From exploring goals of CE to exploring goals of TE

I want to move from this short survey of what educators are saying about the goals of education for the church to what educators and theologians are saying about the goals of theological education. I think it is important to look at more general goals for members of the church first before we look at the more specific goals for development of leaders of the church because the well-being of the body of Christ is what we exist for.

I mentioned earlier hearing Dr Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in his address on the topic "Kingdom Partnerships: Serving Together in God's World." One of the points made by Dr Mouw that has stuck in my mind is the conversation he related which he had with a member of the Lilly Foundation. This person commented that seminaries which came to foundations asking for money really need to be asking themselves three questions:

1. What is God doing in the world?

2. What does the church need to do to align itself with what God is doing in the world?

3. What does the theological institution need to do to help the church align itself with what God is doing in the world?

I think the point of asking this set of questions is so that theological schools don’t develop an agenda of their own without being aware of God’s agenda for the church of Jesus Christ. The possibility of parallel agendas has been etched into my memory deeply by the encounter with a Church of England curate in the UK who in the course of a conversation on faith and commitment in Jesus Christ, replied to me, "Me Christian? No, I'm just clergy!" So, be mindful, be conscious, be sure of that agenda before we define our agenda within the seminary.

That having been said, what does the literature say about the goals, the aims, the purposes of theological education?
(To be continued...)