I just posted part 2 to this series on the Paul and Timothy Blog.
I have always had difficulty when academic institutions acknowledge that they are not a local church (no church polity, no church discipline, etc. ) yet claim to be accomplishing a task that only the church is given the authority to do; namely, the work of preparing the saints for the work of the ministry. As I understand it, the Church is the only institution that is given the authority to prepare the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). However, it is difficult to undergo the necessary theological studies in a local church context. As a result of this, there have been some attempts to integrate rigorous theological study done at a seminary, with practical apprenticeship done at a local church. Almost all of these experiments fail to properly integrate the two. These programs often end up lacking a genuine apprenticeship or fail to offer a theological education that is academically rigorous. However, there are a few churches/schools/apprenticeships that have made significant contributions to the reform of ministerial training. Here are three:
Go to the Paul and Timothy Blog to read the rest of this post.
The bottom link is broken, btw.
I think we’re seeing a trend with seminaries. They see the growing disparity between the academy and the Church, and steps are being taken to correct that. I think these are good steps–the examples you’ve given in this post. I know where I am, there is a huge push to integrate theology and the pastorate, which I think is a great thing. I hope we can take some strong turns in the direction you’ve mentioned here.
But anyway, it is good that seminaries are starting to see their shortcomings, with more emphasis on spiritual formation, apprenticeships and theological integration. The most successful pastors are the pastor-theologian types, who minister out of an overflow of their own spiritual life (seems obvious, but it isn’t always the case), and have been helped to see the ins and outs of ministry from someone who’s been there and done it. And if we had more pastors like that, the need for formal theological education would begin to fade.
-Alan
Well said. The more well studied “Paul’s” take seriously the training and raising up of a few “Timothy’s” (and vice versa), the more the need for formal theological education will diminish. I’m really excited about what they are doing at Bethlehem Seminary. It seems like they are working towards that goal. They are hoping to offer at least as rigorious an academic education received at a typical seminary, but in the “Paul and Timothy” context of a local church.
fixed the link… thanks.