A new world with new friends - The Association of Theological Schools Biennial Meeting 2022 in Pittsburgh

A large part of my dissertation focused on the work of the largest accrediting body for graduate theological education in North America, the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). So, when some of my future colleagues at Briercrest invited me to attend an ATS gathering in Pittsburgh it was a no-brainer. This was an opportunity to meet the people behind the papers and articles I had read and quoted during my dissertation research. 

The conference exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I had the chance to get to know people from across North America in a relaxed (albeit in a business causal kind-of-way) environment. I'm grateful to my future Briercrest teammates, Jay and Beth, for including me in great things they are doing for the school and the multi-vocational project funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. I'm thankful for a handful of faculty and administrator friends from theological schools in Canada, such as a Scottish preaching professor from Acadia Divinity College, a Wycliffe College grant writer who knows something about everything, and the recently appointed dean of theology at Ambrose University in Calgary. He's going to be one of my first calls once I get settled in my new role in the Prairies. I also got the chance to meet and chat with some fine ATS people, including former Executive Director, Dan Aleshire. What an honour.

The only hiccup occurred the night before I was scheduled to fly back to Toronto. I received word that my early morning flight was cancelled and rescheduled for a nighttime trip with a stop in Washington. Two men from Horizon College & Seminary in Saskatoon who happened to be sitting at my table also happened to be on that cancelled flight. We all decided to drive back to Canada instead of taking our chances at the airport. As it turns out, Beth, my Briercrest colleague who lives in Toronto, had driven to the conference. She had space to squeeze me behind her passenger riding shotgun, the newly appointed principal of Emmanuel College in Toronto. What a eventful end to a great conference.

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.

 

  

 

Virtual Virtue: Exploring the Fruitfulness of Online Pastoral Education

I will be presenting a paper at Tyndale Seminary's 2021 Wesley Studies Symposium on Zoom.

My presentation focuses on some of my PhD research findings, examining the role of technology on character formation in online pastoral education programs. 

The research is important for at least two reasons:

1. According to a 2019 article published by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), 62% of ATS accredited schools were approved at that time to offer online distance education (Gin, Lester, Blogett, 2019). That represents almost two thirds of all accredited theological schools in North America.

2. Since the pandemic, there has been an even greater shift toward online learning. In an August 2020 Faith & Leadership interview with ATS Executive Director, Frank Yamada, he referred to the newly adopted accreditation Standards saying: 

... we changed residency requirements. With these new standards, there are only residency requirements for the Ph.D. program, and all the other degree programs no longer have residency requirements ... it provides schools the flexibility to be able to do, for example, more online distance education at this time. (Read the full article here)

Yamada acknowledges the heightened need for online education during the pandemic. With the new Standards, even more schools are able to shift courses and programs online. 

With the rapid uptick in Internet theological education, how are programs of pastoral formation affected? Even more importantly, how does this educational milieu affect ministerial students?

Consider attending the Wesley Symposium this year. It's free and you might find some answers to those questions.