The following fifteen points are some of the statements that the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) ‘Schools and the Church’ task force heard as they carried on conversation with a wide variety of pastors and judicatory leaders over the past three years. They provided the basis for stimulating dialogue at ATS meetings and are shared here in order to begin discussions in the RCA as well.
Many of the items mentioned are not new to the RCA and some would say that both the RCA seminaries and MFCA are evaluating comments such as these and making adjustments where warranted. Others would argue that even these statements are outdated or incorrect. Let us know what you think of these comments...
- 1. The church needs pastors who can be change agents without destroying congregations.
- 2. Since we cannot foresee the future of the church for which we are preparing graduates, it is important that we educate candidates to be flexible and lifelong learners.
- 3. Seminaries should be preparing not learned ministers (an older paradigm) but missionary agents.
- 4. Seminaries cannot teach leadership or the pastoral disciplines apart from ministry settings.
- 5. Separating the practical from the theoretical is a mistake; we need reflective practitioners.
- 6. Faculty tend to talk to academic colleagues rather than practitioners.
- 7. Seminary is good for producing overeducated chaplains to minister to 50-80 people. But they are not preparing leaders to do catalytic change. They are preparing people for a dying church.
- 8. Seminaries are threatened by emerging alternate routes to ministry
- 9. Our congregations are full of anxiety and pastors so full of anxiety they cannot lead.
- 10. We need people who are passionate, who are gifted, and who know how to multiply their gifts. It is hard to find those people in ‘off the shelf’ recent seminary graduates.
- 11. Important in this whole conversation is the question of ecclesiology. There is a bigger picture here than just the local congregation. We need to see the ministry as part of a bigger picture. The localized scene alone is not just the church.
- 12. Many seminarians and recent graduates want to do church planting rather than work in an established ministry.
- 13. Seminaries have a bias against larger churches.
- 14. Denominations are going to be less of a factor. They were products of a particular set of circumstances that no longer exist.
- 15. The complexity of the Pastor’s role today.
