null Curriculum

Conclusion

Exercises

7 Beyond Fragmentation in the Curriculum

The Fragmentation of Knowledge

The Roots of Curricular Fragmentation

The Imperative of Integration

Some Practical Suggestions

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 7.1

2065 Empowering Servant Leaders Integrative Project

One Final Requirement

Appendix 7.2

Project Shapes at ABTS

8 Curricular Elements outside the Classroom

Definitions

Bringing Meaning and Intention to the Non-Classroom Curricular Elements

Field Education

Mentoring

Small Groups

Community Worship

Theological Reflection

Independent Learning Contracts

Exploring Intentionality in Incidental Theological Learning

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 8.1

Public Speaking at ABTS Chapel: Syllabus

Purpose and Description

Learning Outcomes

Process of Evaluation and Logistics

Appendix 8.2

ABTS Theological Reflection Questions

Brief Description

Personal Insights and Issues

Theological and Biblical Reflection

Social Science Reflections

Dialogue with Your Course of Study

Learning and Development

Insights and Practical Considerations for the Future

Appendix 8.3

Independent Learning Plan

1. Purpose Statement

2. Learning Outcomes

3. Learning Tasks

9 Promoting Change

The Imperative of a Healthy Organizational Culture

Single, Double and Triple Loop Thinking in Theological Education

The Gleicher–Dannemiller Equation

Conclusion

Exercises

Part 2 Integrative and Transformative Learning

10 Multidimensional Learning in Theological Education

The ABCD of Learning

Conclusion

Exercises

11 Deep Learning

The Nature of Memory

Sensory Memory

Working Memory

Long-Term Memory

Criteria for Long-Term Storage

Implications for Learning in Leadership Training

Conclusion

Exercises

12 Culture, Ge nder and Learning in Theological Education

Culture and Learning

Gender and Learning

Individualism, Relationships and Learning

Conclusion

Exercises

Part 3 Intentionality in Class Instruction

13 Course Design for Multidimensional Learning

Backward Design

Step 1: Purpose Statement

Step 2: Learning Outcomes

Step 3: Learning Tasks

Step 4: Learning Activities

Step 5: Learning Resources

Step 6: Mutual Accountability

General Comments on Syllabi

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 13.1

Steps in Course Syllabus Design

Appendix 13.2

Sample Syllabus : Biblical Theology

Purpose

Learning Outcomes

Learning Tasks

Learning Activities

Learning Resources

Mutual Commitments

Contact Information

Appendix 13.3

Verbs to Consider When Writing Aims

Cognitive

Affective

Behavioural

Appendix 13.4

Creative Possibilities for Learning Tasks

14 Lesson Planning for Deep Learning

Step 1: The Purpose: Why Are You Teaching This Material?

Step 2: What Is/Are the Most Significant Point/Points in Your Lesson?

Step 3: Approach the Lesson Psychologically Rather Than Logically

Step 4: Prepare the Details of Your Lesson

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 14.1

Steps in Lesson Design

15 Instructional Methods: Lecture and Discussion

Active Learning

Lecture

Whole-Class Discussion

Small-Group Discussion

Conclusion

Exercises

16 Instructional Methods: Creative Possibilities

Brainstorming

Debate

Forum or Panel Discussion

Interviews

Self-Explaining

Student-Led Lessons

The Flipped Classroom

The Language of Images

Silence

Conclusion

Exercises

17 Question Design for Deep Learning

Cognitive Question s

Affective Questions

Behavioural Questions

Some Final Words of Advice

Conclusion

Exercises

18 Case Studies in Theological Education

Theological Foundations for Case Studies

The Power of Case Studies

Characterization, Setting and Plot

Writing a Case Study

Some Cautions

Conclusion

Exercises

19 The Grading and Assessment of Students

What Is Assessment?

Some Theological Reflections on Assessment

The Holistic Assessment of Learning

What Is the Purpose of Assessment ?

Feedback

The Problems with Grades in Theological Education

Some Possible Ways Forward

Conclusion

Exercises

Appendix 19.1

ABTS Bachelor of Theology (BTh) Grade Descriptors

Appendix 19.2

Rubric for the Assessment of Integrative Project

20 Excellence in Teaching

What Makes a Good Teacher?

A Hospitable Relationship with Students

Clarity of Communication

Competence

Creativity

Enthusiasm

A Well-Ordered Class

Appropriate Use of Praise and Criticism

High Expectations

A Capacity for Self-Evaluation and Continuous Growth

And More . . .

Exercises

Epilogue Steps on the Path

Works Cited

About Langham Partnership

Endnotes

Index

Preface to the Second Edition

I am grateful to the Langham team for the opportunity to revise and expand my text. We have been pleasantly surprised by the interest in the first edition and recognize the benefit of updating and extending the material given there. Global theological education is in a state of exciting transition, and new innovations are emerging all the time. I have tried to capture some of these changes in this revised version.

In addition, I have benefited from the numerous reviews made of the first edition. While the reviews have generally been positive, there are four areas which have repeatedly been mentioned as lacking in the first edition, and I have included chapters specifically seeking to address three of these.

I have added as an opening chapter some possible directions for thinking theologically about theological education. The most common issue raised by reviewers is built on Paul Sanders’s (2009) observation that the problem with much of theological education is that it is neither theological nor educational: the first edition substantially addressed theological education through educational lenses, but lacked a theological assessment. While a full-orbed theology of theological education would probably need a complete text, I hope that the chapter I have given to open the text will provide a strong theological foundation for the missional-ecclesial vision for theological education that undergirds the remainder of the book.

Some reviewers have commented on my focus on the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. My desire in the first edition was to show how good theory might be worked out in good practice, and since ABTS was my own laboratory experience, my focus there was inevitable. However, I have also seen a number of other schools and programmes engage in thoroughgoing innovation, and I have sought to give an overview of these in an additional chapter on Models of Missional Curricula. This chapter also suggests key common characteristics that seem to be common to innovative theological education.

I have also added a brief chapter on promoting change. Due to the vast field of literature on the topic of change management I was reticent about including what would be a relatively limited treatment of the topic. However, my good friend Debbie Kramlich reminded me of how many have benefited from the Gleicher–Dannemiller equation and the notion of single, double and triple loop thinking. These are the focus of chapter 9.

The final issue raised by the reviewers related to the role of technology, and the use of online and hybrid delivery in theological education. This area is highly strategic and merits engagement, and I considered long and hard whether I should include a chapter on this topic. In the end I chose not to include a chapter, for two reasons. First, the range of issues that would need to be addressed is vast. Given that the text was already growing rapidly, I could not see a pathway to do justice to the topic within a very limited space. Second, the field of technology and online learning is changing rapidly. My desire is that the second edition will continue to have relevance for another decade, by which time anything I wrote about technology would likely be laughably obsolete. My apologies to those who were specifically hoping for such a chapter.

A number of reviewers also commented on the scattered nature of the chapters on learning. I have consequently restructured the text as a whole into three sections. Part 1 addresses broader philosophical and educational foundations for curricular change. Part 2 presents a number of lenses to help in our understanding of the mystery of learning. Part 3 provides practical tools for transformative learning in the classroom.

A note on terminology. While I hope all will benefit from this revised text, the particular focus of my attention is the rapidly expanding church of the Majority World, where theological education is needing to find contextually significant models and approaches. In acknowledgement of the negative colonial history of many of these regions I have chosen predominantly to use the term Minority World rather than the West to highlight the questionable nature of the ongoing hegemony of nations shaped by colonial heritage – not only at the hands of European nations, but also the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and elsewhere.

Beyond those who I specifically thank in the Preface to the First Edition, I would like to thank Kevin Johnson for permission to use the outstanding sample syllabus given in appendix 13.2, originally produced in response to an ICETE Academy course. I am grateful to Glasbergen Cartoon Service for facilitating the use of some of Randy Glasbergen’s cartoons. While as a former teacher of mathematics I do not share Randy’s evident dislike of algebra, his cartoons wittily capture many of the issues raised in the text. I would also like to thank the leadership of CGST, TCZ, ECETE, SEM and Pars TC for permission to use their material in chapter 4. As always, my wife Karen is my chief cheerleader and dialogue partner, and God’s steady hand of grace and strength undergirds every line of the text.

Preface to the First Edition

Crisis, Opportunity and Thanks

In 2006 my world fell apart and I had a complete emotional breakdown. While a number of factors contributed to this personal crisis and the anxiety depression that ensued, a substantial element was my disillusionment with the world of theological education to which I had devoted much of my life’s energies.

By God’s grace and with help from friends and the medical profession, my health recovered in less than a year. But many questions remained. My reading pointed to the fragmentation and contextual irrelevance of most ministerial training programmes. My own experience had seen student after student entering college passionate for ministry and leaving passionate for academia, with little idea how to empower the church and often with no genuine desire to do so. I seriously considered giving up completely on institutional theological education, seeing theological schools as counterproductive for preparing effective leadership for the church. However, it soon became evident that, for better or for worse, the churches still looked to theological colleges for their leaders, and consequently the solution lay not with rejection but with seeking change from within.

The years since this crisis have offered me the opportunity to be involved in just such creative work. The start came when I joined the faculty at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in late 2007, shortly after the arrival of Elie Haddad as the new provost (subsequently president). Elie comes from the business world but is also a highly astute theological thinker, and his vision for change provided a context for me to work with the young and highly qualified faculty in curricular experimentation. The result has been a dynamic curricular process that continues to this day. Most of the ideas that are presented in this book are not mere theory but have been field-tested on the ground at ABTS. We have learned much from both our successes and our struggles. I cannot adequately express my thanks to Elie and to other key ABTS leaders, such as Paul Sanders, Martin Accad, Hikmat Kashouh and Bassem Melki, as well as to the highly committed ABTS faculty, who have supported and promoted these changes. I must also acknowledge the crucial role of Rana Wazir and Patricia Hazem, registrar and academic administrator at ABTS, who have carried much of the burden of making the changes happen on a day-to-day basis.

The second series of opportunities also began in 2007 when I was first invited to lead faculty-training events, initially in South Asia but increasingly over the ensuing years in other global contexts. Virtually all the material discussed in this book began in faculty-training workshops, and it is through the questions and challenges posed by participants that I have been able to develop and enhance the approaches that have been taken. I express my special gratitude to the leadership and faculty of the Indian Pentecostal Church Theological Seminary Kottayam and the Lanka Bible College and Seminary, who first worked with me and who helped shape my own thinking, as well as to the numerous other colleges who have welcomed me and contributed to mutual learning.

Beyond the leadership and faculty at ABTS and at the numerous schools I have visited, there are several people whose support and interest have helped in the completion of this book. I would never have begun writing without the encouragement of Tim Stafford, and his experience in the publishing industry has been an invaluable resource. Manfred Kohl first opened the doors for me to international consultancy and has been a consistent encouragement over the years. Debbie Kramlich and Bob Heaton read the draft manuscript and provided numerous substantive suggestions. Many of the ideas in the book were first developed as part of an online graduate programme for the London School of Theology, and I am grateful to Marvin Oxenham, who helped me to shape the material into some sort of systematic structure and gave me a reason to write. Luke Lewis and Vivian Doub of Langham Literature have walked with me through the editing and publication process. My children, Christopher and Phoebe, have endured years of mealtime conversations about the issues addressed in this book. And the support and insights of Karen, my partner in life and ministry, colour every page of what is written; without her indomitable patience this project would never have come to completion.

Introduction The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary Pilgrimage

While throughout this book I will be referring to several models and programmes, the dominant point of reference will be the laboratory I was provided as faculty member, educational engineer and for some time as acting academic dean: the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. It is therefore important at the outset to describe something of the ABTS curricular pilgrimage.

ABTS was founded in Lebanon in 1960. During most of the extended period of the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90), the school continued largely through the singular efforts of the then president Ghassan Khalaf. However, the damage done to Lebanon in general and the school in particular was such that the long-term financial and structural viability of ABTS remained questionable through much of the 1990s. With the arrival of Paul Sanders, first as academic dean and then as provost, ABTS went through a period of recovery and consolidation from 2000 to 2005. The school attained a level of financial stability and a number of key faculty members were recruited.

In March 2004 I was invited to lead a series of workshops in which I introduced the faculty to the notion of cognitive, affective and behavioural learning, and to the process of establishing learning outcomes as the driving force of a course syllabus. Over the following months, these curricular elements were incorporated into the language of ABTS faculty. In 2006 the annual Overseas Council Institute for Excellence in Christian Leadership Development focused on curriculum, and I was invited to present plenary sessions on multidimensional learning and the hidden curriculum. Following this conference, a group of three Lebanese schools (including ABTS) invited me to facilitate a series of joint workshops. The focus of these workshops was an in-depth investigation into how ministerial training for Christian leadership might take seriously contextual challenges. The workshops included faculty, senior students, alumni, local pastors and significant lay leaders from the churches. For ABTS it resulted in a major revision of the school’s vision and mission statement and the formulation of a profile of an ideal graduate. The following year, the school also adopted a series of educational values as lenses for evaluating curricular decision-making. These have all been formative in the shaping of the integrative curriculum that was subsequently developed and implemented.

By the beginning of 2008, ABTS had a strong faculty with a good level of shared pedagogical understandings. It also had in place statements of vision, mission and values, and a solid profile of the ideal graduate, shaped in dialogue with significant stakeholders and endorsed by the ABTS board. A faculty retreat was planned for February 2008 and aimed at a complete revamping of the curriculum. In preparation for the retreat, the school’s then academic dean, Martin Accad, prepared an extensive questionnaire which he distributed to approximately one-third of the student body, gaining valuable information on where the students had come from and where they were planning to serve upon graduation. We also prepared a statistical survey of alumni. This information played a significant role in the retreat’s discussions, and also led to a shift from what had previously been a traditional single-track pastoral-training programme to the incorporation of three specialist tracks in the new curriculum.

It was towards the conclusion of the first day of the retreat that a four-lens integrative approach emerged (fig. I.1), and the rest of the retreat became focused on how this could be implemented. It rapidly became evident that a foundational year was necessary, and a two-tiered structure – Year 1 of foundations, Years 2/3 of integrative theological education – was in place by the end of the retreat. Through the remainder of 2008, the curricular shape was set out in detail, affirmation in principle was received from the board, and key stakeholders were consulted to assess community response. The decision was also taken to shift from a semester delivery to five-week modules. This proved significant educationally, in promoting integrative thinking (as students focus on only one theme each module), and logistically, in that it greatly facilitated the complex scheduling process.

The February 2009 faculty retreat was dedicated to syllabus formation for each of the first-year modules. Faculty worked in teams, and syllabi were sketched for each of the modules and the courses within these modules (what we called units). These were further developed in teams during spring 2009. Final versions of the syllabi emerged in the first round of implementation of the first-year curriculum during the 2009–10 academic year. A similar process was adopted at the 2010 faculty retreat for the Year A integrative modules and the three specialist tracks, and at the 2011 faculty retreat for the Year B integrative modules. The first group of BTh and MDiv graduates completed their studies in June 2012. The process of shifting from a traditional silo approach to an integrative context-sensitive approach was more straightforward than expected, and among both students and faculty there has been a high level of satisfaction with the academic, formational and ministerial skill development that resulted.

Figure I.1 Arab Baptist Theological Seminary curricular lenses

Figure I.1 Arab Baptist Theological Seminary curricular lenses

The General Shape of the Curriculum

The curriculum began with the basic premise that genuine formation of faithful men and women takes place only when multidimensional learning is intentionally designed and incorporated through a balanced embrace of the cognitive, affective and behavioural learning domains. Consequently, the curriculum has taken seriously the need to bring integration between academic excellence, personal formation and growth, and the development of leadership skills and qualities. We have sought to make such integration more than ink on paper.

In the traditional approach to theological education, students are trained through a relatively fragmented curriculum, the assumption being that it is the students’ responsibility to bring the pieces together once they graduate. While some manage to do this, most do not. When confronted with conflicts and challenges, many graduates respond in the only way they know – through the uncritical application of standard cultural patterns. Rather than acting as agents of the kingdom of God through careful critical contextualization (Hiebert 1994, 75–92), graduates become simply a reflection of the societies in which they live. In seeking to address the need for genuine integrative reflective practice which appreciates the church’s great theological heritage, the ABTS faculty conceptualized core modules which would bring together a variety of lenses in dialogue with context, challenging students to redemptive action (fig. I.1).

We believe that the ABTS vision, mission and values are both theologically sound and contextually relevant, and so we sought in these statements the foundational theme for each of the second-/third-year integrative modules. The theme is studied through each of the four foundational lenses: biblical-theological, historical-theological, sociological-cultural and personal-ministerial. This is not a division according to strict equal quarters. Emphases vary according to the specific issues at stake. However, as the goal is the formation of leaders who can reflect on ministry through multiple lenses, each lens is brought to bear as much as possible. The culmination of each integrative module is a major piece of integrative work, beginning with an aspect of contextual practice, reflecting on practice in context through the material students have studied in each of the curricular lenses, and allowing these reflections to shape critically contextual recommendations and (where possible) action.

In shaping the modular themes, it was recognized that the school’s vision, mission and values addressed the centrality of the missio Dei and the role of both the church and the individual in serving God in the region. Consequently, each year the students engage in a focus on God, on the church and on the individual. In one year, the modules begin with the essential nature of God, community and the individual, moving to an understanding of how that nature might be expressed in life and ministry. In the other year, students examine the manifestation of each, moving to a reflection on how the manifestation speaks of the essential nature of each. The content of these modules is not exclusive: the theme is a matter of emphasis, and as far as possible all elements of the vision, mission and values of ABTS are brought into every module offered at the school.

The goal of curricular integration depends on solid foundations. Consequently, a first year of studies has been developed to build foundations for theological reflection, moving from essential knowledge to understanding, to basic analytical approaches. This shape is built on the recognition implied in Bloom’s taxonomy (Bloom et al. 1956) that foundational knowledge is essential for understanding, and understanding is necessary for the complex thinking associated with analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Entering students are presented with a survey of Bible, history and doctrine to ensure a basic level of assumed shared knowledge. This is followed by modules that provide students with tools for understanding. The goal is to bring students into a high level of analytic and synthetic thinking during the second and third years. Even within these foundational modules we have sought a level of integration, with each module revolving around a theme and culminating in an integrative paper.

In preparation for the February 2008 faculty retreat, a survey of alumni revealed that only about 35 percent were engaged in pastoral ministry, with large numbers of the remaining alumni involved in church-planting initiatives or a variety of children, youth and family ministries. In response, we initially developed three specialist tracks that students could choose from in their second and third years of study: pastoral ministries; contextualized church planting; and children, youth and family ministries. Recognizing the variety of student interests and needs, ABTS also preserved a section of the curriculum for elective courses. By 2013 our student body had further diversified, such that our three original specialist tracks were no longer serving the needs of many of our students. In light of the maturity of our student body and the limited faculty capacity at ABTS, we dismantled the specialist-track component, making elective all courses in this component of the curriculum, with recommended courses related to specific ministries. This move greatly simplified our administrative processes.

For more than a decade, the Institute for Middle East Studies at ABTS has conducted a very successful annual Middle East Consultation. Speakers and participants come from all over the world, and significant contemporary themes are addressed. In light of the contextual relevance and the outstanding quality of speakers at these conferences, our curriculum included annual participation in the consultation as a compulsory element.

The language of delivery at ABTS is Arabic. Given that theological resources in Arabic are very limited, we placed a high emphasis on English as the most pressing language need of our students. Because of this, and recognizing the growing number of quality online resources in biblical languages, we decided not to require extensive study in Greek and Hebrew. Instead, students are required to take an introduction to biblical languages as part of the first-year Interpretation module, in which basic linguistic materials in Greek and Hebrew are provided, along with a thoroughgoing training in using Internet tools. Greek and Hebrew are offered as a part of the elective component of the curriculum, and suitable students are encouraged to take advanced courses in biblical languages.

In tune with our desire for holistic education, we shifted from our previous use of an American Carnegie counting system to the European Credit Transfer counting system (ECTS credits). Under the European system, a greater number of credits is required for completion of a programme of study, but the expectation is that a large portion of the additional credits will be allocated to non-classroom-based learning activities. In granting credit for such learning experiences, the European approach communicates to students the importance of these elements for their overall education and formation. Some of the compulsory learning activities for which credit has been granted at ABTS have been as follows:

• A major emphasis is placed on theological reflection on life and ministry. A number of different activities require students to reflect both on their engagement in local-church ministry and on such elements of life as their relationship with spouse, children and peers, work experience on or off campus, and the influence of film, media and technology. This component has become more critical with the recent shift from fully residential to hybrid delivery of the curriculum.

• Until the recent shift in delivery students were required to be actively involved in the daily chapel time. Several days a week, students led worship and/or brought a devotional at chapel. Once a week, the dean of students would engage the students in the learning activity of evaluating the leadership and presentation by students.

• All students are provided with a mentor and are expected to meet with the mentor at least seven times during the year.

• For several years students and faculty met together in small groups to study Scripture together.

• In the first month of their time at ABTS, students were required to undertake an induction to theological studies at the school, including meeting the faculty and staff, and orientation to the campus and community, and to the vision and educational philosophy of ABTS. Students were also asked to complete a Bible-knowledge examination, personality and spiritual-gift assessments, as well as a self-assessment based on the ABTS profile of the ideal graduate.

• At the beginning of both the second and third years of their studies, students were given a diagnostic, in which they were asked to repeat the self-assessment based on the profile of the ideal graduate and write a reflective paper on their pilgrimage over the previous twelve months. They were also taken further on the path of research and writing skill development.

• In the second and third years, students were also asked to prepare a contract for independent learning for the academic year ahead.

• For students who have completed a three-year programme of study there is a compulsory capstone course given in the last month of their studies. The purpose of this course is for students to reflect on their pilgrimage at ABTS and to look together to the future. A particular emphasis is placed on the need for continuing lifelong learning and on the means by which students can access relevant learning opportunities in their places of ministry.

A diagrammatic representation of the curriculum is given in figures I.2 and I.3.

Figure I.2 ABTS year 1 curriculum

Figure I.2 ABTS year 1 curriculum

Figure I.3 ABTS years 2–3 curriculum

Figure I.3 ABTS years 2–3 curriculum

Crisis and Innovation

Crisis provides the opportunity for innovation.

Historically, the majority of ABTS students have come from outside of Lebanon. Over the years it has become increasingly difficult to secure visas for these students. When the TEACH/LEARN project for Arabic-medium online resources (described in chapter 4) was first mooted in 2008, ABTS faculty took a leading role in its development, recognizing that the long-term future of our residential programme was questionable. The TEACH/LEARN resources were rolled out over the next few years, and in 2014 we launched ABTS Online, using a selection of these resources to provide a fully online Certificate in Ministry (CertMin) programme that provided comparable learning outcomes to the first year of our residential curriculum. ABTS Online grew rapidly over the subsequent years, with our first CertMin graduates in 2016. During the 2016–19 academic years faculty discussions began as to the possibility of extending online or hybrid delivery to the full three-year BTh programme.

A series of crises necessitated moving from discussion to innovative action. In October 2019 the Lebanese government declared bankruptcy, the Lebanese lira went into freefall, and overnight the economy went into recession. There were demonstrations in the streets, and government offices (including the General Security offices that handled visas for our students) provided only emergency services. The ABTS leadership and faculty realized that moving to a more diversified approach was no longer optional and began planning for a 2020 launch of a delivery that integrated online with cohort residential features. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required the existing courses to be delivered remotely, providing a laboratory for the new approach to delivery. The catastrophic effects of the 4 August 2020 Beirut Port explosion confirmed the urgency of moving to a hybrid programme.

The new Integrated Theology Program seeks to retain all the key features of what was successful in the fully residential approach, preserving the holistic, contextual and integrated dimensions of the curriculum, and in modular format. While the full-time residential programme used to take three academic years to complete, the new programme will be stretched over four and a half calendar years (Zailaa 2020).

The ABTS team recognizes that a number of elements will be lost in the new format, in particular the community life that forms on campus and the exposure to serving in a different church and ministry, with all the transformative potential these activities hold. Recognizing the importance of formational elements of the curriculum, the ABTS team are working hard on designing alternative methods for building community and forming cohorts. For example, students will be expected to participate in regular residency periods to promote bonding between students and building solidarity in ministry and support groups. The residency periods will also be an opportunity for monitoring the holistic growth of students and supporting them in ongoing engagement with local mentors and leaders (Melki 2020).

While students will no longer reside long-term in campus community, a focus on community building remains strong. Substantial faculty travel to the students’ own countries each year will seek to enhance community-on-community relationships, the ABTS community working alongside the student in context such that the student’s community will grow with the student as the training progresses (Haddad 2021). These visits will also help the ABTS team better understand the contexts of the students, with potential for strengthening the quality of the curriculum and the approach to teaching (Zailaa 2021).

While there will be losses there will also be gains, notably the ability to train students within their own ministry contexts, enabling them to reflect on and enhance their ministries as they grow in their learning. The new approach also increases the accessibility of theological studies to those who would previously be unable to study due to work or ministry obligations (Haddad 2020). As with all major changes the key is to recognize the potential gains and losses, seek to exploit the benefits, and find creative pathways for delivering valuable elements that need new strategies.

As I write, the details of the new approach to delivery are still evolving. What is certain is that the culture of openness and innovation that has been nurtured at ABTS greatly facilitates creativity in both content and delivery of a missionally focused curriculum. This is particularly crucial for a context in which political and economic instability is normal. The role that crisis plays in curricular innovation elsewhere in the world will be discussed in greater depth in chapter 4.

Frequently Asked Questions

While the ABTS team believe that the shape and methodology of the integrative curriculum are theologically and educationally sound, they also recognize that the curriculum differs significantly from a traditional model, and those who have been educated in the traditional model sometimes have difficulty understanding what has been done. Consequently, it is important that there is a dialogue between the old and the new, and to respond to some frequently asked questions.

However, before any sort of comparison is attempted, it is important to emphasize that comparing a traditional curriculum with the new ABTS curriculum is like comparing apples and fish. That is, because the philosophical roots differ, so the two types of curriculum must by their very nature look foundationally different. As with any effective programme of study, the concern should not be equivalency of input but whether the outcome is serving the vision, mission and values of the school.

Also, no curriculum can do everything, and there is always a null curriculum – what we teach through what we exclude. The ABTS team struggled long and hard to select both what to include and what to exclude. The greatest error of curricular formation is to try to please everyone and hence add more and more, the result being a curriculum that focuses on content with little time for reflection. In examining the curriculum, we invite a study not only of what is missing from the ABTS curriculum that may be common in a traditional curriculum, but even more so the opposite: what is included in the ABTS curriculum that is missing from a traditional curriculum. To do otherwise is to fail to give due credit to the work that lies behind the ABTS curriculum.

Is There Enough Bible in the New Curriculum?

To respond to this question, it first needs to be said that every member of the ABTS faculty has a passionate love of the Scriptures. Consequently, there is a strong biblical component throughout the curriculum – even though it is not always visible. For example, nearly half of the unit on Evangelism in the first year Communication module is devoted to studying biblical models of evangelism; the unit on Cultural Anthropology in the Church and Society module involves dialogue with the model of Jesus and the life of the early church; the unit on Worship in the integrative Nature and Character of God module is an extended dialogue between worship practices recorded in the Bible and contemporary worship practices; and every exercise in Theological Reflection on Life and Ministry involves an extended reflection on how the Bible instructs the student’s life experience. Consequently, the proportion of the curriculum that teaches Bible is far greater than is apparent in the raw figures given below.

In terms of specific courses focusing on the Bible, the first-year academic programme engages the Bible in the following ways: (1) two-thirds of the 6-credit Survey module is a survey of Old Testament and New Testament; (2) the 6-credit Interpretation module is completely devoted to the interpretation of the Scriptures; (3) two-thirds of the 6-credit Theology module focuses on Old and New Testament theology. In other words, approximately 40 percent of the classroom-based components of the first-year curriculum is devoted solely to the knowledge and interpretation of the Scriptures. In the second–third-year curriculum, each of the