In the multicultural post-Christian era, theological schools across the country are taking a long look at how they prepare students for active ministry — changing not only the curriculum, but also how it is delivered to a widely diverse group of students.
"We are no longer preparing people to lead in the maintenance model of ministry, where they are expected to maintain the church as an institution," says John Vissers, principal of the Presbyterian College, part of the Montreal School of Theology at McGill University. "We are moving more toward a missionary model because churches and their leaders are facing all kinds of challenges in our post-Christian culture."
Because of this shift in culture, he says theological students heading toward ordination must now be prepared to take up stronger leadership roles. Schools are making a more conscious effort to marry theology courses such as Biblical and ethical studies with practical experience in counselling and leadership.
To that end, third-year students take a mandatory seven- to 10-day mission trip so they can experience the church in a different culture.
"We want them to experience the church outside of Canada, and determine how that experience can inform the church in here," says Vissers. "In previous years, we have gone to Mexico, and, this coming year, we will be going to an ecumenical seminary in Cuba."
trip enables students to view the church from an alternate point of view, and in that broadening of perspective, the hope is they will find their own work more enriched. Students are expected to fund some of the costs themselves, but funding is also provided from the Ewart Foundation, the Presbyterian World Service and Development Fund and the Women's Missionary Society.
At the college, courses in the Ministry of Divinity program provide a solid foundation for ministry, says Vissers, but there's room to learn more.
"There's clearly an understanding that what you get in seminary is only a beginning," he says. "Increasingly, we are providing programs that are the basis for life-long learning."
It's important to continue supporting the newly ordained because, Vissers says, there is a high drop-out rate in the first five years of ministry. In helping students embrace the notion of continuous learning throughout their vocation, it's hoped they feel not only prepared to serve the church, but also supported in their work. "We feel it will lead to a more reflective practice of ministry."
Last year, about 50 clergy attended the school's continuing education events, including lectures by Miroslav Wolf of the Yale School of Divinity and Karl Moore from the Yale School of business, who lectured on how to apply today's business principles to congregational leadership and church management. The continuing education program will be offered again in February 2006.
At Presbyterian College, there are about 25 students who are working toward a diploma in lay leadership, and several others are taking the course online. This distance-learning model is helping several members of the Cape Breton Presbytery in Nova Scotia develop the skills of non-stipendiary lay leadership.
Distance-learning, especially for lay education, is also gaining popularity at Knox College, part of the University of Toronto's downtown campus. Celebrating its 160th anniversary, Knox has a diverse student population and a young enthusiastic faculty, says Barbara Hepburn, director of development.
"We have a nice mix of Master of Divinity, Master of Religious Education and Master of Theological Studies students, and we're continuing the trend toward younger students, many right out of the undergraduate programs, where, not long along, we had more people who were taking on their second career," she says. "We offer a lot of diversity, both within our programs and the student body, and with the resources of the Toronto School of Theology, there is an ecumenical focus. The students are meeting people from different places and ministry experiences."
Faculty are also researching the changing needs of Canadian churches. "The ultimate goal is to prepare the students for what they will be going into, not what's been the traditional setting in the past few years," Hepburn says. "We have to look at today's world, not yesterday's."
The encouraging sign, she adds, is that more people are coming to Knox seeking preparation for active ministry. In the past two years, the numbers have been increasing.
Knox has graduated 150 students from its lay ministry program, which is continually growing, and offers students the chance to do the course either completely online or on site. A Korean language lay education program is also offered.
"These folks are elders in the church, church school superintendents, people who are working in the church but want to be better equipped for their ministries," Hepburn says. "They are also finding the ways to incorporate their faith in everyday life."
The online option provides easy access to the Knox faculty on a regular basis.
"We're hoping to expand the online capabilities so that people in far-flung places have the chance to study at Knox," Hepburn says. "We've been in the education business for a long time, but we're not stuck in the Dark Ages. We're looking to the future always and finding ways to expand our continuing education program to better serve those who are currently in ministry."
But it's been a slow process, says Hepburn, mostly because of funding.
"We don't have the financial resources to do it as well as we'd like to, but we're working on getting the financial resources to do more," she says. "The continuing education programs we have been able to offer are popular and they offer an opportunity to gather information about what other kinds of programs ministers need. In turn, the congregations benefit."
Funding remains a roadblock for all theological schools across the country, says Corinne Rogers, director of development at the Vancouver School of Theology.
Officially sponsored by the Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches in Canada, VST is a multi-denominational community, with students coming from various Christian traditions.
"The United, Anglican and Presbyterian churches are able to give less and less to the colleges," she says. "Ordination-track candidates aren't paid for by the Anglican or United churches anymore. The churches are changing. So we took a look at the land we have on the University of British Columbia's campus."
By selling off parcels of the land for development, the school is adding to its endowment fund, which will help fund renovations at Iona Building and provide needed housing for students and others in the Vancouver area.
Rogers explains the key to finding the funds was to view the school's land as a legacy for future generations of theological students.
The development plans call for a combination of market and student housing, as well as lower-cost housing, which will result in a neighbourhood surrounding the school.
The Landmark Legacy Campaign has been established to guarantee the school's continuing success. Individuals, families, congregations and church groups can support current endowment funds, or begin new funds for teaching chairs and student bursaries.
Iona Building is being retrofitted with a more solid structure, elevators to ensure accessibility and rewiring to enable wireless computer/communications connectivity. The building will also provide new archive space for both the United and Anglican churches in the area. Somerville House, the school's new student residence was officially opened in April.
Rogers says this is an exciting time at VST and the improvements will help the school continue its long tradition of preparing lay people and clergy for work in the church.
"People are looking for different kinds of education, not just the traditional Master of Divinity," she says. "We offer intensives, two weeks of course work all day, every day, which is great for people who want to plan their education around their holidays. Not everyone can do two or three months to earn a credit."
VST's Chalmers Institute for Continuing Education and Congregational Development, also offers various programs throughout the year to provide lifelong learning opportunities to both clergy and laity.
Education, particularly education for ministry in the 21st century, is an ongoing process. The church, through its affiliation with seminaries across Canada, will continue looking for ways to better prepare leaders and members of their congregations.
"As we move into more of a mission model, Christian churches will face all kinds of challenges in this new culture," says Vissers. "How that all spins out — well, we will likely be looking at that from year to year for some time to come."
