Saturday, September 25, 2021

Standards of spiritual formation and character maturity in theological education

I've been thinking about clergy formation and the role of theological schools. I've been particularly focused on thinking about standards of spiritual and character maturity. Should there be standards? If so, what would the be? How might those standards be assessed? And, should they be assessed when someone is applying to a theological school, upon graduation, at other points, or all of the above? 

According to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), 2020 Standards of Accreditation, Standard 4.3 describes the degree for those interested in pastoral ministry [pay particular attention to (c)]:

The Master of Divinity degree is broadly and deeply attentive to the intellectual, human, spiritual, and vocational dimensions of student learning and formation in ways consistent with the school’s mission and theological commitments. The degree has clearly articulated learning outcomes that address each of the following four areas, though the school may use different terms for these areas: (a) religious heritage, including understanding of scripture, the theological traditions and history of the school’s faith community, and the broader heritage of other relevant religious traditions; (b) cultural context, including attention to cultural and social issues, to global awareness and engagement, and to the multifaith and multicultural nature of the societies in which students may serve; (c) personal and spiritual formation, including development in personal faith, professional ethics, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and spirituality; and (d) religious and public leadership, including cultivating capacities for leading in ecclesial or denominational and public contexts and reflecting on leadership practices.

The development of spiritual and moral maturity are expectations within the program. However, the ATS does not define how to assess and when to assess these areas. They do expect schools to evaluate? Standard 2 addresses evaluation:

Evaluation is a simple, systematic, and sustained process that helps schools understand how well they are achieving their missions and then helps schools use that information to better achieve their missions, especially regarding student learning and formation. 

I took a quick look at two prominent evangelical schools in Canada that confer MDiv degrees. Regent College in Vancouver and Tyndale Seminary in Toronto both require MDiv applicants to write about their personal faith and provide a pastoral reference as part of the application. This appears to show the need for some faith foundation prior to being enrolled, although there is no statement indicating what the admissions department deems "acceptable" and "unacceptable" in terms of personal faith. Much more digging is needed but, on the surface, it appears there are pre-admission minimum standards of faith for those seeking enrolment to the MDiv degree at two evangelical seminaries in Canada.


 

  

 

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