Responding to Our Alumni Survey Results

Survey results can sometimes act as a “wake up” call. The recent MFCA survey sent out to alumni produced significantly different results than the same survey administered to active candidates. This could be explained by the fact that the alumni now have more ministry experience and the lens through which they view their MFCA experience has become more realistic. Another possibility is that the MFCA has been listening to candidates as they complete their exit interviews and our continued efforts to improve how we provide service to candidates is reflected in how our ministry is being perceived and received.

Never the less, we want these results to serve as a “wake up” call so that we can address deficiencies and improve the MFCA process. Many of the lower survey scores reflected an evaluation of the classis and may not be easy to remedy by action of the MFCA. The mandate placed on us will, however, require the cooperation of the MFCA with the many classes and will also require collaboration with the RCA seminaries since they play an equal role in the “Certificate of Fitness for Ministry” (CFM) process. The new team created by this year’s General Synod, identified as the Call, Care and Standards Committee (CCSC) will need to look at the results of these surveys and possibly take action at a denominational level.

Alumni gave the MFCA relatively high scores on “communication” and the “sense that they were known and heard by MFCA.” For many this was said in contrast to how classis did similar functions. This was validated by the comments. Alumni scored MFCA lower, more in the “average” mid-range category in the areas of “Spiritual Formation” and “Personal Wholeness.” The best rating was given in the area of “Denominational Identity,” an area where we should do well since that is certainly one of the priorities of the program and one of the more obvious and measurable products of the program. Yet, in this day and age denominational identity is not perceived as terribly important, especially when it is compared to spiritual formation and wholeness. The younger candidate especially tends to emphasize relationships with others and God as crucial to their ministry.  As one of the respondents wrote in the comments section:

“I definitely think MFCA is helpful, but still missing ‘something’ that can make it really strong. Don’t feel there’s enough unity perhaps… like people know each other’s ‘positions’ but not as ‘persons’ and so the work is just a duty rather than a joy of being together as God’s children.”

Other people wrote:

“My seminary was much more important and relevant than my Classis or MFCA. For my process, my Classis and MFCA would have been better focused on engaging me in contact with the RCA and the development of personal relationships within it.”

“Although I felt affirmed by both the Classis and MFCA, it was my seminary and personal pastor mentor who had the greatest impact on the formation of my personal identity and skills. Because I was distant geographically from both the Classis and MFCA, there were times I felt isolated from either of their processes.”

“I felt disconnected from MFCA when I was in the process. That was just something I had to do. Not sure how else MFCA can help candidates prepare for the ministries they will serve since every congregation and situation is different.” (stated AAR candidate)

The unique place and effort of the MFCA in the life of the candidate is certainly reflected in many of the comments. When there are supportive efforts on the part of the seminary, the supervised ministry site and mentors there is not as much of a need for the MFCA to provide the support. In situations where those other entities are not providing adequate support the onus is with MFCA and therefore we are obligated to provide program and resources for everyone in the process so that those who do not have the proper care will be looked after by the MFCA and its staff.

The fact that we have approximately 100 candidates at any one time in the process, and over 83% of those individuals reside east of the Rocky Mountains provides an enormous challenge. Communication remains extremely important and opportunities to gather folks together must remain a priority.

It is noteworthy to recognize that there were no negative comments about program requirements such as the courses and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). As a matter of fact there were several comments such as “My ‘highlight’ of my MFCA journey was completing CPE.” The CPE requirement is meant to address the “Personal Wholeness” and “Ministry Development.” It does not propose to connect folks more to the denomination but it does assist in making for healthier pastors who are self aware and have better defined boundaries. 

Another area that was highlighted by alumni in the survey was the psychological testing. This has become a more important part of the process and not only has the MFCA reduced the costs to candidates, the MFCA has also investigated other psychological services and added to our number those now able to provide useful and relevant diagnostic reports. We are diligent about providing candidates with the results and feedback of such assessments and candidates can rest assured that the committee members who participate in the interviews only read the summaries that the candidate also receives. No surprises and confidentiality is strictly maintained. We can confidently say to the person who wrote the following that “yes, we have improved and we are committed to continue to improve…”

“From what I hear, the psychological evaluation has been improved since I took it, but at that time it was done over the phone for those not in Michigan, DEFINITELY a BAD idea. I have seen enough of these tests to know that it is difficult at best to get an accurate picture of a person based on answers to questions and a short interview... This resulted in an evaluation that I felt did not give a very accurate picture of me. I was concerned about who would read it so I asked what was done with the psychological test results. I was told that the evaluation was simply filed away and would not be seen by others. Then when I received the packet of information that was distributed at my mid-term interview, parts of the summary page of the psychological evaluation was included.”

There will continue to be occasions where the psychological assessments will not be done in person but recent efforts to avoid that scenario has included bringing a psychologist to Holland, Michigan during the intensives so that candidates can meet in person with the psychologist. The addition of having Rev. Dr. Chuck DeGroat on the west coast with the Newbigin House of Studies has also been a welcomed option for psychological assessments.

The MFCA staff is more than open to hearing ideas from others about how we can improve our process. We will do our best to listen and avoid becoming defensive and make excuses. It is our desire to prepare individuals well for ministry. If you have not yet taken one of our surveys and would like to do so, please contact Kristen at kmcclain@rca.org or call at 800-435-5136. Comments to this blog are also welcome.

Cor

Professors of Theology: A New Future

The General Synod professors sing at the General Synod meeting in Orange City, Iowa - the occasion is the installation of Rev. Dr. Renee House.

The Professors of Theology, who hold the 4^th Office, are meeting in Holland, Michigan this weekend. The meeting will occur on the campus of Western Theological Seminary (WTS) and all ten professors hope to attend. This meeting will be somewhat historic in that there are once again ten (10) professors and for the first time, three of the ten are women. Dr. Carol Bechtel, the first woman ever to hold the office, Dr. Renee House and Dr. Leanne Van Dyk are the three women. Seven of the professors are from WTS and the other three are from New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS).

This is the first meeting funded by the General Synod. Since the late 1990’s the MFCA has been funding and sponsoring the gatherings of the professorate. The MFCA’s stake in supporting the 4^th Office, other than the belief that this office, unique to the Reformed Church in America (RCA), serves the Church well, is that the professors have been critical to the success of the Approved Alternate Route (AAR) program, especially the implementation of the case study examinations.

The agenda for this week’s meeting has not been announced but it can be assumed that the professors will be reviewing the new definition of the 4^th office by the 2010 General Synod and, if ratified by two-thirds of the classes, they will have to design a strategy for living into the new definition. Two of the more significant modifications in the new definition are the 1) Broadening the eligibility criteria for the office by not restricting it to full time faculty at NBTS and WTS, allowing for part time faculty and individuals nominated by the MFCA; and 2) Requiring dual membership for professors—both to the General Synod and Classis.

The minutes of General Synod state the following: “These changes would allow for the appointment of General Synod professors who are not full-time teachers at one of the seminaries, but who play a major role in teaching the whole church and in preparing candidates for ministry and granting the certificate of fitness. It would also open the possibility of General Synod professors who are not in one of the Reformed Church in America seminaries, but who exercise major teaching and oversight responsibilities within the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency.”

Also the following is stated in the minutes regarding dual membership:

“• General Synod professors will be members of the classis in which they reside.

• General Synod professors will continue to be either regular or corresponding delegates to the General Synod as they have been in the past, in order to allow them to continue their ministry of teaching to the whole church, and to keep them in close contact with the synod in their crucial tasks of preparing and certifying candidates for ministry in the Reformed Church in America.

• General Synod professors will be amenable to the General Synod only in matters of doctrine, but in every other respect shall be amenable, as are all ministers of Word and sacrament, to the classis in which they hold membership (in this case, the classis of residence).

• In this more focused amenability to the General Synod, the only discipline that the synod will exercise will focus upon the office of General Synod professor. Its disciplinary options include admonishment, rebuke, or removal from the office of General Synod professor. Any other discipline that may be needed will be the responsibility of the classis, which will address the accused not as a General Synod professor but as a minister of Word and sacrament.”

The report of the task force which made the recommendations to General Synod, recorded the following explanations so as to provide context and explain the thinking behind the reasons for reconstituting this office…

“This approach has the additional benefit of allowing part-time faculty who are teaching in the seminaries or in the Ministerial Formation Certification Agency, but who also function as ministers of Word and sacrament under the oversight of a classis, to be considered for nomination as General Synod professors.

The task force is also addressing the collegiality and corporate identity of General Synod professors. Because of the broad Reformed conviction that the Spirit’s work in guiding the church expresses itself most fully within the church corporately, and not just in individuals, the task force believes that it may be helpful to recognize in our church order a corporate role for General Synod professors within the life of the church. This role should first of all concern oversight of the standards for the certificate of fitness for ministry, and the professors should work together to receive referrals from the General Synod with respect to the standards, and to formulate periodic reports and recommendations to the synod regarding the standards. Similarly, the professorate may be a useful resource to the General Synod from time to time, not replacing any of the existing commissions, but in some cases, receiving appropriate referrals from the General Synod, or offering reports to the synod on matters which touch upon the specific responsibilities granted to the professorate by the General Synod. The Book of Church Order changes implementing this corporate structure are included in this proposal.”

The MFCA Board of Trustees will be reviewing the recommended changes to the Book of Church (BCO) at its meeting in February and incorporating its new role into the bylaws of the agency. No plans have been made in relation to nominating individuals to the office at this time.

Formation Toward Healthy Pastors

A recent blog posting by Dr. Chuck DeGroat of the Newbigin House of Studies (@ http://www.newbiginhouse.org/Training-Healthy-Pastors-A-Historical-Context) has served as a good reminder to me about why the MFCA has included in its program the emphasis on the development of the pastor as a healthy and whole person. Since requiring that our candidates take a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), the MFCA has made it a priority to view pastoral formation as being a unique and balanced combination of academic learning, character development, spiritual understanding and emotional / relational health.

Many of our candidates are more than capable when it comes to classroom learning. When academic deficiencies are identified, it is often a simple exercise to develop a program of study to address the said deficit. Health issues are more difficult to address, especially when it involves emotional, spiritual and relational health. Candidates often enter the process with unresolved family of origin issues, self esteem struggles, behavioral tensions, relational conflicts and, in some cases, psychological disorders.  Some are drawn to ministry as part of a pursuit to find healing and recovery for their personal lives. Addictions and codependency, often well hidden from most others, control the candidate and suppress spiritual sensitivity along with limiting the ability to lead others toward health. It is not uncommon to have ministerial candidates who require attention and care from others in such large doses that 1) the minister is incapable to offer care and be present to those in need, and 2) those in need quickly recognize that the minister is in crisis and, rather than seeking their help, begin to assist the minister. Roles get reversed and the system may promote dysfunction and perpetuate the problems of both the parishioner and pastor.

Recognizing that the health of individuals, especially those preparing for pastoral leadership, is part of the responsibility of the MFCA, the following are measured and reported on for all candidates in the program:

·         The development of self-awareness.

·         Awareness of how one’s personality and ministry style affect others.

·         Understanding of pastoral authority and boundaries.

·         Healthy balance between professional and personal life.

·         Holistic pastoral identity integrating attitudes, values, assumptions, strengths and weaknesses.

·         Healthy awareness of and engagement with contextual factors (e.g. social conditions, family systems, racial, economic, and cultural factors) that bear on ministerial practice.

·         Capacity to integrate theological understanding with pastoral identity and practice.

·         Healthy and constructive engagement with peers.

·         Use of peer interaction and supervision to enhance ministry effectiveness.

Where candidates cannot gain access to a unit of CPE, the MFCA offers them the Seminar on Pastoral Formation. Dr. Jaco Hamman of Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is the facilitator of the seminar which will again be offered in the spring of 2011. The seminar utilizes some excellent books to assist individuals in reflection on these crucial areas for ministry. The following are recommended for any pastor seeking a healthier existence and ministry:

Hamman, Jaco J. Becoming a Pastor: Forming self and soul for ministry. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2007.

Harbaugh, Gary L. The pastor as person: Maintaining personal integrity in the choices and challenges of ministry. Augsburg Fortress Press: Minneapolis, 1984.

Richardson, Ronald W. Becoming a Healthier Pastor: Family Systems Theory and the Pastor's Own Family Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling Series. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.

MFCA Identifies Core Values

The MFCA Board of Trustees met in Paramount, California this past weekend and defined the core values of the agency. The core values are listed below and will be utilized to direct strategic planning and its policy governance statements.

We value being proactive in contributing to the success of our candidates therefore we

-          help candidates discern and respond to their call to ministry with integrity

-          offer equal and fair access to those who are called to ministry

-          recognize that barriers exist (language, disabilities) but we do not allow them to deter the candidate from responding to the call to ministry

-          demonstrate love and respect for every candidate

We value the integrity of a certification process that balances care for candidates and the church’s traditions therefore we uphold

-          rigorous but not rigid application of the standards

-          being instinctively and intentionally relational as we approach our work

-          the distinctive roles of all parties in the process

-          honest, direct communication with the candidate

We value the distinctive role the MFCA plays in strengthening the ministry of the RCA therefore we commit to

-          providing an educated clergy from all regions of the church

-          working with diverse candidates from non-traditional backgrounds

-          remaining culturally relevant

-          a diversity of voices around the table

-          good stewardship of the resources given to us

Lesslie Newbigin

There is a confession that I need to make: With the exception of coming across the occasional quote by Lesslie Newbigin, I had never read anything by him and know little of his work. For me, Scot Sherman of City Church in San Francisco is the closest I have really gotten to Newbigin. I am pretty sure that Scot was influential in claiming the Newbigin name for the new seminary project that has, until now, been sponsored by the folks at City Church in San Francisco. At the moment they go by the name “The Newbigin House of Studies.” 

I am aware of numerous partners interested in working with the Newbigin House of Studies as it gets its start, including Calvin Seminary, Fuller Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary and Western Theological Seminary (WTS). I understand that a delegation from WTS will be visiting San Francisco this month for the purpose of negotiating and formalizing a cooperative relationship. 

It was a surprise to me, while cleaning out some boxes in our garage belonging to our children, that I came across a college book of my daughter’s that was written by Lesslie Newbigin. I decided to rescue this book from the recycling bin and took it with me on my trip to Cleveland this week. The book was a quick, yet profound read. It was only 150 pages and was titled “Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture.” (Eerdmans, 1986)

My trip to Cleveland was capped by a rather unique and entertaining leg on the inaugural flight of the “Oprah: The Final Season” plane, but, what stands out more in my memory is reading the Newbigin book. I read it on my way out and during times of reflection found myself thinking a fair bit about ministry in a post-Enlightenment world. And specifically for me, preparing people for ministry in a world that is more caught up with the science of technology and social networks than it is one where people are trying to understand the Bible and how it speaks into one’s life. I was intrigued by Newbigin’s mention of sphere sovereignty and theologians with whom I have become acquainted with such as Kuyper and Dooyeweerd. 

As he wrote about the Bible, Newbigin made a marvelous statement that not only provided food for thought, but also challenged me in my own faith and the role of scripture in it. He wrote: “The scholar examines the text but is not, in any profound sense, examined by it. If he is a believer, he will draw from the text illumination for his own faith. But his faith does not rest on the authority of the text. It is rather that he perceives a congruence between the faith to which the text bears witness and his own.” (Pg. 47)

In his last chapter, Newbigin asks the question “What must we be? The Call to the Church.” He makes the point that “The privilege of the Christian life cannot be sought apart from the responsibilities.” (John 20:20) (Pg. 124) I would suggest that the response to a call to ministry comes with even greater responsibilities. Newbigin provides six points in which he describes what we must be and do to be relevant and minister in the culture in which we find ourselves. I will summarize them briefly… “To have a missionary encounter with our culture:”

1. “The first must be the recovery and firm grasp of a true doctrine of last things, of eschatology.” (Pg. 134)
2. “…a Christian doctrine of freedom. Surely the greatest gift the Enlightenment has left us is the recognition of the right of all people to freedom of thought and of conscience.” Pg. 137)
3. “…A de-clericalized theology…. The missionary encounter for which I am pleading will require the energetic fostering of a declericalized, lay theology.” (Pg. 142)
4. “… a radical theological critique of the theory and practice of denominationalism. Richard Niebuhr’s dictum, ‘Denominationalism represents the moral failure of Christianity.’” (Pg. 144)
5. “… the necessity for help in seeing our own culture through Christian minds shaped by other cultures.” (Pg. 146)
6. “… the courage to hold and to proclaim a belief that cannot be proved to be true in terms of the axioms of our society… Our modern scientific culture has pursued the ideal of a completely impersonal knowledge of a world of so-called facts that are simply there.” (Pg. 148)
   
   And then Newbigin adds a seventh
   
7. “There is one thing more that must be said. This humble boldness and and this expectant patience are not the product of human heroism. They are the spontaneous overflow of a community of praise. They are the radiance of a supernatural reality. (Pg. 149)

Given this brief exposure to Newbigin may provide insight into the new mission of the seminary and house of studies on the west coast. Knowing the leaders of the Newbigin House of Studies suggests to me that some of Newbigin’s work will provide identity to the seminary. And then again, some won’t. None the less, I appreciate this book that challenges all of us to have a missionary encounter with our culture!

Cor

Opgenorth Speaks at MFCA 25th Celebration Dinner

By Rev. Jon Opgenorth... (Lead Pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa

I was invited to speak a the 25th anniversary banquet of the MFCA.  The MFCA is the Ministerial Formation Certification Agnency of the Reformed Church in America (RCA).  It oversees the ordination process for students who do not attend either of the RCA seminaries – Western (WTS) and New Brunswick (NBTS).  I graduated from Fuller Seminary in 1992.  Below is the talk I gave at their banquet last week in Orange City:

Happy Birthday MFCA!

Owning Our Place at the Table

 Gift to our past, Strategic to our future

 When did it first happen to you (if it has at all)?  For me it was at the Missouri Valley McDonalds, 2008, returning from 10 days in Africa and 24 hours of flying and airports.  The woman taking my order was much older than I and yet asked me if I qualified… for the senior discount.
It was the first, but was not the last.  Combined with a number of other incidents of similar nature in recent years, I have come to a conclusion:  while I am not a senior, I have come into a new era – middle age.  I have changed.  I have become something new.  I have resisted growing up.  Sometimes I want the respect of years of service without owning my place.  I have changed, it’s time for me to accept it, and it’s time to take my place at that table.
The MFCA is 25 and I would not have known unless Director Cor Kors had told me.  In any event, I find the MFCA at 25 to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the RCA – just can’t get any respect.  Perhaps you have experienced situations like I did at the recent classis exams.  One person shared, “With all these MFCA students, this creates something new for us…”  When he said “new” I was as dumbfounded as when the woman at the Missouri Valley McDonalds offered me a discount.
Twenty years ago, the classis of Wisconsin said the same thing during my exams (which contained fellow MFCA students Madeline Fuentes, David Bailey, David Izenbart, and myself.  Over our first quarter century we have produced students from a variety of seminaries (Fuller, Gordon Conwell, Trinity, Princeton, Tyndale, and RTS, to name just a few).
On this milestone year of the MFCA I want to share three gifts that both are both part of what makes our past worth celebrating and our future a strategic place at the table.  We are now at the table.  It’s time to start contributing like adults who belong and who have something worthwhile, even, strategic to the RCA’s future.  These three gifts I call the ABCs of Diversity.
1.  Diversity of an Alternate Route with the same destination
On one level, MFCA was formed, in part, as an alternative geographical route to ordination.  Perhaps not unlike NBTS forming to train ministers in the new world without the burden of going back to Amsterdam, or WTS forming on the “western frontier” of Michigan and beyond.  The MFCA seemed to provide a geographic alternative for the far west students.
But even if that was the intended origin, there is no doubt that this change brought about diversity of location and leadership development delivery systems for a wide range of RCA students.  In my day, it meant that a kid raised in the RCA ghetto of Oostburg, WI, and educated in the RCA ghetto of Orange City, IA, could get outside the ghetto and learn in a different avenue and in a way that would benefit the congregations I have served.
Today, the alternative delivery system includes the shift to distant learning and further increased opportunities.  Because of this diversity, MFCA is giving the RCA a laboratory of leadership development.
2.  Diversity of Biblical perspectives within a Reformed Worldview
Second, because the MFCA has given us alternative locations, the MFCA has allowed us to study under a variety of biblical scholars from all over the world, yet maintain our theological identity through the RCA core courses we take on worship, polity, credo, etc.
This gift allowed me to study under Croatian Miroslav Volf, Brit Colin Brown, Leadership guru Robbie Clinton, Signs and Wonders missiologists John Wimber and Carl George.
Sometimes these varied perspectives provided iron-sharpening-iron moments.  The richness of this diversity allows us to think through our reformed perspective through a variety of lenses.  It gives opportunity to engage one another in robust, biblical, theological, and practical conversation about how to be the church and do the work of the church.
My experiences at Fuller fueled my passion for evangelism and church growth.  Many of the concepts from those years enabled me to develop ministries and structures that enabled congregations to grow.  It would seem that in a shrinking denomination, we have much to learn from other churches, denominations, and Christian traditions that have been proactive in their commitment to follow Christ in mission.
3.  Diversity of Cultural experiences
Third, Diversity of cultural experiences.  I’ve already mentioned the ghettoization of my child hood and college years.  I was mainly wanting to get out of my bubble.  But the unexpected blessing of diverse cultures has come home to my life in profound ways.
If I had gone to the NBTS or WTS of the early 90s, I would have experienced some cultural diversity, and today there is even more.  But in almost every course at Fuller in those days, I was in a near-United Nations experience.  I learned to relate, appreciate, and love peoples of radically different cultures.  My life was made rich by these associations.
And, indeed, little would I know that in 2007, the multicultural experiences I enjoyed in 1992 would bear fruit in profound ways.  In Orange City, Iowa, of all places, I came face to face with the radically changing landscape of Latino immigrants from all over Mexico and points south.  My rich experiences gave me the opportunity to engage the community in new ways and set at ease a 5-generation congregation as it makes room for new residents.
This very experience, it seems, is critical as the RCA lives out the 6^th piece of Our Call – multiracial future freed from racism – we will need ministers with experiences to engage this reality.
Those are my ABC’s of the MFCA at 25, but there is one more key to the MFCA’s history and its place at the table.
 “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” 
For most of the past 25 years , Cor Kors has led this agency.  It was begun with Ken Van Wyk .  But when the RCA looked for new leadership in those days, they looked no farther than the NHL.  The NHL, you remember, struggling for fans and success at points south of Vancouver.  1n 1988, the NHL looked north and brought the Great One – Wayne Gretzky – to the LA Kings.
The MFCA looked north and found another Canadian – a Maple Leaf.  Cor descended to LA like an Alberta Clipper – a furious storm of tireless energy for a rather thankless task.
Think of what hats he must wear –
-          he is a seminary president (of a seminary without buildings)
-          he is the VP for advancement (explaining to donors what MFCA stands for)
-          he is the dean of students (nurturing their faith as chaplain)
-          he is registrar and provost (ensuring the academic standards and practical requirements of the program are met)
-          he is the classis exam committee reference
-          he is the CEO, COO, CFO
-          he is a peace maker – often standing in the gap between students and classis “care” committees who don’t get MFCA, then standing in the gap between pastors and the requirements – sometimes defending a student against the requirement and sometime defending the requirements to the students.
 It is a thankless job and he gets no respect.  He is the Rodney Dangerfield of the RCA denominational staff.
But he carries with him not only the thanks of the past 25 years and the hopes of the current students.  I believe he is in a unique position to shape ministerial formation in the still-young century.  He has his pulse on the denomination in a way not often appreciated or understood.  Cor is in the lives of students, classis, and congregations across the entire breadth of the denomination.  His unique experience and history gives him a perspective that is needed for his place at the table. 
To that end, MFCA is 25 – some of our earliest students are now in the prime of their ministries and the top of their game.  For the first time, and MFCA alumn, Lisa Vander Wal, was elected General Synod Vice President.  We have a place at the table.  We are grown up.  We may not want to admit it, but we are now of age.  It’s not that we need a place at the table for our pride and acceptance and legitimization, but our experiences, education, and various diversities allow us a perspective that is strategic to this historic moment in the RCA.

Happy Birthday MFCA!